Friday, June 8, 2012

Middletown, NY, June 7 and Hyde Park, June 8

I’m in a small ‘50s era motel, complete with pink bathroom tile, but clean, directly across from FDR’s home. Tomorrow I’ll visit the estate before heading toward CT.

These past two days of riding have been spectacular, both weather wise and for the scenic beauty.

The ride through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area was mostly alone on a road that paralleled the Delaware River on my left. It was a shady ride through forests where the chirping, chattering and chuttering of the birds had a small echo effect due to the denseness of the trees.

 The morning sun highlighted this year’s new shades of green, full in their vibrancy. Rhododendrons and Mountain Laurels are on the verge of blossoming. Freshly uncurled ferns form mattresses of youthful green in forest openings and along the road bank. Late afternoon rain, hail and thunder drove me inside.

Today’s ride was against the backdrop of the Shawnangunk Mountains through the Hudson Valley. The forest gave way to huge fields, some planted, others just plowed, as farms stretched on both sides of the road. As I approached the cross-road village of Burlingham a large V of Canada geese headed nosily north. A little further up the road one groundhog chased another across my path, oblivious to my approach.

Upon reaching the city of Highland on the western shore of the Hudson, I was told the Walkway Over the Hudson was closed. Thunder and lightning had been heard and seen within the past few minutes so the Walkway was closed. It would remain closed until 30 minutes had passed without either the sight of any lightning or the sound of thunder.

The Walkway was once the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge that once carried 3,500 freight cars a day. When it was built in 1888 it was the longest bridge in the world. Now it’s the longest elevated pedestrian park in the world (Hey, let’em take their claims however they can.)—1.28 miles long and 212 feet above the Hudson. I learned all of this from the Walkway gate keeper while she was keeping us from crossing. Every time she heard even the slightest rumble, no matter how far away, she started the 30-minute clock again.  http://www.walkway.org/

After four resets I mounted up and headed to the Mid-Hudson Bridge, a multi-lane, high-volume vehicle toll bridge just south of the Walkway. Our ACA maps advise against using this approach but I found the walkway very safety and empty.

I couldn’t resist passing The Culinary Institute of America without stopping. My, what an impressive campus. The CIA began life in New Haven, CT in 1946 as a school to provide culinary training and careers for returning World War II veterans. It grew rapidly and in 1972 moved to the former Jesuit novitiate St. Andrew-on-Hudson.  http://www.ciachef.edu/

 
As I wandered in Roth Hall, the main building, I saw students preparing meals for the five campus restaurants, all open to the public, learning the basics of cooking, baking breads, smelling spices, and how to cut meat. Each student in one theater classroom had 10 wines glasses on their desk, each with a small sampling of red wine in each glass. As the instructor described a particular wine, each student picked up the appropriate glass, spun it slowly, looked at the wine as it ran down the glass, sniffed, sipped, swirled and spit the wine into a small bucket. Notes were taken throughout the procedure.

Barbara Byans spent five years as an accountant (“I sort of got pushed into it.”) before she realized that she really wanted to cook. Now she’s one of 2,800 CIA students from every state and 30 countries working toward a two-year or four-year degree.

 “It’s really intense and we go year ‘round,” she said. She likes learning how to work in both the “back (kitchen) and front (dining room)”of a restaurant. “And I like that I’m tapping my creative side in this profession.”

 A new class of 60 students enters every three weeks while a class graduates every three weeks.

To understand why I'm riding and raising money, please go to the first post--April 26.
To make a donation to the ALSA, please go to: http://web.alsa.org/goto/deirdresride


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