We Didn't Really DO Anything

This Sunday, we tried something a little different. Its magnificence was matched by the enthusiasm of the kids, which was great. We decided to go to a small town, not far from us, on the banks of the Hudson, in the vicinity (across the river) from West Point.

We got to the town of Cold Spring, and walked down to the main pier, a huge square concrete area jutting into the Hudson. There's ample seating, old fashioned light poles, a parrot gun on display, and a beautiful a Gazebo at the head of it. We walked past all that, and continued to a grassy area that dipped lower to the water, so that if you were brave enough to traverse the jagged rocks lining the beach head, you could actually touch the water. The kids were brave. Off came the shoes and socks, and with much yelping, they put their feet in, excited as each speed boat, fishing boat, jet ski went by 500 feet away, sending waves crashing around their feet.

I don't know if they understood how gorgeous it was where we were. The mountains were on one side, the other side was dense trees with the occasional train rumbling through. The railroads have been such an integral part of the development of this country, and this area played a vital role during the American Revolution, that the trains seem apt here. They lend a certain air of history to a place where modern water craft are zooming by. Obviously, the trains are modern equipment, but it just seemed right.

Later we sat and had lunch in the shade on the grass:



Then we walked back to the pier and watched the boats and people fishing. The town of Cold Spring is quaint and picturesque, with great front porches, cafes, antique shops, and lots of people on the weekend. We window shopped, walked into a few antique stores, and crossed the street and headed back down towards the river. The area runs a trolley service (50 cents for adults, kids are free)which is a bus that's been converted to look like a trolley decorated outside with green and gold paint, and inside old fashioned wood slat benches, the legs wrought iron filigree. It's more of an on off type of trolley, but we just stayed on for the whole ride (less than 15 minutes) and my kids seemed to get a kick out of it.

Apparently, the driver of this trolley know nothing about the area, and a few times mentioned this to a couple who was on the bus with us. She said it nicely, ("I just drive the trolley, it's not really a tour") but I found it funny. Especially when they asked about a part of town that is considered the "main attraction" (a foundry museum), and she did not know what it was(just where it was).

We made our way back to the car, and started to make our way out of town. We passed a sign for Garrison's Landing, which we were later told was one of the locations where the movie Hello Dolly was shot. We went just to gaze at more beautiful vistas, and a great view of West Point:



I mentioned my affinity for trains. Right before we drove down the hill to Garrison's Landing we passed this:



And then got really lucky:

.

Back in the car, we once more started for home, but stopped on the shoulder just before the Bear Mountain Bridge, and walked across.



Well, mostly across. the oldest kid with us is 8 1/2 and they wanted to turn around halfway. From the bridge we saw another bridge across the mountains, and below it a pedestrian bridge so we decided to find it. It wasn't that hard, and we ended up at Fort Montgomery, where we headed down a steep rocky hill to get to this small bridge we could walk on in the shadow of the Bear Mountain Bridge:




It was just a glorious day, we had such a nice time.

Have I mentioned how much I like the summer?