Just as we were leaving the marina, a group of middle schoolers came down the dock to board this classroom on the water. We wondered what you did with a bevy of teens on a big boat in fog and rain, but did not hang around for the lesson plan.
We made steady progress up to and under the George Washington Bridge. This is the first time either of us had seen Uptown from this perspective. It was cool to note all the different styles of architecture from the water.
The further Uptown we got the ferry traffic died out. We still had some southbound barges to contend with. Because the weather was just off the deck, we had set the nav lights on before we left the marina. That turned out to be a good choice. As soon as we got upriver from Harlem the rain started to come down in sheets. Visibility dropped precipitously. Niki went below decks while I tried to keep to the far east side of the river. Between the GPS and slight breaks in the downpour, I could just about parallel the shore about 50 yards out. It went on that way for about an hour.
By the time we turned the corner to come up on the Tappan Zee Bridge, the rain had lifted again. It looked like the sun might break through after all.
There is a sharp dogleg in the river at the very northern end of the Tappan Zee. We were surprised to see a nuclear power plant so close in to the city. The Indian Point Power Plant appears to be sited on the grid next to an older gas turbine plant, and that may explain the location.
There are rail lines on both sides of the river. The lines are very busy. We saw Amtrak and freight and some very weird looking yellow service vehicles that check the lines for distortions or possible derailment issues.
One of the most lovely bridges on this part of the trip was the Bear Mountain Bridge. The river narrows down and turns a sharp corner. Amtrak has to do the same thing, and this short little tunnel made such a hard curve that we couldn't see the light at the end.
Some guy who couldn't wait for Amtrak parked his alternative conveyance in his backyard. Actually the plane was boxed in by driftwood and looked in pretty poor condition, but it would be a neat way to get down to the city if operable.
The combination of the lowering clouds and the narrow steep hillsides just turning to autumn colors was mesmerizing. We could really believe we were in the land of Rip Van Winkle. Other folks must have found it spellbinding as well. The hills were planted with spectacular homes and every turn of the river bank revealed new wonders.
We thought we had seen some amazing edifices, and then we turned the corner on West Point. The view from the river is an archetypal portrayal of power in stone.
We turned up the river to Newburgh. The wind was filling from the south and we were able to get some extra push from the jib. As we were closing in on our final destination for the night, we came across this odd little stone tower set off to side of a larger island.
When we got just north of the island and looked back we were treated to the ruins of Bannerman's Castle. Bannerman was a successful arms dealer in the Civil War and used some of his profits to build this Scottish castle on the island. It was a family summer residence until a fire gutted the interior and left this facade.
Half an hour up from Bannerman's we pulled into Riverfront Marina at Newburgh. Jamie met us at the dock, helped us tie up, gave us the keys to the kingdom, and referred us to the restaurant Billie Joe's Ribworks adjacent to the marina for dinner. She looked at me and quipped "Tonight they feature that band that plays all the oldies. That should be good for you." Any place that is owned by an old goat, plays classic rock n roll, and serves BBQ is really good for me!
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