One of the best advantages to staying off interstates and freeways are the vegetable stands we pass along the roadside. But, seeing one far enough ahead to be able to stop the RV in time is a challenge. Since it was now late September the stands were filled with pumpkins, squash and tons of mums and the most delicious tomatoes ever!!! I could never pass up a beautiful flowering plant so any time we stopped I picked up another chrysanthemum and my collection of colors grew. California doesn't go as crazy for mums as they do in the east, so I was easily caught up in it. Our next destination was southern New York and the Catskill mountains less than two hours away.
A lovely drive along smaller roads with color filled trees everywhere.
We found a perfect Passport America park not far from Kingston, NY with easy access into the Catskills. We planned four nights at the Encore Park, Roundout RV Park in Accord, NY.
Tuesday we took a drive to some of the little towns near the park then loaded up the bikes for a ride near Stone Ridge. It was terribly bumpy with exposed roots and gravel but a beautiful shaded ride.
We met one woman on a horse but other than that we had the trail to ourselves. Fun, until we came to this climb. Looking at this photo now, it doesn't give the proportion correctly from our vantage point at the time. This trail was one of the Rails to Trails and we figured out that there must have once been a trestle across the ravine we went down and up again. There was no way I could ride the bike up the embankment and even walking it was difficult, so thank goodness I could pull myself up the trail using the handrail to the right.
A beautiful fall afternoon ride.
Wednesday morning the bikes were back on the car for a drive into the mountains and a ride along Ashokan Reservoir, one of several reservoirs created to supply water to New York City. It was just a 12 mile round trip, flat ride but a beautiful one. Just as we were half way Paul stopped to help a young woman get her low riding bike to work, but they just couldn't get the gears operating. She was such an spunky, determined gal, with a prosthetic leg she changed for the bike, and then changed again as she was headed to lunch with a friend. She also got very emotional when she began explaining the development of the Reservoir, it's still a sensitive topic for locals.
The view of the lake and the mountains was so peaceful but the story of the development of the reservoir is quite another tale. The building of the Catskill Water System is a story of more than a dozen lost villages and heartbreak for the residents whose homes, businesses, churches and schools were taken by eminent domain to provide pure clean water source for New York City. Even cemeteries were physically moved to avoid contaminating the water.
Completed in stages between 1915 and 1926 it was built by thousands of stone cutters, bridge builders, railroad workers, tunnel divers and mule drivers. It remains one of the most successful water projects undertaken and provides open space and recreation as well.
We picnicked along the road then drove on to Woodstock.
Walking around town was quiet that afternoon, hard to believe this little village had once been the center of the famous Woodstock of the 60s. We drove back to Kingston to pick up groceries and a Starbuck's coffee.
Later that evening we drove the same route back again to have a wonderful French pre fixe dinner at Four Corners Country Inn in Tremper, NY. It was a long drive but so worth it, especially when I found Edna Valley winds on the wine list. Dinner was only $17 pp and wonderful! We'd definitely do this again.
Thursday was a cloudy and chilly day and perfect for visiting the Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill Cottage near Hyde Park.
We hadn't made reservations but luckily there weren't many guests that morning so we had a great tour of the cottage and stories of her time there.
We finished just in time to go back into town for lunch at the Culinary Institute of America. Though parking was at a minimum, PK creatively found us a spot and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Italian Catherine de Medici Restaurant.
Then next it was time to revisit FDR's Home and Museum. This sculpture is in the garden just beyond the Visitor's Center.
The home tour was excellent!
A view into the Living Room
and the burial site for both Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt are in the adjoining rose garden.
We had visited the house on a previous trip several years before, but this time the newly renovated Library and Museum was open with wonderful exhibits and artifacts. The 2 hours we were there just barely got us through the main sections.
If the weather had been a bit nicer that day we would have taken a bike ride across the Walkway Over Hudson (a State Historic Park), the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world, opened in 2009. But it was time to start moving south so we'll save that for our next visit. We loved our 9 weeks in upstate New York!!!!
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