The Hudson!

Entry for our travels, June 14-25 (Yes, I am very far behind on my blogging)

The Hudson river flows 315 miles from the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, south through the Hudson Valley to New York Harbor from where it empties into the Atlantic. The river is tidal, meaning that its water levels are affected by tides from the Atlantic Ocean all the way up to the first lock in Troy, New York, almost 200 miles from the entrance to New York Harbor. 

After passing the Statue of Liberty, we spent 9 days working our way up the river. The first 13 miles are up the west side of Manhattan where we passed the west side neighborhoods including Tribeca, SOHO, West Village, Chelsey, Hells Kitchen, Harlem and Washington Heights. We passed over the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, under the George Washington Bridge and by the Henry Hudson Bridge that connects Manhattan to the Bronx. On the New York side we saw the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. On the New Jersey side, we passed "Waters Soul" an 80 foot tall statue of a woman's head with her finger to her lips in a gesture of quietude and self-reflection. Per the artist, Juame Plensa, from Barcelona, "Water is a metaphor for humanity. One drop of water is quite alone, like a single person, but many drops together can create a tidal wave, and form immense rivers and oceans. When individuals come together to exchange ideas and create community, we can build something incredibly powerful. Just as Water's Soul acts to unite the city of Jersey City and New York City, we are reminded that water is the great public space that unites and embraces communities as well as people around the world." 

As we passed Manhattan and worked our way north, we left behind city views for more suburban and eventually just the magnificent tree lined shores and cliffs of the river valley. Trains run almost continuously up and down both sides of the river. As we continued north we passed under the impressive Tappan Zee (Governor Mario Cuomo) Bridge and a large facility on the New York side that we googled and found to be the infamous Sing Sing maximum security prison. 

Our first destination was Half Moon Bay Harbor at Croton-on Hudson. This marina is a popular spot for loopers. The harbor master was nice as could be but the docks were old and rickety. There was a rudimentary wooden breakwater that may have been effective at filtering out large objects floating down the river but was worthless at stopping swells from entering the harbor. Viewed from the side, the breakwater appeared to be more like a ancient fortress in a Game of Thrones village that archers would hide behind while slinging their arrows at invaders. The combined effects of the poor breakwater, rickety docks and windy conditions made for a rocky/rolly time in the harbor. We actually had rougher seas in the marina than we did in the Atlantic Ocean. Our first evening there, we walked up into town and found a superb little grocery store. We grabbed some ice cream and meandered back to the harbor. 

On our way back we met Lucy and John, a wonderful couple that were nearing the end of their loop on their boat "Calucy Too". With the weather acting up, we planned to hole up at Half Moon Bay for a few days. Lucy and John had already arranged to rent a car and invited us to join them for a day of touring. That day became one of the highlights of our trip. We started with a short drive to the Croton Dam. The engineering of this dam was incredible and the architecture was stunning. None of us had seen anything like this dam; we were all in awe. Built of stone, construction was started in 1892 and completed in 1906. It is 297 foot tall, 2,168 foot long, 206 foot thick at its base and created a reservoir 20 miles long. This dam provides electricity for the Bronx. It's off the beaten path for most people traveling in New York but it is well worth putting in the effort to see it.

 After leaving the dam we drove north to visit the CIA. No, not the organization of spooks and spies, but the Culinary Institute of America. This is a highly respected college for students of the culinary arts. Voted one of the 50 most beautiful college campuses in America, the main building is a former Jesuit Seminary with magnificent views of the Hudson River and Valley. The campus has 4 dining facilities staffed by the students and open to the public. We were unable to get reservations but we arrived right at opening time for lunch and pleaded our way into a table. We ate at their American Bounty Restaurant. The students had just gone through a rotation so they were new in the dining room and a little nervous, but they were nice as could be. John is a former Dean of a dental college. As an educator he had fun quizzing the students on the origins or preparation of the dishes they were serving. It was all good fun. He put them on the spot but they rose to the occasion and if they didn't know the answer to his question right away, they researched it and came back with an answer. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals and the whole experience. 

