NYC to Poughkeepsie NY

The pics with todays blog are upside down...

the first one is where we are now...Poughkeepsie NY - Shadows Marina. We are docked here for the night.

Poughkeepsie is home to the culinary institute of american(CIA), the F D Roosenvelt home,presidential library & museum, and the Vanderbuilt Mansion built in 1896. Since Kyle has a food network fasination and Iron Chefs Cat Cora & Micheal Smyth both has teaching restuarants here for the CIA I will need weight watchers when I get home. It seems all we do is seek out great food :)

In the morning we will head 30 miles up river to the place where they will take our masts' off. We have to make a place for them to fit on the decks so they won't impeade us as we transverse the many locks ( 28 I think...I will look it up tonight & let you know tomorrow) that bring us up and down the mountains to lake ontario.

This random island we passed today had an old abandoned castle on it. I goggled the area ..because I love Goggle...and found out it is called Bannermans' Castle on Pollepel Island in Putnam County NY.

Directly across from it on land is Washingtons' Headquarters ( the house where George & Martha lived during the revolutionary war...which I would have seen except I was enthralled by the castle island ...lol)

This soldier statue rests atop the hill near West Point. I think it is of Patton, who was a graduate of the academy but I have to goggle it still :)

West Point is the USA's oldest and largest military academy and we sailed within feet of it today. The structure and presence is both beautiful in its form and placement in the mountain passage.

West Point- It sits on a corner of a very deep mountainous cut through the river in Orange County NY.

The bridges just disappear into the side of mountains. Stunning

The trains, mostly very fast moving Amtrak trains bringing commuters into NY City, also disappear into the sides of the mountians.

At times the hills are a half mile away on either side. Other times you feel you could almost touch them. After spending a couple days amongst millions of people, they are a serenity. If it never snowed here I could drop anchor and just stay.

For anyone looking for something about an 8 hour drive from our place, this place, Peekskill Ny area is breathtaking. It is full of rolling mountains, much history, with the odd little waterfall and Canada Goose. Most of the areas up the Hudson are national parks with camping etc...just an idea :)

Leaving the city we had the odd barge or freighter to watch for but nothing like the traffic pretty much stopped on the roads and bridges around us.

Trucks have to go up top and cars on the second level.

Kyle sailing out of the city into the beauty of nature before us.

Will blog tomorrow about how mast removal goes. The two masts on this boat have NEVER been taken down ! Soo this could be quite the task. We are paying people at the Riverview Marina to help with the task. Wish us luck :)

For any of our boating friends ...( and driving friends if they are looking to get away for a couple days) ....all going well and nothing breakdown....we should be re-masting in Oswego Tuesday Aug 3. Then we will spend until approx aug 12 very slowly ( and hopefully leisurely ) working our way down the American side to Hamilton.

We plan stops at Fairhaven YC ( 2 days ) , rochester YC ( 2 days minimum for back to school shopping for Kelly is mandatory here LOL ...plus this is my favourite Yacht Club/Marina anywhere hands down and I have been to my fair share !) and maybe Oak Orchard.....if anyone will be in this area to meet for coctails let us know !!