Back twenty years to... Saturday, September 30th, 2006. Day 175. Getting lazy at the halfway mark – a couple of days off at the ocean. Museums, Green Mountains and green issues. The faceless 'Old Man of the Mountain', the tourist town of Lincoln – and the obvious problem with deer hunting.

"In classical antiquity – important days were marked in red on calendars. 'Red letter days'. Today for me, is one of them. I’m now halfway through the 'Mission'. One hundred-and-seventy-five days – of three hundred-and-fifty. At midnight tonight, I will be, exactly 'half way round'. My excitement has been building for some time now – and the day feels like it's my Birthday or something – such is the auspiciousness of the grand occasion.

A sensational, sunny and crisp autumn day, so first to the hamlet of Woodstock, on US Highway 3 – but with not so much here, I drive further on to North Woodstock, where I park-up and get a few shots around the chintzy little village. Somewhat surprisingly, in this lovely and so innocently appointed place, I come-across a State Liquor Store where, equally amazingly, there's a sale on – and so I stock-up wantonly with a couple of quarts of Jack Daniels.

Next – on to Lincoln, just a mere jot away, but the traffic leaving Interstate 93 is backed-up bumper-to-bumper, queuing all the way down each of the off ramps. Weekend 'leaf-peepers' and the last of the summer holiday vacationers – all on their way to State Highway 112 – the 'Kancamagus National Scenic Byway'.

This particular stretch of super-beauteous leaden tarmacadam runs through the heart of the White Mountain National Forest, and there’s: "An abundance of fun for the kids" all around the small tourist town. 'The Whale’s Tale Waterpark’, 'Loon Mountain' and 'The Hobo Railroad', to name just the first few. Spoilt brats. They don't know they're born. What’s so very wrong with – blackberry picking."

In Search of Small-Town America: Volume 1 is a free-of-charge Pdf digital download – available from our shop. A table of contents, the introduction, the route-map – and featuring content on the first two States travelled: New Mexico and Arizona.

Jeremy Hammond I am a British writer and photographer, and have travelled through India, China, Southeast Asia and Australia, but most extensively in North America. In the late seventies and early eighties, I worked as lighting crew, and later designer, for many top-named British bands, on tours through Europe, Japan, and the USA. I’ve worked as a cruise-ship photographer, in office and store design, database design, visual arts book publishing and as a London-based freelance photographer, specialising in interiors and architecture.