We arrived in Catskill New York on 16 Oct 2023 and will be departing on 20 Oct 2023 (tomorrow). We've been leaf peeping over these recent few weeks and we certainly weren't disappointed here in the Catskills. Our first day, we decided to do the Skywalk over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie NY. That was a very nice walk just 1.2 miles one way. The weather was cloudy with moments of sunshine, but we really enjoyed the walk.
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church from Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
From Walkway over the Hudson Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
Anita was amazed by all the rock walls and rocks in the ground, with so many trees still growing in the rocks.
We found a nice spot for our sack lunch in Poughkeepsie NY 17 Oct 2023
That afternoon we ventured over to Bethel New York, the town where the Woodstock music festival took place in 1969. We didn't find the marker for the actual land where the farm was, but being in the town was fun. It has a "hippie" feel and we could certainly imagine all the people there for Woodstock.
From the Internet about Woodstock:
ON AUGUST 15TH, 16TH, AND 17th, 1969, an estimated 450,000 people from all over America descended on Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York, for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The festival was billed as “An Aquarian Exposition in White Lake, NY: 3 Days of Peace & Music.”
It is hard to overstate Woodstock’s legend. It has gone down in history for its epic musical performances, the mind-blowing size of the audience, countless logistical and technical challenges, traffic jams, drugs, rain, mud, occasional nudity, and the hippie ideals of peace and love. It was, above all, a joyful celebration that stands as the defining moment of the 1960s counterculture generation.
For those three days, some of the greatest musicians in the country descended upon this rural Catskills town (and notably not the town of Woodstock, New York, located nearby.) They included Richie Havens, Sweetwater, Tim Hardin, Ravi Shankar, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, The Band, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Sha Na Na, Jimi Hendrix, and many more.
Bethel New York 17 Oct 2023
Bethel New York 17 Oct 2023
Bethel New York 17 Oct 2023
Bethel New York 17 Oct 2023
Bethel New York 17 Oct 2023
One day we drove out to LaGrange New York to find a monastery. Steve reads a daily meditation written by a monk (Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette) from Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery in Millbrook NY. We set out to find that monastery since we were within 40 miles from it. Unfortunately, the monastery is no longer open and Brother Victor has passed away. We parked at the end of the driveway to the grounds and had lunch. After lunch Steve walked up the driveway to see what was left. Anita stayed in the truck in case a "nosy neighbor" approached wondering what we were up to. Brother Victor describes in his book that the monks are mostly self sufficient having large vegetable and herb gardens and sheep. Prayer is the focal point of a monk's life. Steve saw posted on the monastery door a contact person to learn more of Brother Victor and the monastery but a phone message has not been returned as of this writing.
An article was written about the monastery as recently as 2018, at which time the author stated that the monastery was co-founded 40 years ago by monks from the French Pyrenees. "The Monastery is still home to one of them, Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila Latourrette, whose organic vinegars are based on a monastic recipe from the Middle Ages."
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Driveway of Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery LaGrange New York 18 Oct 2023
Next we went back to Catskill NY to walk the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. This one is a walkway that runs alongside the vehicle highway. It wasn't as quiet and peaceful as the Walkway over the Hudson, but it had it's own charm and even a couple of beautiful sites.
We were puzzled about all the "Rip Van Winkle" named businesses and now even a bridge. We remembered the story about Rip Van Winkle being the man who slept for 20 years, but we had both forgotten the details. Our memory was refreshed by a quick search as we drove. The short story by Washington Irving goes... Rip Van Winkle is an amiable farmer who wanders into the Catskill Mountains, where he comes upon a group of dwarfs playing ninepins. Rip accepts their offer of a drink of liquor and promptly falls asleep. When he awakens, 20 years later, he is an old man with a long white beard; the dwarfs are nowhere in sight.
The town of Catskill and the Catskill Mountains seem to be proud of Rip Van Winkle having wandered these mountains, even if he is a fictional character.
The Rip Van Winkle Bridge walk was 1.5 miles one way and while it was a little noisy with traffic, there were picturesque signs of Fall. The bridge is a 5,040 ft cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Hudson, New York and Catskill, New York. Affording 145 feet of clearance over the water, the structure carries NY 23 across the river, connecting US 9W and NY 385 on the west side with NY 9G on the east side.
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
Olana from Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
From Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway Catskill New York 18 Oct 2023
That same day (Wednesday) we tried to see the Kaaterskill waterfalls. It was mostly cloudy and getting too late in the day to start the hike to it, so we got a couple of pictures at the trailhead and from the truck and planned to do the hike the next morning.
Information at Kaaterskill Falls Trailhead 18 Oct 2023
Information at Kaaterskill Falls Trailhead 18 Oct 2023
Old Train Depot at Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trailhead 18 Oct 2023
Lower Kaaterskill Falls from truck 18 Oct 2023
Lower Kaaterskill Falls from truck 18 Oct 2023
Lower Kaaterskill Falls from truck 18 Oct 2023
Lower Kaaterskill Falls from truck 18 Oct 2023
On 19 Oct 2023, we had lots of sunshine and cooler temps in the high 40's early in the morning. We did the Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trail which was 1.5 miles one way. It was a beautiful hike, with leaves of many Fall colors on on both sides of a trail that was once a railroad track. The crossties were still there on parts of the trail and because it was a railroad track at one time, it was mostly flat. We had done some research about the Catskills and learned that 2,000 black bears live in these mountains. With that knowledge, we carried bear spray for our hike. Reaching the viewing platform, we were awed by the falls. It is a 260ft waterfall, and while we were only seeing the upper part, it was fantastic!
Retro postcard in the window box at Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trailhead 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trailhead in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trailhead in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trail in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trailhead in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails path to viewing platform 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trail in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trail in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls looking down at people at lower falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails trail in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Catskill Mountains Kaaterskill Falls Rails to Trails 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Kaaterskill Falls in town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
Town of Haines Falls New York 19 Oct 2023
We needed to re-supply today, so after our beautiful hike to see the Kaaterskill Falls, we went grocery shopping and came back to the campsite to start getting ready to drive to Vermont tomorrow. We'll be in Dorset Vermont for three nights. The weather will be getting worse with rain starting tomorrow on our travel day and forecasted to be a washout on Saturday. We only have two days to see sites, so Vermont may be added to another Eastern state for the blog.
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