June 24, Saturday, Day 75, Croton-on-Hudson to Hyde Park
We started early again to catch the rising tide up the Hudson River – there was still fog on the river when we left. I think Ruth was a bit in shock at the early hour but was still smiling.
It was beautiful traveling up river with river traffic large and small, trains running on both sides of the river quite frequently, and interesting homes on the hillsides of the river.
West Point was a surprise – massive looking and castle like, complete with castle walls, from the river view. There were a few interesting lighthouses mid-river as we traveled and soaked in all in.
The Hyde Park Marina had room for one trawler on their deepest t-dock, and we were lucky enough to be able to take advantage of it since it was only a few hours until high tide and the entrance was now deep enough for us. (The next morning we realized that we needed to wait for the tide to rise before we could leave.)
It was a good location for visiting FDR’s estate, and the Culinary Institute if we had planned ahead (reservations we already filled). We ordered a cab (no Uber in upstate NY at this time!) and enjoyed an afternoon touring the FDR home site and presidential library. The man was a dynamo – amazing what he accomplished. The visit was engaging and inspiring! Their home was surprisingly modest for such a famous family. In their home I loved the parlor/music room. I bought Arden a book at the visitors center, and here I am reading it to FDR.
We walked from the estate to a nearby restaurant and then took a cab back to the marina. We were pretty tired from a very full and warm day, but just as we thought the days was done we were treated to a fabulous fireworks show! It turns out that it was a celebration at the Culinary Institute and it must have lasted a 20-30 minutes. So we didn’t get to eat there (I tried to make reservations) but we saw their fireworks as close as can be!
Wandering Star 