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Post 6 of 17




Day 13: Washington DC to Trenton, New Jersey - 268 Miles


Yay.... Back on the road again today. Was getting a little antsy there without my V8 fix.

A few things to tidy up before leaving DC. We're out the door by 8 am. First up is a quick run down to the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial. Designed in the Neo-Classical style, it was dedicatred in 1943. Very impressive.






The man himself


2nd paragraph of the Declaration of Independence


Washington Monument across the Tidal Basin.


Wanted to get over to the Pentagon, the Kennedy Center, Watergate and a few other landmarks. There's just not enough time. So, back downtown.

FBI Headquarters at Pennsylvania & 10th


Spent a bit of time driving around the core, went over to Union Station and then made for Annapolis, Maryland. I wanted to swing by University of Maryland in College Park, but today was looking to be real busy

Annapolis turned out to be the perfect little seaside/port city dripping with history.


Downtown by the waterfront was bustling on a very pleasant Sunday morning.


We parked and went over to the Maryland State House - the oldest in the country. It is also the only statehouse to serve as the nation's capitol, from Nov. 1783 to Aug. 1784. George Washington resigned his commission here. The Treaty of Paris was also ratified here, marking the end of the Revolutionary War. Heady stuff.






George resigned using only 15 words


Looking out the front door and down a side street




This is as close as we got to the US Naval Academy. We visited the Air Force Academy in Colorado a few years ago and we'll pick up West Point tomorrow.


Then it's off across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and we continue through farming country to Delaware - State #47. However, it would have been fun to spend an extra day exploring the whole surrounding area.

Hey, there's a Delaware Capitol Building in Dover.


Dover gets a quick look see and we're already off. We head north up Hwy 1. Wanted to go into Wilmington, but we skirt it, and also miss the du Pont Estate (not open), and aim for Chadds Ford, just beyond the Delaware border in Pennsylvania. It is here we find The Brandywine Museum of Art, internationally recognized for its unparalleled collection of art by the Wyeth family: Andrew Wyeth, a major American Realist painter; his father N.C. Wyeth, illustrator of children's classics; his sister Ann Wyeth McCoy, a painter and composer; and his son, Jamie Wyeth a contemporary American realist painter. Quite the crew.








We get out of there by 3:00, but still have 2 more stops today. Luckily, Valley Forge is only 45 minutes away.



Valley Forge National Historic Park is the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War - lasting 6 months from Dec. 19, 1777 to Jun. 19, 1778. Approximately 12,000 soldiers wintered over here. Conditions were gruesome, very cold and snowy, with limited food and clothing. Around 2,000 soldiers succumbed to disease and malnutrition. General Washington had his hands full.

Inside the Visitor Center






The site is on 3,500 acres with a self-driving Encampment Tour Loop of 10 miles.

Muhlenberg's Brigade - 12 soldiers per hut




National Memorial Arch (Commemorates the sacrifices of the soldiers during their stay at Valley Forge)


General Anthony Wayne Statue (Dubbed Mad Anthony for his military exploits)

General Washington's Winter Headquarters




We finish up Valley Forge by 5:30. It's still over an hour to our last stop for the day.

Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River


General Washing pulled an audacious surprise attack on a Hessian army garrisoned in Trenton, NJ. On Christmas night 1776, he led his army across an icy Delaware River and secured a victory in the Battle of Trenton. One of the Revolutionary War's most logistically challenging and dangerous clandestine operations of the entire war.








The hotel is but 15 minutes away. The City of Trenton (and it's state capitol) get the heave ho for the day. Dang. Were we really at the Jefferson Memorial only 12 hours ago?


Trenton, New Jersey

Total Miles: 4,080
Daily Avg: 314 Miles


Day 14: Princeton to Albany, New York - 260 Miles


Last year I read the "Boys in the Boat," a fascinating story recounting the University of Washington's eight man crew team's journey to their Olympic gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Today we will visit 3 of the places mentioned in the book.

Princeton is a delightful college town, and home to Princeton University, near Trenton, NJ. It is all leafy and ivy covered, as you would expect an Ivy League school to be. We tour the town and then some of the campus.




Commencement Prep - the campus is swarming with families today.


We make our way over to the Shea Rowing Center on Carnegie Lake. Dale Carnegie donated money for the construction of a dam on the Millstone River, and then donated the whole thing to Princeton University in 1906. It serves as the home of the US Olympic Rowing Team.


The lake was also the site of the 1936 Olympic Rowing Trials that the UW crew went on to win. 89 years ago - pretty cool.

Today, the Princeton gals are taking their shell for a spin


It is now time to navigate around the New York City megaplex. My original grand plan was to head north to Perth Amboy, cut through Staten Island (never been), cross over to Bayonne and end up at Liberty State Park on the back side of the Statue of Liberty with a view across the Hudson to the NYC skyline. Sounds nice in theory, but would just gobble up too much precious time today. We decide to stay on I-95 (which actually moved really well) and blew past the city without much trouble. Crossed over the Hudson on the Tappan Zee Bridge and landed in Tarrytown.

Tappan Zee Bridge (Mario Cuomo Bridge, I-287)




Babe Ruth's Grave was just over the hill at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery - another boyhood hero during the baseball phase of my life.






That's a lot of head stones


Then back over the hill to Sleepy Hollow.


Looked like a cool place, but crawling with people on this Memorial Day Monday.