With our bellies full, we were back in the car and continued on north to Hyde Park, the residence and presidential library of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As a kid, I had no real interest in learning history. I begrudgingly learned what I needed to know for exams and promptly forgot a good bit of it. As an adult, however, I now find it interesting. Visiting his home and Presidential Library was a great way to learn about his personal life, political life and the intersection of the two. I knew the basics...his election to the presidency during the depression, his New Deal and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and our entry into WW2. The pictures, videos and interactive displays were very helpful in understanding both his accomplishments and trials as president but also were effective in relating the state of the country and the people during these difficult times. The displays were engaging and enlightening. I could easily have spent a few more hours at the library but we had to move on to our scheduled tour of his home... or perhaps I should say his mother, Sara's, home. This tour gave more insight into FDR, the person. Although not as magnificent as some of the mansions built by the wealthy industrialists of the era, the Hyde Park home is a stately residence with magnificent views of the Hudson River. Unfortunately, those views are now mostly obscured by forest that the US Park Service does not have the budget for maintaining. Despite rising to the pinnacle of political success, FDR was a mama's boy and was never a successful bread winner for his family. His home at Hyde Park was purchased by his father and remained his mother's until she passed away. Once stricken with Polio, FDR and his wife had separate bedrooms, FDR's was right next to his mother's. On the night stand next to his bed were two phones... one with a direct connection to the white house. Amazing to think that a man who still slept in a bedroom next to his mothers was the leader of the free world! The house was modified with ramps for his wheel chair and an elevator powered by manual ropes. FDR could pull himself up in the elevator to the second floor by pulling on the ropes. FDR did his best to hide his inability to walk as he felt it would make him appear weak. He would already be seated at his desk when visitors would arrive. Only visitors that spent the night at Hyde Park were allowed to see the full extent of his disability. One wall in the entry way was filled with framed political cartoons of the British Royal Family. Like most political cartoons, they were not flattering. He was advised to take them down when the King of England came to spend the night at Hyde Park but he refused. The king took it well, even joking that FDR's collection had some he had not seen before. I may joke about FDR being a mama's boy, but overall I left the grounds with an immense respect for him, his integrity and what he accomplished. It was a long but great day... sightseeing, food, history and making some new good friends! We tucked ourselves in that night looking forward to the next day.

 Karen's sister, Lisa and her husband, William, were coming for a visit and were to be our first overnight guests on the boat since starting our loop. The plan... they arrive mid day, we bbq burgers on the boat, then head to West Point Military Academy, spend the night on the boat and breakfast in the AM before they left. Well, unfortunately, conditions did not cooperate. Remember how I said the waves in the marina were bigger than any we say in the Atlantic? Well, it got worse over night. By the time Lisa and William arrived the harbor was so angry we could barely walk down the dock. And the boat was even worse - bucking like a bronco. There was no way guests with even the strongest constitution could stay on the boat, let alone cook and eat. Paul and a friend also drove by to have lunch with us on their way up north but it was not to be. Paul and friend took off and the rest of us went to a diner for lunch. Then, off we went to visit West Point. 

Set high on a hillside overlooking the Hudson River, West Point was first established as a military Academy in 1802 but it's history goes further back to the Revolutionary war. George Washington considered this area to be one of the most strategic locations in his battle with the British. Fortifications were built, gun batteries were installed and a 65 ton iron chain was built and stretched across the Hudson River all to keep the British from being able to move their ships south. West Point is the oldest, continuously occupied army post in the U.S.  West Point is a huge and imposing structure. It's style is "Military Gothic" which is much darker and more austere than the bright Beaux Art style of the Naval Academy I previously wrote about. Viewed from the river it looks more like a fortress or a prison than an academy. The tour here was a bit of a let down compared to our tour of of Annapolis. This tour was mostly on a bus. Sights were pointed out by the guide but there really was no sense of what life was like there for the cadets. We did get to see parts of the original chain that had been set across the Hudson and we toured the chapel but everything else was seen from a distance. The list of graduates is impressive and includes Generals Sherman, Grant, Pershing, MacArthur, Patton, Eisenhower and Bradley. 

With conditions in the harbor continuing to be so bad, Lisa and William decided to drive home instead of spending the night so they drove us to get provisions, we had dinner out and they left for home. Will we ever have overnight guests?

The weather eventually calmed down and we were able to continue our way up the Hudson. The views continued to be magnificent and we got to see both West Point and the CIA from the river after having toured them on land. 

On the way north we had a quick overnight at Rondout Harbor and a few days at Shady Harbor where we had some preventative maintenance work done. We also motored past a number of picturesque light houses,  Albany, the New York state capital and then went through the Federal "Troy" lock. With a 14 foot rise it was our tallest lock so far. First opened in 1916 it is considered the gateway to the Erie Canal  and, although it is not part of the canal system, it is often considered the 1st lock of the canal for there is no lock # 1 on the canal. 

After passing through the canal it was just a few more minutes before we were tied up on the the wall at Waterford N.Y. within feet of the start of the Erie Canal. We were re-united with some loopers we had cruised with before and had to say goodbye to some who were continuing north to Lake Champlain rather than cruising along the Erie. We went to sleep that night excited about what laid ahead beyond that first set of locks.