The trip up the Hudson River is beautiful--sometimes beyond description. This view is taken south of West Point.
West Point Military Academy is impressive from the water. The next few shots show it from a variety of perspectives.
A closer view. The beautiful yacht in the foreground was moored for a visit.
Here is a closer view yet.
We rented a car in Kingston and drove to the Vanderbilt Mansion on the Hudson in Hyde Park. This is the front view of this magnificent mansion.
This is a side view of the mansion which has more than 50,000 square feet of space. It was used by the Vanderbilts as a spring and fall home for entertaining. FDR also lived nearby.
This is the view of the Hudson from the mansion. Not bad!!
In Kingston, we entered the Rondout Creek for our dockage. It is a beautiful, secluded marina--the prettiest so far. These bridges and a dog-leg in the canal hid the river from the marina.
Continuing further north, we passed a number of quaint and very old lighthouses. This is the Saugerties Light. built in 1835.
This is the Athens light (1874).
We entered Troy, NY which is at the entrance to the Erie Canal. Here is a sightseeing boat in the Hudson at Troy.
This is a canal boat designed for the Erie Canal. It is modeled after boats of generations ago.
Troy is the home of "Uncle Sam", that is, the person, San Wilson, after whom the image was cast. The statue honors him.
We left Troy by car to visit with friends of many years ago, Chips and Ann Arend. We drove to their home in the Adirondacks, via a sightseeing tour of the area. The next few shots are of the Lake George area.
This area in so beautiful and tranquil (exception, see below). It is understandable why it is such a vacation Mecca.
The Adirondack Mountains frame the area.
This dock is at a group camp we visited.
Oh yes, speaking of tranquility--we hit Lake George on Bikerweek. Nuf said.
They were there by the thousand...
We continued on to Lake Placid, home of the 1932 and 1980 winder Olympics. We took a chair lift to the base of the sky jump, then the elevator to the top.
This is the view from the bottom looking up.
And from the top, looking down.
We claimed victory for our assault on the summit. Chips got the first prize, Jan the second, and Ann third...Bill got to take the picture.
We spend the night at their camp (most of us would call it a cottage, but in the Adirondacks it is a "camp"). While there, we kayaked, sailed, etc. What a wonderful break from the Interlude.
Here Chips is at the helm while Ann crews.
A view of Lake Piseco, from the boat.
Now Bill gets the helm and Jan is crew. Sexist, isn't it.
The dock at the Arend's camp. Note the fleet!
This is a view of the cottage (camp) from the dock, looking up. The road is well above the top of the roof. It is a beautiful setting on a beautiful lake. We hope to be invited back!
Before this trip, we hadn't seen Chips and Ann for nearly 25 years--we had a great reunion. Thanks for such a great time, Chips and Ann!!
Back to the Interlude in Troy, New York. We are joined by Bob and Trish Birkenstock who will spend a couple of weeks with us. First item of business is to lower the arch, reducing the height of Interlude to less than 20 feet, so that we can pass under the low bridges (made famous by the song--aptly sung by Trish and Bill, many times.)
It's a quick job (9 minutes, in total, according to Bill--but you might want to check with Jan or Trish) when all four of us pitch in and do it. Next big event is the Erie Canal.
