Ossining, West Point, CIA (not what you think)

We haven't moved the boat this week but we've certainly moved!

(more on this photo later...  It's located here because it becomes the Facebook post photo)

Our first day here in Croton on Hudson we took our ebikes for a town to town cruise ending south of Ossining (where the legendary prison Sing Sing is located).  We didn't visit the prison but we got the feeling we were visiting their families.   The town was nice looking but very much like visiting a foreign nation.   

But the route there was unexpected.   We expected Google to take us on road shoulders and paved bike paths. 

There's a bike path here called the 'Old Aquaduct trail' that isn't paved but runs in the path built to hold water pipes coming down from the dam to town a century ago.  I suspect pipes are still buried within.    

There are serious hills in this area.   Enough we had to cut our bike trip short because batteries got low enough we were worried we wouldn't get back.... And no one wants to pedal a fat tire up these hills that are even hard to walk up....

It's very strange to be 30 miles from NYC and riding a bike through what feels like peoples back yards (often it is in their back yards)

And sometimes it feels really remote.  

It is good to have fat tire bikes.  Regular bikes would not be as fun in a place like this.   This reminds me a lot of my early days dual sport motorcycle riding!   Such fun!

Tuesday we rented a car and made a trip to West Point (US Military academy) to take a tour.    We had a great meal at American Burrito on the way.  Unfortunately no photo.  It was so good it got swallowed before the mind realized it hadn't taken a photo..  

The US military academy is the USAs first military school, chartered by George Washington at a military post that was the most critical location in the Revolutionary War.   

Located high above the Hudson at a pinch point that is also the deepest point in the Hudson River, it was the British choke point to stop military moves between the North and South Colonies.     

Once the US conquered it and put a chain across on floats no one could pass and the movement of troops north and south was possible for separatists but not the British.  

Yes, that's still part of the chain.  It took thousands of people to get it into place.   

Trophy hill contains 'trophies' of war. Basically when the US conquered a field of battle in the past they would typically engrave a weapon the enemy previously used and locate it here as a memorial to the battle.   

The buildings on this campus are substantial.   They house, feed, train and educate thousands.

Even their chapel is substantial.   

They actually have many chapels (Jewish, Catholic, Protestant non denominational) 

It seats about 700 and until the 1970s attendance was mandatory.   (Until lawyers got involved).  

The pipe organ here has 23511 pipes.   It's the 3rd largest of any pipe organ and largest in a religious institution.  This building was built in two years!  (The Italian Immigrant builders were promised expedited citizenship in trade for getting it done on time.  How times have changed...)

Lots of generals were educated here.  A majority of the leaders on both sides of the civil war included.   

MacArthur was both a graduate and administrator here.  He was influential in bringing athletic competition and requirements to the school.  

Doubleday field.... (As in Abner Doubleday)

And of course the field where they host the Army Navy game every other year....

We also toured the Museum on the campus's southern annex (formerly a girls Catholic College) 

Two thoughts:

One: The war history display taught me we nearly always are in some form of military conflict and have been since the beginning of this country.   Our lifetimes have seen some gaps.  That's the unusual state, unfortunately.   Periods of isolationism have resulted in the worst conflicts (like WW2).  That doesn't bode well for the future....

Two:  atom bombs are much smaller than one would think.   Here are photos of two early bombs.   (Only cases here, of course)

Enough about war.   It is the favorite subject of few people.   Let's talk about Wednesday.

Wednesday we drove to Poughkeepsie.  Two stops.   First, there is a walkway across the Hudson valley on an old railroad tressle.   It's high up, and cool.  

It was a nice walk in the light rain.  That was almost better than hot sun ...

We followed that up with a stop at the mall, lunch and then a tour at the CIA.   Not that CIA.   The Culinary Institute of America.   

The school that is the top trainer of food masters in the nation.   It's evident that graduates here are influential in the food industry.  Buidings are named things like the Conrad Hilton library, the JW Marriott center, the Anheuser-Busch theater.  There are half a dozen fine dining restaurants here staffed by master chefs and students in training.  

Yes, it feels a bit like Hogwarts.  The facilities were originally a Jesuit Monk facility.... 

But now it's all about the food...  

And it does not suck...

We did some learning about food senses and the difference between taste and flavor.  We also learned about the basic taste contributors (sweet, salty, sour and spicy) and how they interact.  Very interesting.  

A worthwhile stop and if you love fine dining an opportunity to try some of the best...

All in all a cool day.   We finished the day with some grocery shopping before prepping the rental car for return.  

Tomorrow we fly home to Michigan for a week (I have some work that must be done) before returning to New York for the final run toward home.   We are in our last state!  After we leave New York we will enter Canada (Ontario) and then enter Michigan from Georgian Bay.    We plan to cut across Ontario on the Trent Severn Waterway rather than run the lengths of Lake Erie and Lake Huron.   More about that when we get there...  It's a section of the loop I've been most looking forward to doing ...

We wish we were moving north already (the canals open tomorrow) but alas it isn't meant to be.  We had to delay another week due to timing of vacations at work and schedules of a process audit I have a key part in....

Until the 26th there will be no postings as the boat won't move ...