The Beautiful Hudson Highlands

A couple of the promised pictures from yesterday when we passed along the west of Manhattan. It is overwhelming to see if from the water and to recognize so many of the sites we have already visited via. land.

Mark and Sheila will recognize this ipicture. We crossed the Tappan Zee Bridge so very many times heading south. It looks a little different from this vantage point!

United States Military Academy At West Point-commonly called the Gibralter of America because of its strategic situation. In sailing days, ships had to change course here because of the sharp bends in the river, and virtually came to a hault. In the narrow waters, they became easy targets for guns on shore. Early in the Revolution, fortifications were built both on West Point and Constitution Island on the opposite shore.Today the cadets live a strick military life in an atmosphere of learning. All cadets receive considerable basic military instruction, particularly in the last two years. The curricululm includes much mathematics, physics, and engineering and leads to a B.S. degree.

When we were anchored bihind Pollapel Island we heard trains all night, but we weren't bothered. The ruins of Bannerman Castle are evident on the island. Bannerman was an arms deler who bought up all the Union's military supplies left over after the Civil War and stored them in a warehouse in New York City. He published a mail order catalog of his holdings and became the Sears Roebuck of munitions. Most of the world's rebellions from 1880 through 1910 were fought with Bannerman supplied weapons. The city fathers did not look kindly on his storing munitions in mid-town and convinced him to move. He bought Pollepel Island and stored them there and carried on his trade. It seems that the Hudson valley gets more than its share of thunderstorms, (we may test this theory tomorrow), and the arsenal caught fire and blew up on several occasions. Some of the turrets of the castle are located in the river far from the building!

We got a fairly early start this morning and headed for Kingston, NY. I think some of John's forbears had a hand in settling that community, so it had a personal interest. It turns out, however that Kingston is a very popular boating destination: this holiday weekend brought out all the boaters. We bypassed Kingston in favor of an anchorage in Saugerties, NY.








While we didn't see Kingston, we did get a good look at Poughkeepsie, NY. The guide book mentioned one of the earliest homes at that community, which was built by Baltus Van Kleek. It turns out he was one of John's many-great grandfathers as well.

We passed the home Franklin Roosevelt was born in at Hyde Park, as well as the CIA, Culinary Institute of America and some of the finest homes we have ever seen.

The CIA facility was once St. Andrews-on-the-Hudson, a Jesuit seminary and monastery.The famous French scientist and philosopher Peirre Teilhard de Chardin is buried on the grounds in the old Jesuit cemetary, still beautifully maintained by the Institute, and this site has become a pilgrimage site for those interested in the philosophy of science and religion.

ENTRANCE TO OUR HOME

FOR THE NIGHT!