June in NYS and NYC – 6/06 - 6/26

We have settled into our normal work schedule here at the NYC North/Newburgh KOA. We are learning our way around and feeling comfortable with suggesting sightseeing opportunities that exist for visitors to this part of New York. Of course, with each week, we’ll be visiting other places on our bucket list while adding new ones as we go along. We have even revisited one spot so we could take more time and learn more about some of the history of the area.

The KOA here at Newburgh isn’t on the “beaten path” in that we’re a few miles from exits on Interstate 84 or New York State Thruway (Interstate 87). We’re even a few miles from US-9W that is the western north-south route parallel to the Hudson River. Though the campground is the closest campground to NYC (with grass and trees) it is still 65 miles or so from “the Big Apple.” By contrast to other KOA’s in the system, this one attracts a great deal of campers from the region who make this their weekend home. In fact, more than half of the census on any given weekend are residents within a thirty-minute drive. To accommodate the frequent campers, we have many activities for the various age groups through the week and especially on weekends.

On many days the firetruck makes a run through the campground

drawing riders of all ages.

We’ve enjoyed getting to see three groups of young Canada geese

lose the fluffy down as they gained their feathers. In fact,

the whole flock left the park for several days as one, lone

goose kept watch. Upon return, we noticed that a few

were missing. Apparently, they didn’t survive the

trip since they were too young to fly.

On our visit to the US Military Academy at West Point we learned much about the institution, it’s history and some of the illustrious graduates. The USMA is on the edge of the small city of West Point, New York. It was founded in 1801 soon after the inauguration of President Thomas Jefferson. Prior to that time, the federal property was one of the several forts used during the Revolutionary War.

The Point sits on high ground overlooking the Hudson River on the western shoreline.

Though just 50 miles north of New York City, the scenic area gives no hint of being
so near such a highly populated area. During the American Revolution,
a heavy chain was placed from West Point to Constitution Island to block
the flow of British ships up and down the Hudson.

Today, the entire central campus is a national landmark and home to many historic sites, buildings, and monuments including a military cemetery. Most of the campus’ Norman-style (military gothic) buildings are constructed from gray and black granite. The visitor center and museum are open to the public. A variety of escorted tours is available.

Tours are conducted by a vendor under contract with the Academy. Tour buses with driver and guide are used to travel around the grounds. We elected to take the longest tour known as the “cemetery tour.” On this tour were three stops; the Cadet Chapel (Protestant), cemetery, and parade grounds (for a walk to the northern view of the Hudson).

This aerial view of the Academy provides a comprehensive view. Most of the buildings, including the dormitory (barracks), are clustered along the southern portion of the campus on the hillside.

The athletic fields, parade grounds, cemetery, and faculty residences lie across

the flatter, northern portion. The Cadet Chapel can be seen rising on the left.

This view also provides an excellent perspective of the high and scenic hills

that line either side of the Hudson.

Our first stop was at the Cadet Chapel. It is the largest chapel on the campus and

serves the Protestant community. The flags hung on the sides represent the various

regiments as well as flags used during the history of the US.

There is also a Catholic and Jewish chapel as well as an Orthodox chapel and

an Interfaith Center. Each is located separately from the others.

No visit to this fine edifice would be complete without a look

at the massive organ console. The Cadet Chapel houses the

largest pipe organ in the world used for religious purposes.

Originally built by M.P. Möller of Hagerstown, MD. Today, the

instrument consists of 874 stops controlling 23,236 pipes

distributed across 12 divisions.

Our second stop on the tour was at the Old Cadet Chapel. It

now serves as the office for the cemetery though the

interior still appears as it did when first constructed.

One of the more unusual monuments (and the reason size restrictions

were enacted) is this mausoleum of Egyptian influence.

Probably the most photographed monument is

this one erected on the final location for the

remains of General Custer.

 Immediately across from the large parade grounds is a park-like setting on the northern edge of the campus. From here one can see straight up the Hudson for several miles. From this point the river makes it’s relatively narrow curve around the rocky point southward.

Several links from the chain that was stretched across the Hudson
are displayed in the park that also displays cannons used
in wars throughout American history.

Looking across the parade grounds, an open view of the barracks is available with

the Cadet Chapel in the background.

