The Hudson River

I've lived in New York State all my life but I know very little about the Hudson River and the Hudson River Valley. My wife read an article in the Martha Stewart Living magazine last week. It was a pictorial article about Boscabel, a Mansion that was built originally in the early 1800's and later rebuilt and moved in the 1950's to its current spot overlooking the mighty Hudson River.
We got in the car this morning, map in hand, and made our way to Cold Spring, NY just north of Boscabel. What a glorious fall day. The sky was blue, the air crisp and the crowds were small. On the way, we passed through Fhanestock State Park and saw groups of hikers out enjoying God's breathtaking landscapes. Wow! hiking! Talk about getting close to nature without great expense.
I think what I want to say is that there is such natural beauty and grandeur within a two hour drive that we never even contemplate experiencing. So often we put things off and stick around home, not really doing anything of much import.
Today, standing on the bank of the Hudson River right across from the US Military Academy at West Point gave me a real thrill. I was in awe of that river. It's just so wide. I just stood there imagining the first European explorers sailing up the river wondering what was around the next bend.
Oh yea, the Boscabel mansion was great too.
Get off your block and spend a day exploring.