Hi Bernard,
Welcome.
That's a great question. The easy answer is to take advantage of free links when you can. Such as taking advantage of links from this site (see the FAQ's for details).
The more reasonable answer is that you have to do your homework. You have to put yourself in the mindset of someone searching for what you have to offer in your area. When you do those searches, you want to make sure you are listed as many of the places that come up as possible. Many sources of links will charge you for it (which can be worth it IF they are a good source of traffic).
A simple trick that sometimes pays off is to do a search for your area but add the term "add link" or "suggest link" or "join" to your search (use quotes for the phrase)
Examples:
- Mill creek CA "add link"
- lake almanor "suggest link"
- nothern california join
Avoid paying for any links that are not from an on topic or a related topic. Avoid link exchanges.
Create pages that people will want to link to. Example: If birding is popular in your area, make a page dedicated to birding with good information on it and then you have a page to suggest birding clubs or organizations link to...as they are less likely to link to the homepage of a B&B.
Look for as many regional sites as you can find and do what it takes to be listed on them.