The Coat of Arms of West Point U.S. Military Academy

prominently displays the motto of the institution: Duty, Honor, Country.

The year of 1802 is displayed in Roman numerals.

Our next jaunt was on the northern loop of the Shawangunk Scenic Byway. Though the drive is less than forty miles it can take a while to cover since there are several interesting stops along the way. The Shawangunk Mountains are a relatively short chain separating the Adirondacks from the Catskills. The northern loop surrounds the Mohonk Preserve and goes through the city of New Paltz, which is on the northeastern edge. Also within the northern loop of the Scenic Byway is the Minnewaska State Park and Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.

On the northern edge of Mohonk Preserve is the resort known as Mohonk Mountain House. It began operation in the late 19th century. Though we didn’t visit the Victorian-era resort with its castle-like appearance, we did drive past the old, now defunct, gateway that was used from the early 1900’s through the 1930’s.

Testimonial Gateway, as it is called, once served as the

official gateway on the drive to Mohonk Mountain House.

The private road was approximately ten miles in length

stretching across the valley to the Mountain House

which sits high atop the Shawangunk Ridge. The Gateway

is in the process of being restored although most of the

roadway was abandoned many years ago.

With the mountain on the northern edge and the valley and Mohonk Preserve along the south, Shawangunk Ridge may be viewed many miles away since it is so prominent in the landscape.

On the drive, we stopped at one of the farm businesses to get some fresh strawberries. Since the land isn’t appropriate for large fields of corn or soybeans so other forms of farming are prevalent. There are  many vegetable and fruit farms. To say the least, this is “apple country” since dozens of orchards are scattered throughout this portion of New York State.

We also stopped in New Paltz to visit Historic Huguenot Street. A visit to this area will be covered in more detail near the end of this post since we returned there for a follow-up visit. 

Finally, on June 16, we made our way into the City, “the Big Apple.” Along with nearly 30 other visitors from the KOA, we took the escorted tour by motorcoach. After weeks of telling registrants about the trip, we finally got to experience it for ourselves. (During the summer months the KOA hosts two or three trips per week into NYC using a bus and tour guide from West Point Tours).

As an aside, we need to fill in a few blanks. First, the many references to “kill” in the names of locations. The term comes from the Dutch language and references a body or water or creek. Second, “Big Apple.” During the Roaring 20’s when gambling, horse racing, and the rise of the stock market was prevalent, any major increase in winnings was referred to as “getting the big apple.” At the same time Jazz music was spreading in popularity from its base in New Orleans. When it hit New York many Jazz entertainers wanted to get to the City to “take a bite” out of the big apple; a piece of the action. Perhaps the most famous of these was Louis Armstrong who certainly took advantage of his turn at profiting from appearances in a few nightclubs.

Leaving the campground at 7:30, we journeyed down the New York State Thruway into New Jersey entering Midtown Manhattan through Lincoln Tunnel. Once in Manhattan, we traveled along the eastern shore of the Hudson to Battery Park. At that point, we exited the bus to catch the ferry to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The day-long tour doesn’t allow for time at the museum on Ellis nor does it provide time to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. However, we were provided 45 minutes to walk around Lady Liberty once arriving on Bedloe’s Island (Liberty Island).

This was the first time for both of us to see the Statue though we had each been in New York City as children. Talk about thrilling! Seeing the Statue in person from the ferry boat is a heart-warming experience. One thing for sure, we weren’t prepared for the great variety of foreign languages to be heard on our walk around the Statue. We’re rather proud of the fact that the USA is still a land of opportunity.

It was, indeed, a pleasure to be on Bedloe’s Island for a visit to the Statue of Liberty. This has to be one of the world’s greater monuments if not the greatest.

The Upper Bay around Statue of Liberty is busy with boats and ships.

This photo was taken as we were going from Liberty to Ellis Island

on our Statue Cruises ferry which was built in California.

The Jersey City skyline serves as a backdrop to Ellis Island. Around the base of the island are the buildings that comprised Ellis Island Hospital and Morgue. To the right can be seen the Main Building of the former immigration station complex. It now houses the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration and tells the stories of the 12 million immigrants who entered America through the golden door of Ellis Island. Today, the descendants of those immigrants account for almost half of the population of the United States.

