#3: Hudson River Sights

Our 155 mile four-day journey up the Hudson ended in Troy, NY yesterday evening. In hindsight, more days should have been spent exploring towns full of nice people, history, and art.

The town of Catskill raises money for community charities by auctioning cats decorated by local artists.  

 

Each year a fresh collection of felines adorns Main Street. What a cool idea. It delights tourists and creates local pride. Last year they raised $200K!!!

Inspect this kitty closely. Very clever!

Koca Kitty actually works.

Alley Cat

Tommy Bahama's entry. Just kidding.

Nice hood ornament on the Land Rover

If there is a heaven for old boats, it must be the town of Kingston. It has become a mini mecca of boat restoration.

After nine years helping to restore the John J. Harvey fireboat, one man moved here to spearhead saving PT boats. Here's one almost finished, and there are seven more known to exist.

The shoreline of Rondout Creek is lined with lucky decommissioned tugs waiting for salvation.

Maybe not all will be so lucky

Timing is everything, and as we exited Catskill Creek we quickly gave way to this tug and barge heading south.

All the tugboats we've seen on this river actually push the barges, not tow them. The barges have a vee cutout in their sterns to accommodate a tug's bow.

It's called a "tow" when the tug is in front and connected to the barge by a looooong cable.

There are occasional industrial sites, but not enough to detract from the overall natural beauty of the waterway.

It's good to see enough interest to support tour boats. People are always attracted to the water.

Approaching Albany and the end of our Hudson River sojourn.

Trains, boats, and automobiles.

As days pass we've settled into life on a boat. Our little tug is running well. We feel great, and look to the next leg: The Erie Canal and learning to "lock."

Catskill Creek