June 7 Croton on Hudson to Poughkeepsie, NY

June 7

It’s funny, but after being in the same place for just 3 days I now start getting the itch to get moving again.  We’re neither behind the main pack of loopers nor at the front end but hanging about mid pack. We seem to be moving at about the right pace and that gives us time to visit a few places at each stop.   At Croton on Hudson we rented a car to visit a few of the local tourist spots.   Croton Dam was an engineering marvel built from 1896 to 1902. The lake behind it is one of the water sources feeding the aqueduct that provides all the fresh water to NYC.  

We then toured around Washington Irving’s house Sunnyside, drove around Sleepy Hollow cemetery and actually found Washington Irving’s grave, then drove around Lindquist – a turn of the century Vanderbilt family summer house (castle).  Martha also decided a trip to see SingSing Prison would be fun.  I found it unnerving when we could clearly see the armed guards in the towers looking at us.  SingSing was built starting in 1826 right on the water and the place where prisoners coined the phases “The Big House” and “Going up the River” as metaphors for the prison.  And of course, their electric chair was famously named “Old Sparky”.

Lindquist Manor

So today it was time to move on and we had picked Poughkeepsie as our next stop.   The trip would take us through the Hudson Valley area that was famous at the turn of the century for its artist colonies and naturalist painting style. 

 We passed around Bear Mountain and the 1924 suspension bridge that at the time was the longest in the world.

Then by West Point and it’s granite surfaces rising straight up from the river.  We then passed over “End of the World” were the Hudson reaches it’s deepest point over 175’ down.   

 Storm King Mountain was next raising up from the rivers western shore and showing the scar of a road cut into its side in the 1940’s. 

At the end of this stretch is Pollepel (Bannerman’s) Island and it’s eerie abandoned and caving in medieval mansion.  Frank Bannerman was a munitions dealer who made his fortune during WW1 and built the castle as a munition’s storehouse and summer house.  Unfortunately, the munitions storage area blew up in 1920 doing significant damage that left it abandoned.   A fire in the 1960’s burned out the interior leaving just the exterior facades.  

After passing through this extremely scenic area the river widens, a few more bridges beckoned us onward and we eventually landed at Shadows Marina.   With the current running 1.5 knots it was not our day for a pretty docking as we got sideways to the current and pushed against the raised outboards of a docked boat which gouged and scraped the lower starboard side of the boat before we got our position corrected. 

Not the best way to finish an otherwise very enjoyable day on the water.   To work off those pent-up frustrations we took a walk along the waterfront to the old Conrail bridge which has been converted to a walkway bridge over the Hudson.   It’s the crossing point of the Hudson when on the Appalacian Trail and has fantastic views both up and down the river.    Tourist day Saturday as we take the train into NYC for a final visit. 

View down the Hudson from atop the old Conrail bridge

Journey for June 7