From Battery Park, we traveled through Lower Manhattan past the Hamilton Customs House and Trinity Church where the community services were held following the 9/11 attack. Though the distance from Battery Park to Grand Central is just over three miles, through the crowded streets of Manhattan it took our bus nearly 90 minutes.

At Grand Central Terminal our tour guide ushered us to a hallway where he talked about the building, the subway and train system and how important this location was to the commuter system. After his talk our group scattered for lunch to the food court located on the lower level. Following our lunch, we headed up to the main lobby to take some photos and gaze at the expanse and admire the architecture. On one end of the Terminal is a large Apple store that Byron felt we had to visit.

Two gentlemen in business attire took time from their

lunch time to get this photo of us in Grand Central Terminal.

That was an unexpected pleasure in that one asked

us if he could provide assistance.

From GCT we headed to the Empire State Building. Our group entered the building and rather quickly made our way to the elevators that took us to the observation area on the 86th floor. Our guide was surprised that the number of visitors on this particular Thursday was somewhat less than the Tuesday’s trip of that week. He mentioned on days when there is a chance of rain that tourism seems to drop. The path to the elevators takes visitors through a winding display that tells the story of the building and the modernization effort of recent years to make it a more efficient space for the 21st century. Also of interest is that the many hosts and hostesses are dressed in uniforms based on the style of the era in which the building was erected; something a Disney employee appreciated since it makes it part of “the story.”

The two-story visitor entrance to the Empire State Building.

Looking south from the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building one can easily see

1 World Trade Center, now the tallest building in the US. To the left is

Verrazano Narrows Bridge on the horizon. To the right are

Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Though cloudy, it was still a spectacular sight.

After the Empire State Building we boarded the bus for a brief tour around Midtown Manhattan. After going past Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the lower portion of Central Park, we arrived at our final stop; Times Square.

Late in the afternoon, we arrived at Times Square, our last stop for the day.

Of course, this photo doesn’t show the complete spectacle to be

observed at this famous intersection. “The Ball” can be seen

immediately above the 2016 lettering near the upper center.

One afternoon we decided to drive northward through Kingston to Saugerties. One of the employees at the KOA suggested we have lunch at Ole Savannah Southern Table and Bar. With a name like that, we had to give it a try. After all, who would give a restaurant that name unless they were really from the South? The restaurant is located in an old shipbuilding warehouse on the edge of the Wallkill River near the its entry point to the Hudson.

Ole Savannah offers great Southern cuisine and seasonal dining

on the dock in Kingston.

What a relaxing feeling – waiting for lunch to be served at the

dock of Ole Savannah Southern Table and Bar.

At Saugerties we drove down some twisting, curving streets to see one of the

lighthouses on the Hudson. The structure is on a point that juts out into the river

in a fashion similar to West Point. The lighthouse can only be reached by

foot across a marshy path through some wetlands. Optionally, the

bed and breakfast can be reached by small boat. This and one other

lighthouse on the Hudson are surrounded by water having

been built on a man-made island.

Just south of Kingston is a small town called Port Ewen.

It is the community in which a young slave girl lived

from the time she was separated from her parents

as a pre-teen until she was nearly 40. At that age she

changed her name to Sojourner Truth and became

a popular speaker for equal rights of both

African Americans and women.

We’ll end this lengthy report with a few photos taken on our return trip to Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz to learn more of its history. We took a walking tour with a rather new guide who did relate several facts about this group of Calvinists and their struggles before leaving France to find a place of acceptance in Colonial New York. The original twelve families purchased land along the Wallkill River from the Esopus tribe, natives of the area.

Huguenots were French Protestants of the 16th–17th centuries who suffered severe persecution at the hands of the Catholic majority in France. Many thousands emigrated from France through Belgium before eventually coming to Colonial New York. By the time they came to America the group had dropped French as their language and adapted to using the Dutch language. As a result, they were able to assimilate with the Dutch in the area as well as the Native Americans with whom they experience no hostility.

The original church structure for the Huguenot immigrants was

moved to this location at the cemetery.

Bevier House is one of six or seven buildings preserved for visits to

Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz, New York. Originally, this house

began as a small, single-family dwelling built by one of the original patentees.

It was later doubled in size to accommodate another family as well as

a slave couple. A third addition was added to provide

more living space and a root cellar.

Another of one of six homes preserved for visitors. This dwelling

also served multiple families as well as a store. Native stone

was used in the construction of the houses.

