By Kay Merriam
For The Journal
There is much more to New York than New York City. Names such as Kingston, Saugerties, Poughkeepsie, New Paltz, Woodstock, Beacon, Hudson, Shawangunk and more introduce the traveler to spectacular possibilities less than 70 miles upstream in the Hudson River Valley.
Whether your interests lie with history, architecture, art, our natural environment, geology, good food, theatre or all of the above, this part of our country has a remarkable assortment of wonders. All of the significant features mentioned here are close to one another, the Hudson River and New York City.
It is really impressive to see how New York has preserved what is significant due to its historic, scenic and/or cultural value. One day is not enough time to spend here. If you try, your brain may revolt, saying “Stop, I can’t handle any more today!”
Let’s start with the Hudson River. The Iroquois Indians called it the Muhheakantuck. Others called it the Great River and until the early 20th century New Yorkers called it the North River. But officially it has been the Hudson River for 400 years, named for Henry Hudson (1570-1611). The river had momentous value during the Revolutionary War and still is important for commerce. Two years ago it provided a perfect emergency landing field.
If you take the time to explore towns, private and state supported preserves and estates, hiking trails and other assets (including some snazzy restaurants), you will more than satisfy your sense of adventure. There is an abundance of sites richly endowed with whatever grabs the fancy.
Do you need a guide? Not unless you are timid about reading maps. Checking online information about the names given in this piece will provide insights, maps, data and a wealth of other facts and observations about them. So, visit the area and see for yourself.
Is the study of American history interesting to you? Check out New Paltz. It contains the oldest streets in the U.S., dating from the late 1600s. Houses along those streets are neatly fitted stone structures and are still in use. But, everything you can find in this area has a connection to American history so I leave you to your own devices there.
If you are interested in geology the conglomerates of the Shawangunks rise above Gardiner and New Paltz in sheer, glittering cliffs. They are hard and some parts are over a billion years old. The “Gunks” are one of the most frequently visited rock climbing areas in the U.S. Those cliffs and the talus slopes at their bases are richly bordered by the deciduous trees famous for their fall colors.
Lake Minnewaska, close by and in the same state park area, is situated at the top of an anticline where the rock layers split as they buckled and thrust their way upward. The lake is lovely, absolutely clear and makes for being a beautiful picnic spot.
Close to Lake Minnewaska lies a meandering trail through a wealth of Mountain Laurel bushes. These beauties range from white to pale and then darker pink. The shape of the flowers is truly interesting to examine. In late spring, blooming Laurels are so prevalent that viewing anything else will be difficult.
A day in Kingston with a visit to Olana on the banks of the Hudson River above Poughkeepsie comes next. After a gourmet lunch at the Ship to Shore, we explored this property. The house was built to the specifications of American painter Frederick Church. Along with its extensive grounds, Olana is now a state park. The house reflects Church’s intense interest in Persian design, architecture and art. Photos of Olana’s exterior provide a glimpse of the lives and artistic tastes of the very rich.
Boscobel, named for Bosco Bello (Italian for pretty woodland), is considered to be an excellent example of the federal style in American architecture. Originally built on a larger tract of land on the Hudson River, this building was moved in 1961 to its present spot. It is owned by the Boscobel Restoration Inc. and hosts the yearly Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and many other cultural events.
Ah yes, Shakespeare. Spotlighted trees in the background on the beautiful grounds of Boscobel offered a spectacular setting for Troilus and Cressida. The grounds are impressively arranged with plantings, paths and views of the Hudson River.
Moving on to the many walks available here, one such trail is on a refurbished railroad bridge across the Hudson River, now only a walking bridge. It is one mile long and stands over 200 feet above the river.
The view includes a wide expanse of the Hudson with the Mid-Hudson Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge not too far downstream. One or two sailboats were tacking their way upstream as we crossed. The American flag in the middle was at half mast for a young local soldier who had just died in Afghanistan.
Another walk took us along one of the local rail trails. These footpaths are on the old roadbeds of narrow gauge trains. They are flat, well-kept and offer a multitude of wildflowers and birds with some small frogs and salamanders, too. Trees on both sides of the trails provide shade. Between them one catches glimpses of open fields and a barn or two. In some places city streets are not far away even though they are barely seen or heard.
Interested in learning? The Beacon Institute at Denning Point in Beacon, N.Y., has a schedule of informative lectures, walks and discussions. We attended one by James Bonner, Ph.D., on real-time monitoring. His research and development has been paramount in the analysis of water borne chemicals, bacteria, gases and the like. Interest was heightened by the current Gulf of Mexico devastation and the need for data collection there.
While it is necessary to walk about a half-mile on a wooded lane to get to the Beacon Institute, again the flowers and birds make the walk worthwhile before the added bonus of experiencing the expertise of the institute’s staff. The institute has a broad list of activities in its calendar of events.
Another informative walk is that which leads to the cabin of John Burroughs, naturalist activist and author. The cabin, Slabsides, was built close to his home on what is now the 170-acre John Burroughs Sanctuary. It is adjacent to a blue conglomerate cliff and a rich black mud spring and marsh. We examined trees and a small plot of a saprophytic Squaw Root which is found only under oak trees. Burroughs was a prolific writer and defender of the natural world and continues to be honored.
Visiting his sturdy cabin tucked away in a relatively remote area brought musings about population density and increasingly rare opportunities of finding places to spend quiet moments or hours puzzling over life, responsibility and our place in nature. Here in Idaho we tend to think of places such as New York as being crowded and bustling. However, once outside that city, New York’s natural environment is serene and carefully protected.
One more example of many walks is the Mohonk Preserve Nature Trail. Its ready access to examples of local flora and geological specimens is informative. The preserve contains miles of other hiking trails on its 650 acres.
And what about art and sculpture? Church’s paintings have already been mentioned, but another special time was that spent at Opus 40 near Woodstock. This had been the site of a blue stone quarry. Art professor Harvey Fite purchased an old blue stone quarry property in 1939 and single-handedly, over a 37-year period, changed the narrow clefts and deep pits of the quarry into a spacious, flowing exhibit of rock walls and sculpture. One monolithic piece dominates the center of the site. It requires an appreciation, if not understanding, of physics to imagine how one person with one old pickup truck could get that nine ton stele-like shape to pierce the sky.
Along with broad sweeping lawns and pools there is a unique and complete collection of mining implements housed there. Most of all, it is the efforts of this one individual that dominates the landscape at Opus 40.
To describe the wineries and restaurants would take another thousand words. Let it suffice to mention the Aroma Osteria. This Italian restaurant is grandly situated on a forested hill close to Poughkeepsie with top notch service and menu.
In New York, the quality of offerings, whether natural, constructed or prepared in a chef’s kitchen are such that anyone visiting that part of our amazing country can go home knowing they have visited a noble, beautifully kept and cherished part of our history. All of it is worth visiting again and again.
Kay Merriam, Ph.D., is a longtime (47 years) resident of Pocatello. She is a frequent contributor of articles and photos to the Idaho State Journal. Among her many interests are travel, learning, environmental issues, writing and trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up.
To see a photo gallery from this story, visit idahostatejournal.com.
