Mansions of the Hudson 8-1-09

A trip up the Hudson not only surrounds you with the natural beauty of towering cliffs, expansive bridges and a spectacular water ride, but the area is steeped in America’s Colonial history as well as the opulence of the Gilded Age when the tycoons of industry, (Vanderbilts, Rockefellers) created magnificent estates to showcase their wealth and fortune. They fancied themselves American royalty and imported everything European to buttress their claims. Here are a few pictures of these estates and other unique properties as we proceeded north.

As you round the bend at Storm King Mountain, you see the Pollepel Island ruins of a medieval castle designed and built by eccentric Francis Bannerman VI, a Scottish immigrant and military surplus weapons dealer, who used the castle to store his arsenal from 1900 to 1967 when it was purchased by the State of New York. I know this sounds like something out of a movie and it could only have happened pre- 9/11.

The Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park is now run by the National Park Service and has been meticulously maintained. Although it looks very formal and elegant to us, it was a mere country home (no ballroom) for a few weeks in the spring and fall. 60-100 servants readied the mansion for these brief visits and everything had to be perfect. It even has a Marie Antoinette style bedroom complete with birthing rail.

The State of New York operates the Livingston Mills (Staatsburg) estate and the Roosevelt Estate (Springwood) in Hyde Park is also run by NPS.. Both of these families traced their lineage back to Colonial New York and the mansions are resplendent but more comfortable and not as ostentatious. President Roosevelt loved coming here throughout his life to find the peace and tranquility of this area.

I am also adding a picture of the castle-like Mount St. Alphonsus, the Redemptorist retreat across from us at Norrie Point. I loved waking up to this view every morning. It was a seminary complete with its own self-sustaining farm but is now a retreat center for all faiths.

Here is another gem—the Esopus Lighthouse that looks like a dollhouse and is a guardian of the river.

Poughkeepsie Pirate Foiled by Police

Bob and Peggy Silk Olsen, originally from Poughkeepsie, docked at Norrie Point Marina on 7/25 on their journey up the Hudson as part of their Great Circle Loop from the Great Lakes, down the Midwest rivers to the Gulf, around the west and east coasts of FL, out to the Bahamas, up the East Coast to NYC—a journey of 5,500 miles so far.

They are doing the trip on a 32’ Grand Banks trawler, Baby Grand, and are dependent on their folding bikes and 10 foot dinghy to explore an area.

They took their dinghy 3 miles south to Bard Rock on 7/28 so they could tour the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic site. Bob said, “We tucked the dinghy into the north side of Bard Rock in low tide, hid it in the weeds, double tied it to a tree and removed the ignition key from the motor. We thought it was safe. We’ve left it tied up to docks in urban areas and left it on isolated beaches and never had a problem.”

The Olsens luck changed when a Poughkeepsie pirate pilfered the dinghy and left them stranded without so much as a paddle. Luckily they had a cell phone and were able to contact National Park Service Law Enforcement Officer Adam Bissonnette who took a full report and alerted the Ulster and Dutchess County Sheriffs and local marinas to be on the look-out for the missing boat.

Peggy noted that when bad things happen, you often meet good people who help out. “We got a ride back to the marina from Sabra Gilbert which was great as it would have been a very long walk back in flip-flops. Tom and Bruce, staff at Norrie Point Marina, made calls to local marinas and got the word out about our boat. Other boaters also put out an alert.”

Bob spent 2 days dealing with insurance and trying to find another dinghy/motor so that they could proceed north on their journey.

Then the seemingly impossible happened on 7/30 at 7pm. “We heard a knock on our boat and it was Detective Cummins and Sergeant Femenella from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office. They told us our dinghy had been found, ditched between some rocks by the Culinary Institute, was dirty but looked ok, and that Deputy Meyer and Capt. Joe Guarino (former Looper) Harbormaster at Hyde Park Marina, were bringing her up the river to us tonight.”

Peggy said, “We jumped, hugged and shouted for joy. We want to thank everyone who helped us and went above and beyond. We have our little boat back and I think its time we gave her a proper name. Any suggestions?”