— The End —

Our First Weeks Along the Hudson – 5/15 - 6/5

As mentioned in the previous entry, we traveled some of the backroads and highways of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York to get to our place of seasonal employment for the summer — NYC/Newburgh KOA. While we didn’t encounter any bad roads, we did encounter lots of curves and hills on a rainy, overcast day. It is a drive like this that can make “living the RV dream” less than thrilling. At one point Byron remarked that the difference between east Kentucky/Tennessee and the Appalachian range in these states is the accent. Otherwise, the area consistes of houses (a wide variety), trees, curves, hills, and small communities not more than nine miles apart.

Our campsite at the end of Rally Row has trees across the rear

and along the driver side of the motorhome. Byron is shown 

getting things from one of the storage bins which is why

his back is toward the camera in this photo.

One needs to understand the naming scheme for KOA campgrounds to understand where we are located. This is the closest KOA to New York. In addition, the nearest town with a population greater than 10,000 is Newburgh. Hence, the name. In reality, we are about 9 miles north of Newburgh and about 70 miles north of New York City, depending on where the metropolitan area begins.

This particular KOA is owned by a company instead of a husband/wife team (such as Wisconsin Dells). The company is Recreation Adventures Company which is the largest franchisee of KOA. They also own and operate about a dozen other locations. As someone said, NYC/Newburgh is like a state park that was sold to a non-governmental agency. Using an earth view of Google Maps it is only possible to see a small portion of the campground with RVs present. Nearly 80% of the sites have a tree canopy.

We are working five days each week. We do consider that full time. Unlike last year, we are both working in the office/store and are responsible for closing. Closing involves anything to do with cleaning, doing end-of-day reports, and counting the register drawers and safe.

Like last year, we’ve encountered guests from England, Germany, China, Nova Scotia, Florida, Texas, and California. One couple came through from Australia. They had shipped their vehicle to Argentina where they started their travels. They have driven up the western side of South America, through Central America, and will sell small motorhom (known as a caravan in other parts of the world) to a buyer in Maine. One day a couple from Belgium arrived in a rental RV around 3 PM to be followed by a couple, also in a rental, from Holland at nearly 4 PM. At times, the world can seem rather small.

On our days off (Thursday and Friday) we have traveled around the area and will do so until we’ve “seen it all.” In the process, we are getting used to the patchy roads and paying tolls to cross the Hudson River. Some of our trips include visits to Sam’s Club (across the river in Fishkill) as well as the nearby grocery. We have visited two United Methodist churches, one Reformed Church in America, and helped conduct a worship service here at the campground. Everything but the campground is a few miles in another direction.

Our first, day-long venture was to Hyde Park which is across the Mid-Hudson bridge and north of Poughkeepsie. We went to visit the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. It sits high on the eastern shore of the Mid-Hudson Valley more than 300 feet above normal river level. Also on the property is the home in which FDR lived as a child and remained through his adult life. Nearby is the house Eleanor acquired so she could get away from Franklin and his mother in order to write (she was prolific). The library and museum are in a building designed by Roosevelt. In it is one room that served as his personal office and has been preserved for viewing. The Welcome Center is the only building on the property that didn’t exist during Franklin’s time.

Bronze statues of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt are seated

as though on their lawn overlooking the Hudson River.

The statues are located at the Welcome Center.

The Roosevelt family home, as it currently exists, was greatly expanded

from original size after Franklin and Eleanor were married. Wings

on both sides were added as well as a third level to the center

section of the home.

Typical of the “landed gentry” of that era, Franklin Roosevelt’s father

owned and managed a large farm. Typical of the buildings

is this stable which sits next to the carriage house.

The Library and Museum (one building) is constructed of native stone as are many buildings throughout this portion of the USA. It also has a slate roof which is also quite common.

Our second excursion was actually a cruise on the Hudson River from a landing at Newburgh. The two-hour trip took us southward past Pollpel Island to West Point and the US Military Academy.

Our cruise down the Hudson was on this small excursion yacht,
Pride of the Hudson. It is powered by a pair of diesel engines.

