I was born in NYS and will always consider myself a New Yorker despite now living in southwest USA. Whenever I hear Alicia Keyes song titled “Empire State of Mind”, it simply fills my heart! Yea…yea…New York!

I love traveling and visiting new places and even in NYS there are many places to wander through where I had not yet visited. So my friend and I continued our sightseeing along the Hudson River Valley with its numerous outdoor parks, small towns to shop in, old taverns and inns to enjoy a beer and/or food, and local roads away from the NYS Thruway and other major roads paralleling the Hudson River. Despite only having a few days to explore the area, we did stop by many historic sites. Since Covid-19 cases were again rising in NYS during our visit, we remained outdoors at these locations and someday may visit when indoor tours are available.

Wilderstein Mansion: A cousin of Franklin D. Roosevelt once lived in this Victorian mansion. The 19th century Queen-Anne-style country house is now a museum and the grounds were open to visitors.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Home & Library: I am sure one could spend hours reading the documents at this presidential library, but we had a quick visit to see the grounds and home. I noticed a sculpture outside the library. Winston S. Churchill’s granddaughter created this sculpture: Breakfree, which is a large concrete piece of the Berlin Wall and people freeing themselves over the barbed wire.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Val-Kill Cottage is the first Historic Site devoted to a First Lady. What a beautiful location! I would love to spend an overnight or two here! (I doubt that us even possible.) I love reading quotes and often include a quote at the end of my e-mails. A recent  Eleanor Roosevelt quote I used: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Esopus Meadows Lighthouse called, “Maid of the Meadows” was constructed in 1839. We stopped at Esopus Lighthouse Park to see the lighthouse which is the last wooden framed and clapboard exterior lighthouse on the Hudson River and walk a hiking trail along the river’s edge.

The lighthouse was important in warning mariners of submerged mudflats and to guide river traffic to the east to avoid shallow areas. Apparently the tide once was low enough on the river that cows could graze on the green grass, thus the meadow reference in its name, but now the meadow is underwater. (Are we seeing a result of an ocean rising?)

Along the way I discover an informational sign about how one can participate in a chronolog. So I placed my iPhone in the stand, snapped a photo and sent it in so researchers have a chronology of what’s happening to the shoreline at this park. I watched, with my photo included, the time lapse at their website to see how the shoreline has changed thus allowing others to determine how to handle the erosion that may be happening. Very cool and important work!