Catskills, Woodstock, Choppers & Hudson River Valley

The township of Catskill is a quarter of the way down the Hudson River Valley and it is full of ….cats….this a house cat….literally, there is like a house inside it and the cat is built on the exterior.

Decorated cats line the main street….

 musket is rusted and his beard has grown really long, he goes home, and finds his wife has died, there has been a war no one recognises him even his own children….Rip soon takes up his life of idleness again….and many men have taken the story to heart wishing they could sleep through hardship and eternal nagging…..there you go, in a nutshell.  There is Rip, carved in wood at the beginning of the street.

 This is the Rip Van Winkle bridge spanning the Hudson, it is 5,041 feet long.  It was built during the depression and 400 people applied for the 8 positions of toll collectors at the time.

Main street of Catskill above.

 The town of Saugerties is a biggish one for the area, it is built around the river and has large homes and yards surrounded by plenty of greenery and woods.  The Operator was in his element as he saw plenty of critters….he reckons he saw a ground hog….Rosie saw it too, it wasnt in a hurry to go anywhere and it was about the size of a small cat.  Still sceptical Rosie turned to the internet for confirmation and identification….she couldnt say it wasn’t……

 This is the Saugerties Lighthouse, yes, the Hudson has a few river lighthouses.  When the barges ran up the river transporting goods they were necessary for hazards and I suppose bank avoidance and tributary identification.  This Lighthouse is now a B&B, built in 1865 it sits on a wee island and is either accessible by boat or a half mile trail through the woods….how did Rosie get this photo….The Operator set off on a walk to take the photo, we thought he would just take it from the river bank, there was no mention of a trekking distance involved on the direction sign…..Rosie was getting a little worried when The Operator didnt come back and didnt come back…..

It was Saturday morning, driving through the small towns were hand written signs pointing to church carparks advertising their ‘Flea Market’, on the roadsides tables were set up displaying wares and signs red ‘Yard Sale’….Rosie was in second had paradise watching all these beautiful potential treasures flash past.  Then we arrived in Woodstock, Oh yes, the original summer of loving Woodstock.  They had a flea market set up in front of the church and were raising money for something or another, Rosies not sure, she was already scoping the tables.  Thinking of the suitcase, careful choices have to be made….Rosie scored a game of horseshoes for $1…oh, yes family, backyard horseshoe throwing this Xmas, and a set of 4 ceramic flying ducks for $6….so what if I already have a set of 3 flying ducks…..$6…..bargain!  Rosie was just about to complete the circuit again when The Operator dragged her away.

Old hippies never die, they just smell that way….Rosie thinks this old bird was at the original Woodstock concert and as for reeking of incense…well the whole town kind of did, there were alot of alternative types here.

But hey, if the sign says it….

This kind of sums up one half of the shopping experience, you can so still buy tye dyed gear here and not look stupid wearing it, the other half were artist type shops selling paintings and the like.               Tee Hee, this is a good idea, please leave your drinks here……saves spillages in the shop.

Normally these signs point out a historic even or building, Rosie and the operator did a second take at this one…once again the sign is telling it like it is!

….you cant live in Woodstock without having the car to go with the lifestyle, hope it starts in the morning!  The whole vibe was pretty laid back and unhurried here, the local band was singing Fleetwood Mac tunes in the square as the Fall Festival was underway raising money for a new church roof, hence the Flea Market.  Rosie has snapped out of her flea market fervour now and can think straight.  Great place to stop for an hour, next time I will wear a weird Himalayan turban thing on my head…we saw one, honest!

 We crossed the Hudson River and headed towards Rhinebeck, the further down the river we went, the towns became bigger more congested and more affluent, we are heading back towards New York after all.  Entering Rhinebeck these dudes were stopping cars on the main street and collecting coins for Vets.  They were doing good trade and not taking no for an answer.  All uniformed military here in the US seem to get big discounts entering attractions, going on public transport and even have priority when boarding aeroplanes, they get so much respect here for the job they do.

Its lunchtime, alot of people were going in here, this was the oldest tavern in the town and looks fab from the outside….inside it was beautiful but small windows, dark rooms, low ceiling, the tavern from yesteryear all right.  It was full of people and we had a really nice lunch.

 Just a little down the road was a sign to The Vanderbilt Estate, this was there country house, or as Rosie and The Operator would call it, their bach, a couple of hours away from the hustle and bustle of New York.                                         

We just drove into the main gates and around the elegant Old English style mansion on the curving driveway and parked, there was no entrance fee, other people were wandering around and so did we.  The grounds were vast and giant oaks and maples  are dotted on the grassy lawn, the perfect place for a picnic on a hot sunny day like today.  I would have loved coming to this peaceful serene spot for a spot of rest and recreation away from the city.  And, if I was Rosie Vanderbilt I am sure my daddy would have let me have a pony to ride all around the huge front lawn.

Of course they had panoramic sweeping views of the Hudson river that would have looked even better from up on the BBQ deck.                                  Newburgh was our last ‘get out of the car’ stop for the day, it was a special request from The Operator who was delighted this stop was on our route.  Orange County Choppers of Sky TV Discovery channel fame.

This is a reality TV show based on a family garage who specialise in making custom, made to order chopper motorbikes.  It shows the typical family arguments, has the classic Hulk Hogan look alike Dad running the business, the savvy creative brother who really runs the show and then the gormy, half wit brother who is the comic relief and is employed by the family cause he wouldnt get a job anywhere else.  What a monster this business has become in the way of commercial merchandising, the picture above of the outside of the building is just the shop!  There is a million T Shirts, jackets and helmets you can buy.  There are also displays like above of the bikes they have made.

Rosie cranked the ‘Do Not Enter’ workshop door open a little and clicked off a picture, they had a couple of bikes on the go and The Operator saw the engine he wants for his bike sitting on a bench, dream on darling.

We carried on a little down the road and saw a Holiday Inn advertised on a highway sign, The Operator pulled the driving pin again and we settled in for the night, $105 for the room, it was bliss.  Next door was the Smokey Bones tavern and sports bar. We had a dinner of sticky buffalo chicken wings and then a rack of BBQ pork ribs with cheesy chips and a wee salad, washed down by a couple of pints each.  In New York all menus must have a calorie content assigned to all food, the lass behind us in the booth was harping on and on about the high calories in the food, Rosie probably should have taken abit more notice too……there was approx 4500 calories in my meal….oh well that should keep me going for 3 days…..yeah right!

Rosie and The Operator cannot even tell you what town they bedded in that night….the credit card bill will have the name of the town…..never mind me thinks we were still in New York State……tomorrow we are off to visit the Amish and the most well known battle ground in America.