We haven't had many pics of the countryside, but here are a couple of views heading south from Hyde Park. We crossed to the west side of the Hudson River, which is quite impressive. Just south of here there is an S curve in the river formed in part by a point of land. During the revolutionary war, George Washington selected this point of land as a military fortification to control river traffic. The place was named West Point, and has been the longest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Ships had to slowly navigate the S shape of the river due to currents and winds, giving gunners on the shore good targets. In fact a 150-ton iron chain was stretched across the river to stop enemy ships. This is a display in the West Point Museum. For those who have head of Benedict Arnold, this was the basis for his treason. He gave the plans of the fort to a British sympathizer who was immediately caught and quickly hanged. Arnold went over to the British side, but was not held in high regard and eventually died an unknown. The United States Military Academy was established in 1802, becoming a 4-year institution in around 1817. Many prominent military men were/are West Point grads including U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, and others who were on opposing sides in the Civil War. The West Point 'campus' is indeed impressive. The location overlooking the Hudson River, the stone buildings, and the feeling of great tradition create an awesome aura. Here is the famous 'Plain' where parade reviews are held. The building in the center is the mess hall flanked by the dormitories. There are about 4400 cadets here. A photo from the internet. The large building in the background is the chapel. The chapel hosts the largest chapel pipe organ in the world, which consists of 23,511 individual pipes. Here's the console (you can't see the foot pedals - see video). For those interested here is a link to a youtube performance of this organ. Overlooking the Hudson stands a monument to Union officers and men who died in certain battles of the Civil War. The center column is cut from the largest piece of marble in the US. The monument is on what is called 'Trophy Point. There are arrays of cannon barrels here that were captured from the enemy. Shown also are the rear ends of two cannons buried in the ground. These ring the monument and are symbolic that the United States should never again fire upon itself. Pray that remains true. And finally the museum. This museum covered everything from the history of war itself to history of the army, and weapons. There were miniature dioramas of various ancient battles. This crossbow has a hand crank with ropes and pulleys to draw the bow. This revolutionary war musket is around 5 feet long!! Some weapons like this reportedly had a range of 900 yards!! There is an original painting of George Washington, and the sash worn by Robert E. Lee at the surrender at Appomattox. A pistol presented to Hitler, and General Eisenhower's sidearm. Here is a German 'robot' guided by wire to deliver an explosive charge into enemy positions. And this two-man tank with a 4 cylinder, 12 horsepower engine. The gun is not much bigger than what men could carry, so it seems strange to have this big complex machine to carry it. I guess there is an intimidation factor. We've seen one similar to this before. See Great Lakes Trip Report #16. West Point has a 'hallowed ground' feel to it. It is steeped in the tradition of the 'Long Gray Line' and 'Duty, Honor, Country. Truly awesome.
Stay tuned.
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Who are we?Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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