On Pollpel Island lies the remnant of a Scotsman’s fortress called Bannerman Castle — built not as a home, but as an arsenal for his immense collection of weapons acquired following the Civil War. Public access to this island is limited since the proper sat abandoned for many years. It is now the property of the State of New York with a Trust attempting to restore portions of what remains of what was a grand structure.

But two walls remain standing at Bannerman Castle on Pollpel Island.

The island and building were sold to the State of New York in 1967.

A fire of unknown origin destroyed the main structure. Fortunately,

most of the holdings (cannons and other Civil War memorabilia)

were cataloged and sent to the Smithsonian.

Just south of Bannerman Castle is the northern-most point of an aqueduct that was built to provide more fresh water to New York City. One of the maintenance buildings can be seen at the edge of the river to the right of the water inlet. Note also the cliff that reveals as a cut in the mountain range.

Approaching the Military Academy from the north one begins to think that it is rather compact as this view from the cruiser reveals. To the left is the Cadet Chapel. In the trees on the right, the spire of the Catholic Chapel can be seen. In the foreground is the roof of the field house. On the north side of the roof is the wording “Beat Air Force.” On the south side is “Sink Navy.” To the right of the scene is the barracks which includes four main wings that meet in the center.

Our third trip was back across the Hudson to visit a Vanderbilt mansion built by one of the sons of Cornelius as a spring and fall retreat. Now under the care of the National Park Service, it is officially the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site. The story of how it became the property of the US government is interesting. A niece of the childless couple inherited the property during the early 1930’s. It was first offered for sale at one-quarter the cost of the original property purchase and building construction costs. The price was reduced a second time without any interested party coming forward. As she was considering dropping the price to $100,000 FDR approached her with the idea of allowing the federal government to purchase it for $1 and turn it into a historical site. As a result of this action, one of the Hudson Valley’s oldest mansions is available to the public.

While a high percentage of the mansions in New York from the “gilded age” of US history have fallen into disrepair or disappeared, this example of architecture, interior design, mechanical systems, and landscape remains as an example of a childless couple’s country place. It illustrates what was common among the very wealthy during the industrialization of America following the Civil War. It is also a testimony of how one man’s tremendous financial legacy was spent by two generations that followed without concern for perpetuity or wise investment. As was pointed out by our tour guide, there are only a very few Vanderbilts living from any of the wealth that was squandered by the second and third generation family members of “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt.

The property, formerly known as Hyde Park, was purchased by Frederick W. and Louise Vanderbilt in May 1895. The 54-room mansion was designed and built between 1896–1899. The house is a good example of the Beaux-Arts architecture style. Not open to public access on the property is the boat house that sits along an inlet where Vanderbilt’s yacht was docked when they were present during the spring and fall months.

A view of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park from the northeast corner.

The portico, shown in the photo, is at the rear of the structure.

After stepping through the front door visitors encounter the welcome area

of the home. The interior is furnished with many “throne chairs,” tapestries,

statuary, and other furniture made in Europe -- an example of how

the super-rich valued product from Europe over those fabricated

in the United States -- a result of trying to keep pace

with European nobility.

Believe it or not, this is a guest bedroom. When several couples were

invited to the mansion, the ladies stayed at the main house

while the men stayed in a separate house decorated like a

hunting lodge. This was done so the men could stay up late 

smoking and drinking without disturbing the women. Of course, visiting

couples also brought their servants who stayed in other sections

of the dwellings under the same roof as those they served.

The ceiling in one of the parlors shows the opulence of the mansion.

This smaller structure is where male guests at the estate spent some of

their evening hours and slept. There were sufficient beds to accommodate

up to 11 overnight guests and servants in each house.

This photo of the front of Vanderbilt Mansion, though not showing the total width

of the edifice, gives the clue as to the scale. From this one can imagine how

there was adequate entertainment space for the couple, their guests,

and the servants of the guests and well as the servants of the Vanderbilts.

As to our Sunday worship activities, we have attended a few, different churches. Since we work on Sundays beginning at noon we have attempted to find a congregation that has a service that fits our work schedule. We have visited United Methodist churches and a congregation of the Reformed Church in America. The RCA denomination is very similar to Presbyterian in that they were followers of the theology of John Calvin and were first known as Huguenots in France.

Our next post to this blog will cover our visits to West Point, the Shawangunk Trail and Historic Huguenot Street (in New Paltz), and our KOA tour into New York City, the “Big Apple.”