New York Harbor to Half Moon Bay, West Point tour,August 28, 2018

We had so hoped to have someone take our boat’s picture as we passed the Statue of Liberty. No luck in that respect! We left early to take advantage of the tides – we get about 2 knots of free speed when we do that. We did enjoy going past the Statue and The City – wow, it took forever to get past!

The Hudson River will be our path for the next few days, and it is lovely: low, wooded hills, with higher mountains in the distance; pretty homes and communities interspersed along the way. Our first stop past NYC is in Croton-on-Hudson, at the Half Moon Bay Marina. Steve, the dockmaster, went out of his way to make us comfortable. The marina is in fact a ‘dockuminium’, surrounded by 3 story condominiums.

We rented a car for one day, and toured the ‘New’ Croton Dam nearby. So glad we went! It was a beautiful dam and lake and surrounding countryside.

sunset from Staten island

Brooklyn Bridge (I think!)

Brooklyn Bridge

Hazy New York skyline

and we get closer

There she is!

Does this tower make me look fat??

She is beautiful!

gorgeous boat we passed

There, now we can see it better!

Ellis Island

Told you I love bridges!!

Next are the pictures from the Croton On Hudson Dam and park....

gorgeous water fall from the dam

massive wall forming the dam

another view of the beautiful bridge and waterfall

couldn't stop taking pictures!

downstream from the dam

I could stay in this spot forever....

moving water over stones...captivating

view of the dam from the bridge above

looking downstream from top of the dam

breathtakingly beautiful

overflow from the dam

lake behind the dam

rushing water after the dam

view of the park from top of dam

The next morning, we drove to West Point Academy. We took the bus tour of the huge facility, and our guide was very good at telling us stories and traditions of the Academy. I was moved to tears several times. Their museum of a cadet’s life was excellent.

My favorite story was about General Patton. He took 5 years to finish the program, normally 4 years. Turns out he had dyslexia, undiagnosed, and he overcame it himself. When asked why it took him 5 years, he reportedly said it was because he couldn’t find the library. His statue is in front of the library, with his back facing the building and a pair of binoculars in his hand! Love the humor of that!