We head up Hwy 9 on the east bank of the Hudson, do a quick turn through Peekskill and grab Hwy 202 as it climbs up the canyon wall. There's a scenic overlook with too many cars and we end up at the Bear Mountain Bridge (Not my picture)


We cross over again. There is a great viewpoint up Bear Mountain on this side, but it would take too much time to get there. We turn north and head for West Point, home of the United States Miltary Academy.

We stop at Thayer Gate to get checked in, then head to the West Point Museum. It's closed. (Remember, the things on the List of Things To Do are just suggestions)


We go to the Visitor Control Center for a background check so we can get a pass to go further into the campus. They aren't screwing around here. Takes about 15 minutes. Then we're off.

Alas, the camera decides to crap out on me and I'm left with just a few salvageable pictures.

The Hudson River


Robotics Research Center


Parade Grounds


Looking up river


Officer housing on Washington Road


We exit out the North Gate and meander along Hwy 9W through some small villages. We cross the Mid-Hudson Bridge back to the east side and land in historic Poughkeepsie. It is known as the Queen City of the Hudson, famous for the Walkway Over the Hudson - the world's longest elevated pedestrian bridge, that was formerly a railway bridge. It's also home to Vassar and Marist colleges.

The town has great architecture, with parks and views of the mountains and Hudson River. The streets are clogged, several are closed and there is no parking anywhere - who knew Memorial Day would be so popular. We had wanted to walk the elevated walkway for some great views, but it is not to be.

Back to the book, "The Boys in the Boat." Back in the '30s, colleges rowed on Lake Washington in Seattle, the Bay near Oakland, Princeton and Poughkeepsie. The Poughkeepsie Regatta was THE premier race, held in late spring, each year and was basically the NCAA finals. The U of W boys were always quite successful here, with other strong teams being from California, Cornell, Syracuse and Navy.

Found these paintings at our next stop. Looking east, across the Hudson, toward Poughkeepsie with the railroad bridge (now walkway) on the left and the Mid-Hudson Bridge on the right.




We drive past Marist college on Hwy 9 and head to Hyde Park - the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his presidential library. It is the nation's first presidential library, founded by FDR himself. The family home is also here and the site is on about 1,000 acres. A nice stop.


Roosevelt's home


Franklin Delano Roosevelt - 32nd President of the United States, elected 4 times, died 3 months into his 4th term on April 12, 1945.


The Library




Last "Boys in the Boat" reference: During the 1936 Poughkeepsie Regatta, the U of W boys were antsy on the Saturday night before their Monday race. The coach told them they could take out the coach's motor launch for a spin if they wanted. They grabbed a student manager to serve as pilot and navigator and off they went. Not sure where to go, they decided to pay a visit to the president of the United States, who they knew to live nearby. (Not sure why they thought he'd be there.) They headed north and stopped at a dock marked Hyde Park Station. They asked someone how to get to the president's house and he directed them back down the river to a cove, about a mile away.

They got out and wandered around until they found a gardener's cottage. They knocked and asked if they were near the president's estate. The gardener said, "You're on it." The gardener then directed them to where the house was. Once there, they looked in the windows and saw a young man reading a book. Having come this far, they decided to knock on the door. It was nearly nine o'clock. The young man answered the door and they announced who they were and that they had met John Roosevelt, the president's youngest son the year before. Then they asked if the president was home. He was not, but they were eagerly invited in. The young man was Franklin Roosevelt, Jr and he proudly announced that he rowed #6 seat on the Harvard JV boat. They ended up in the library shown above and chatted for about an hour. One of them even sat in the chair that FDR used for his Fireside Chats.

They made their way back to the launch, with some stories to tell. One wrote in his diary, "Visited the President's house at Hyde Park tonight. They sure have a fine place." Oh, and on Monday night, the Huskies became the national champions in an astounding come-from-behind victory.

FDR Bedroom


Winston Churchill visited FDR several times during WWII for strategic planning meetings




There is also a museum on-site filled with WWII artifacts and history.

It's 4 o'clock and still an hour and a half to Albany, with more stops. We get back on Hwy 9 north.

We stop at the Olana State Historic Site, just across the river from Catskill. It is the grounds and home of Fredrick Church, one of the major Hudson River landscape artists. The home, now a museum, is a stone, brick and polychrome-stenciled villa. OK.






It was closed, but would have been fun to tour.

We drop back down to the Hudson and cross over the river into the village of Catskill - population around 4,000. It is the gateway to the Catskill Mountains, a mid-20th century resort haven for New Yorkers.

Clarke Street


Rip van Winkle woke up from his 20 year sleep not too far from here.


We cross back over the Hudson for the 5th time today and swing through the village of Hudson, which is full of historic architecture, galleries, boutiques and restaurants. It's late and there's no time for any of them.

5th Street - Hudson, NY




Final stop of the day in Kinderhook, just 20 minutes up Hwy 9. It is a quaint town of around 9,000. Martin van Buren, the 8th President, was born here and retired here. We pass his house on the way in, but don't get a picture'

Kinderhook




Benedict Arnold is said to have recuperated from injuries in this house in 1777 after the Battle of Bemis Heights - pre-traitor.


We reach the hotel in another half hour, drop our bags and find a Cracker Barrel just up the street. Another 12 hour day in the books. Man, Princeton was ages ago.


Week 2 done, 1,336 miles. We're driving less than half the mileage of Week 1 each day, but it's taking a lot longer.

Albany, New York

Total Miles: 4,340
Daily Avg: 310 Miles