Norrie Point State Park, Staatsburg 7-30-09

We are following the wisdom of Ilan Shamir’s Advice from a River, “Go with the flow. Slow down and meander. Go around the obstacles. Stay current. And, the beauty is in the journey.” We pulled into Norrie Point Marina ($1.00per foot) on the Hudson River on 7/25 only intending to stay a few nights, but got lost in the beauty of this place and will stay a week.

There is so much to do. We have a spectacular view of the river and the towering Mount Alphonsus Retreat Center across the river. There are walking and bike trails throughout the park and the Old Post Road leading to the tiny hamlet of Staatsburg is also bike-friendly. A bike system is being developed to link NYC 150 miles north all the way to Albany.

Atlantic Kayak Tours offers kayak instruction ($50) on the river and I joined them for a 3 hour paddle down the river against the current and into the wind, and back up again with the current and wind—guess which way I liked. It was fun and exhilarating especially when we stood up and straddled 2 kayaks to develop balance while singing “Row, row, row your boat…..”

Speaking of boats, we took our dinghy out on the river to explore new places and it was robbed by pirates. No kidding……stay tuned for more on this.

We have enjoyed catching up with Poughkeepsie friends from 35 years ago, Lillian and Jeff as well as Kingston friends, Deb and Dan, whom we met in the Bahamas. We had a fantastic meal at Portofino Ristorante in Staatsburg celebrating our reunion.

West Point by Land and by Sea 7-24-09

From its command point on the Hudson, the United States Military Academy at West Point dominates the scenery. It is a fortress structure that George Washington used strategically during the Revolutionary War and even strung an iron chain across the water to stop British ships from penetrating further north.

We toured here on 7/23 and it is just as impressive by land with 3,000,000 annual visitors agreeing. Unlike the Naval Academy, you have to board buses for a tour and can not walk the grounds without Department of Defense clearance. Here’s an inside picture of the Cadet Chapel. Notice the prayer books and hymnals—all done to military precision with a template.

No cadets on campus now during the summer so I took a picture in the museum of the dress uniforms. Notice the painting entitled View of the Hudson River by Robert Weir from 1864. It is a good example of the Hudson River School of Art which depicted the beauty of this river in idyllic tones. Here’s a picture of Bob with the real thing.

The Majestic Hudson River 7-23-09

You leave the bustle of the City behind when you clear the soaring George Washington Bridge and head north up the Hudson River. You are greeted with the rocky heights (200-540 feet) of the Palisades on the western shore and are engulfed in the greenery and quiet of the Palisades Interstate Park. The eastern shore has a rolling steep hill topography dotted with commuter towns linked together by whistling trains.

We left our Statue anchorage at 7:15am to catch a rising tide which would give us a 1-2 mph speed boost up the Hudson. The day was overcast and hazy which certainly affected the photography but not our spirits. This is the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson sailing up the Hudson on the Half Moon in his search for the elusive Northwest Passage to the Orient. He noted the incredible beauty of the Hudson and called it “the River of Mountains.” He thought he might have found the Passage when he got to the wide Tappan Zee area, continued north to the shallows of Albany, admitted defeat and returned to Europe in frustration. We now enjoy the legacy of what he explored.

We wanted to anchor or dock on the western side of the river in the Palisades section but it is surprisingly shallow and there are no natural harbors in this section. We opted instead to go to eastern side, Croton-on-Hudson and beautiful Half Moon Bay Marina ($2.25 per foot). There is a good anchorage here in the Bay but with 60 mph t-storms forecasted, we wanted to be tied down. Steve, the dockmaster, is very helpful and you can see why this marina was voted #1 marina in a Northeast Boating magazine poll recently.

Part of our excitement in cruising the Hudson is that our history as a couple started here. We rented a car so that we could go over to Bear Mountain where 41 years ago, we decided to get married as young college students. It’s like opening a time capsule, and if I had it to do all over again, I would make the same decision. Let’s see what Bob says----“I’m a lucky man.”