Mid Hudson River Valley
Historically a cradle of European settlement in the northeastern United States and a strategic battleground in colonial wars, the Hudson River valley now consists of suburbs of the metropolitan area of New York City at its southern end, shading into rural territory farther north. As our route took us through the northern part of the valley, it was akin to experiencing chapters of an American history textbook first hand.
At the time of the arrival of the first Europeans in the 17th century, the area of Hudson Valley was inhabited primarily by the Algonquian-speaking people. “Discovery” of the area is credited to Henry Hudson, who in 1609 was looking for a a quick passage to China when he came upon the river that is named for him. Hapless Henry didn't find the Northwest Passage, and in fact was set adrift in a dingy by his mutinous crew two short years after, never to be heard from again.
The first settlement was in the 1610s with the establishment of Fort Nassau, a trading post south of modern-day Albany, with the purpose of exchanging European goods for beaver pelts. During the 1600s, the Hudson Valley formed the heart of the New Netherland colony operations, with the New Amsterdam settlement on Manhattan serving as a post for supplies and defense of the upriver operations.
The valley became one of the major regions of conflict during the American Revolution. Part of the early strategy of the British was to sever the colonies in two by maintaining control of the river.
In the early 1800s, popularized by the stories of Washington Irving, the Hudson Valley gained a reputation as a somewhat gothic region inhabited by the remnants of the early days of the Dutch colonization of New York.
Following the building of the Erie Canal, the area became an important industrial center and remained so until the mid 20th century, when many of the industrial towns went into decline.
It also was the location of the estates of many wealthy New York industrialists, such as the Rockefellers and Vanderbilt’s, and of old-moneyed tycoons such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was a descendant of one the early Dutch families in the region. The area is replete with historic mansions, wineries, horse farms, museums and little hideaways. It is also home (in Hyde Park) to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), which is one of America’s premiere institutions for training chefs. Given our interest in food, wine, and history, it was a place worth spending time in.
We decided to forgo the camping experience and just ride 20 some miles and stay in a motel. We did this to have time to enjoy the sights, as well as recover from the previous day’s forced march through the ongoing downpour. The rain continued on and off during the day, but this time we were adequately prepared, and knew that there would be roof over our head for the evening, so we didn’t fret (much). This section of the ride was rolling and gentle. Traffic was a little heavier on Route 9 they we had been used to, but the shoulder was wide and adequate, and we had plenty of opportunities to turn off onto the back roads when the opportunity presented itself. We spent a good hour on a guided tour of the opulent Vanderbilt mansion, and also visited the home of FDR. The difference between old and new money was startling. Those that have “had it” for a long, long time appear not to need to flaunt it, while the “new” money folks needed to show how wealthy they were by building excessively large and somewhat garish monuments that they called “homes”. In some ways, it is similar to what we see in our home state of Montana, where new outside money comes in and builds palatial, lavish homes that they only reside in for part of the year. It gives one pause.
As we were riding, we noticed a huge number of “Hot Rod” type cars on the road. We thought nothing much of it at the time, figuring that there was some sort of rally going on. Little did we know that the “rally” was 2500 cars that were being displayed at the fairgrounds in Rhinebeck. What that meant was every motel/hotel we stopped at was already full for the weekend, and it was only 2 PM! We luckily snagged the last available room at the Roosevelt Motel which was a flash back to the 1940s…knotty pine paneling (the real stuff), all smoking rooms…but hey, beggars can’t be choosers. We took it without thinking twice. We spent a good deal of time talking with the hot rod folks. They were just as amazed by our mode of transportation as we were in theirs. By now, we had traveled over 500 miles, and to folks who don’t ride a bike, that fact seemed beyond comprehension. We spent a great deal of time talking with them, sharing each others passions if you will, and realizing that indeed, there are “different strokes for different folks”. But each of us loved what we were doing, and that’s the most important thing, isn’t it?
Not having made any reservations, we knew that trying to get to have dinner at the CIA would be a fruitless (pardon the pun) endeavor. Fortunately, there was a restaurant named “Twist” a short walk from the motel that was run by a CIA graduate, and the menu looked tantalizing as well as intriguing. As former restaurateurs, we always enjoy going into a place and sitting near the kitchen, watching the operation and seeing how it is run. Much of the help at the restaurant are students at the CIA, and it was an efficient, well run facility. We had good conversation, a great meal, and a fitting end to a damp but relaxing day.
