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Post by nycgirl on Oct 29, 2011 17:00:54 GMT
Last week my husband and I rented a car and drove out of the city to enjoy a wonderfully sunny autumn day. A little leaf-filled creek on the side of the road. In Bear Mountain State Park, we spotted one of New York's finest on duty, in full uniform. The visibility was pretty good that day. From 50 miles away I could still clearly see the Manhattan skyline. I could just make out the new Freedom Tower on the far right and the pointy Empire State Building in the center. Back on the road, we enjoyed the pretty foliage as we drove by, occasionally hopping out to take photos. Next we visited Fort Montgomery, the site of a historic Revolutionary War battle fought for the control of the Hudson River. The American Patriots, outnumbered 3 to 1, took a severe beating and the British gained control of the fort. This proved to be a pyrrhic victory for the British, however, as it caused delays in sending reinforcements to Saratoga. (I just learned the definition of the word "pyrrhic" and wanted to use it in a sentence ).The British surrender at Saratoga 10 days later became the turning point in the war. The small visitor's center contains weapons and artifacts, detailed models of the battle, and realistic-looking mannequin soldiers. I took this picture right before I was informed of the no-photo policy. We walked along a bridge by the fort to get this lovely view of the Hudson.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2011 18:06:56 GMT
Very nice photos. I always take as many photos as possible before being informed of "no-photo" policies and then I get sneaky as I implement my "don't-get-caught" policy.
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Post by nycgirl on Oct 29, 2011 19:59:37 GMT
I like your policy, I'm going to try to use it in the future.
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Post by sojoh on Oct 29, 2011 20:35:52 GMT
nycgirl, 20 bonus points for using pyrrhic in a sentence and 10 bonus points for the wonderful pictures of the fall foliage. I'm really surprised that there were still so many leaves on the trees last weekend. When I was in Boston a couple of weeks ago, I kept expecting to see lots of autumnal colors, but the leaves hadn't really started to change yet. And now it's snowing in NYC? Hard to believe.
But back to the photos - why weren't you allowed to take a picture in the visitor's center? And is there a story about the dog? He seems to be sitting there surveying the terrain as if that's his regular job.
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Post by nycboy on Oct 29, 2011 20:40:47 GMT
There was a group of bikers that used old police patrol bikes and one of the guys had this very well-trained dog in costume; nice and funny guys.
I imagine the no photo policy has to do with flashes possibly damaging the old fabric.
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Post by nycgirl on Oct 29, 2011 21:13:57 GMT
Next we headed to Kaaterskill Falls in the Catskill Mountains. The dual cascades total 260 feet, making it the tallest waterfall in New York, almost 100 feet taller than Niagara (though it doesn't have quite as much water . The falls have a pretty illustrious history. Washing Irving described them in this passage of his story "Rip Van Winkle:" "At length he reached to where the ravine had opened through the cliffs to the amphitheatre; but no traces of such an opening remained. The rocks presented a high impenetrable wall, over which the torrent came tumbling in a sheet of feathery foam, and fell into a deep broad basin, black from the shadows of the surrounding forest." Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School, America's first true art movement, gained instant fame from the paintings he produced following a steamship trip up the Hudson. His 1826 painting Kaaterskill Falls. This Cole painting shows the perspective behind the water, from the basin that splits the falls. We tried to reach this point but were unsure of our footing and had to turn around. Asher Durand created this 1849 painting Kindred Spirits as a tribute to Cole following his untimely death. It depicts Cole and the poet William Cullen Bryant in a Catskills landscape with Kaaterskill Falls in the distance. The trail to the falls was easy and picturesque. I'm going to have to rely on these nice memories to get me through the day. Right now it's a cold, blustery day in the city and there's already 2 inches of snow on the ground.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 30, 2011 6:33:53 GMT
Just beautiful, NYCGirl. I particularly love the first and last images. It was a real pleasure to see how you incorporated the paintings, too, as when I saw the bridge and the waterfall photos, I immediately thought of that school of painting! The no-photo thing is doo-doo, possibly something in force that day only by an overly zealous worker. Usually there's a no flash rule, which is understandable, but no pictures? (I was stopped from taking a picture of a durian in a supermarket in Las Vegas because .......... well, I don't have the slightest idea why.) The big slabs of rock in the pictures are intriguing. You can even see traces of some in the forest floor in that last photo. You & NYCBoy seem drawn to locales of dramatic geological upheaval, luckily for the rest of us and our viewing pleasure.
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Post by nycgirl on Oct 30, 2011 14:03:17 GMT
Thanks, Bixa! It's funny, I've lived in NYC for 9 years but I've only minimally explored the natural beauty of the state. I'm hoping to change that. nycgirl, 20 bonus points for using pyrrhic in a sentence and 10 bonus points for the wonderful pictures of the fall foliage. I'm really surprised that there were still so many leaves on the trees last weekend. When I was in Boston a couple of weeks ago, I kept expecting to see lots of autumnal colors, but the leaves hadn't really started to change yet. And now it's snowing in NYC? Hard to believe. But back to the photos - why weren't you allowed to take a picture in the visitor's center? And is there a story about the dog? He seems to be sitting there surveying the terrain as if that's his regular job. Thanks, Sojoh! My husband was actually expecting the foliage to be more colorful. I don’t know if it was pre-peak or post-peak or what. Oh well, it was still pretty. I’m surprised to hear that Boston wasn’t colorful. I can’t believe it’s frigid and snowy here already! This is going to be a rough season. No idea the reason behind the photo policy for the visitor’s center. No-flash photography wouldn’t damage anything, and I’m unlikely to make a profit selling the photos. I hate when places are unnecessarily strict. The dog seemed to be a police mascot or something. He was very sweet and well-behaved, and obliged all the people who wanted to pose for photos with him. He was a real hit.
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Post by lola on Oct 30, 2011 15:44:26 GMT
Just beautiful, nycg. I love NY, and heard once there are more species of trees there than in any other state. I like to think it's true, so have never tried to confirm.
More points for quoting dear Mr. Irving. I toured his Tarrytown home, Sunnyside, once. (Rip Van Winkle, reread as married adult, makes me sympathise with his wife.)
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Post by nycboy on Nov 1, 2011 14:07:08 GMT
I was hoping the colors would be better but my brother said they got a bit too much rain.
lola, on the theme of historic sites; we happened to read a historic marker on the side of a house in Cold Spring and it was the birthplace of Emily Warren Roebling, who was who was instrumental to the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge. My smarty pants wife recognized her name.
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Post by komsomol on Nov 1, 2011 14:22:09 GMT
I always wondered how the Catskills got their name. Too cool waterfall.
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