.
At the time of the arrival of the first Europeans in the 17th century, the area of Hudson Valley was inhabited primarily by the Algonquian-speaking people. “Discovery” of the area is credited to Henry Hudson, who in 1609 was looking for a a quick passage to China when he came upon the river that is named for him. Hapless Henry didn't find the Northwest Passage, and in fact was set adrift in a dingy by his mutinous crew two short years after, never to be heard from again.
The first settlement was in the 1610s with the establishment of Fort Nassau, a trading post south of modern-day Albany, with the purpose of exchanging European goods for beaver pelts. During the 1600s, the Hudson Valley formed the heart of the New Netherland colony operations, with the New Amsterdam settlement on Manhattan serving as a post for supplies and defense of the upriver operations.
The valley became one of the major regions of conflict during the American Revolution. Part of the early strategy of the British was to sever the colonies in two by maintaining control of the river.
In the early 1800s, popularized by the stories of Washington Irving, the Hudson Valley gained a reputation as a somewhat gothic region inhabited by the remnants of the early days of the Dutch colonization of New York.
Following the building of the Erie Canal, the area became an important industrial center and remained so until the mid 20th century, when many of the industrial towns went into decline.
It also was the location of the estates of many wealthy New York industrialists, such as the Rockefellers and Vanderbilt’s, and of old-moneyed tycoons such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was a descendant of one the early Dutch families in the region. The area is replete with historic mansions, wineries, horse farms, museums and little hideaways. It is also home (in Hyde Park) to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), which is one of America’s premiere institutions for training chefs. Given our interest in food, wine, and history, it was a place worth spending time in.
We decided to forgo the camping experience and just ride 20 some miles and stay in a motel. We did this to have time to enjoy the sights, as well as recover from the previous day’s forced march through the ongoing downpour. The rain continued on and off during the day, but this time we were adequately prepared, and knew that there would be roof over our head for the evening, so we didn’t fret (much). This section of the ride was rolling and gentle. Traffic was a little heavier on Route 9 they we had been used to, but the shoulder was wide and adequate, and we had plenty of opportunities to turn off onto the back roads when the opportunity presented itself. We spent a good hour on a guided tour of the opulent Vanderbilt mansion, and also visited the home of FDR. The difference between old and new money was startling. Those that have “had it” for a long, long time appear not to need to flaunt it, while the “new” money folks needed to show how wealthy they were by building excessively large and somewhat garish monuments that they called “homes”. In some ways, it is similar to what we see in our home state of Montana, where new outside money comes in and builds palatial, lavish homes that they only reside in for part of the year. It gives one pause.
As we were riding, we noticed a huge number of “Hot Rod” type cars on the road. We thought nothing much of it at the time, figuring that there was some sort of rally going on. Little did we know that the “rally” was 2500 cars that were being displayed at the fairgrounds in Rhinebeck. What that meant was every motel/hotel we stopped at was already full for the weekend, and it was only 2 PM! We luckily snagged the last available room at the Roosevelt Motel which was a flash back to the 1940s…knotty pine paneling (the real stuff), all smoking rooms…but hey, beggars can’t be choosers. We took it without thinking twice. We spent a good deal of time talking with the hot rod folks. They were just as amazed by our mode of transportation as we were in theirs. By now, we had traveled over 500 miles, and to folks who don’t ride a bike, that fact seemed beyond comprehension. We spent a great deal of time talking with them, sharing each others passions if you will, and realizing that indeed, there are “different strokes for different folks”. But each of us loved what we were doing, and that’s the most important thing, isn’t it?
Not having made any reservations, we knew that trying to get to have dinner at the CIA would be a fruitless (pardon the pun) endeavor. Fortunately, there was a restaurant named “Twist” a short walk from the motel that was run by a CIA graduate, and the menu looked tantalizing as well as intriguing. As former restaurateurs, we always enjoy going into a place and sitting near the kitchen, watching the operation and seeing how it is run. Much of the help at the restaurant are students at the CIA, and it was an efficient, well run facility. We had good conversation, a great meal, and a fitting end to a damp but relaxing day.
.
posted by Matt and Mary Ellen | 2:14 PM
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