As we slide into Fall after a long, very hot summer in the desert,
punctuated by highly unusual weather conditions, we will recount our road trip east for the 50th high school reunion and the New England tour.
We started our trip with a flight from Orange County to LaGuardia just a couple of days after the first tropical storm to hit the west coast since 1939 rolled through. It was a relatively non-event in Dana Point Harbor with maximum winds of 33 knots and several hours of light to moderate rainfall. However, it was much more devastating in Cathedral City where they received up to 5-inches of rain in 12 hours which is more than the average annual rainfall. We had no damage at our place. However, the wind did take out a couple of trees on the property and the sand traps on the golf course flooded making for a fun day for the ducks and geese. There was significant water and mud damage in the lower elevations of Cathedral City and along the Whitewater River, which is the main drainage through the area. The river became a raging torrent that went well outside the banks, crossed and flowed down the streets and roads and destroyed at least one golf course built in the flood plain.
Our Southwest flights were on time and uneventful. We like Southwest because as we have aged, we find that we do not travel light, and they allow two free, full-size bags per person! LaGuardia has changed significantly since our last trip there in 2018 when construction was in full swing. For years it was the unloved child of NYC airports. However, the transformation in the last 5 years has been both welcome and incredible. The only downside is that because they had little land for expansion, they expanded upward rather than outward making for long escalator rides. Well worth it with the new terminal. We met Pat at the baggage claim and began our adventure.
We had reserved a midsize SUV for the 16-day trip. On arriving at the rental car counter, they gave me the requisite envelope with a car space number listed on the front. On getting to the space, I was pleasantly surprised to find an almost brand-new Nissan Rogue. Loaded up the bags; adjusted the seats and mirrors; figured out the navigation system; got the climate control to where we liked at and went to exit the lot. Unfortunately, the rental form and the car did not match as the rental agent had made an error in the space number. In typical NYC fashion, the guard at the gate almost seemed ready to get the tazer out which was wildly unnecessary since there is a barricade on the exit that could take the impact of a semi and not move. Once I seemingly convinced him that I was not a thief, we went to the correct vehicle which was a slightly more used, and significantly smaller Ford Escape. We performed all the pre-travel gyrations and finally headed out. Pat rode in the back seat and confirmed that it was not a seat for cross-country road tripping.
I love NYC, particularly at the tail end of rush hour. I should mention that we could not get the phone maps to connect to the navigation system reliably. Luckily, there were two navigators and a slightly hard of hearing pilot which did result in some unanticipated touring of Queens and South Bronx. Through perseverance and some minor trial and error, we ended up in Tarrytown, NY deep in Washington Irving country, at the Bridge View Tavern and Beer Garden for dinner and a bit of libation. The referenced bridge is the Tappen Zee Bridge over the Hudson carrying the New York Thruway traffic. A great architectural design which will forever be the Tappen Zee no matter what erstwhile politician they name it after. A leisurely dinner and then north to Newburgh.
Newburgh is not known for its accommodations. Most of the hotels/motels available were not new in 1973, so in keeping with the “always an adventure” theme, we booked an Airbnb house on River Road in Roseton on the north side of the Town of Newburgh. Arriving after dark, with some moonlight, we gained entry, schlepped the bags to the second-floor bedrooms, figured out the lighting and air conditioning, tested the restroom and pretty much crashed for the night. The pictures below show the house. Note the basement pictures which Joni was brave enough to open the door and take. She obviously never saw The Shining!
The house was a very good choice for our stay. It was a remodeled pre-1900 company town house probably constructed to house a manager/foreman at one of the brickyards that Roseton became known for in the 19th and 20th centuries. The trees effectively blocked the view to the north toward the plants and also pretty effectively blocked the view toward the river.
In addition to the brickyards where my step grandfather, Pete, worked for many years, there are 4 power plants that Dad Hagar worked on during two different periods at and near Roseton. The first two plants were initially constructed on Danskammer Point as coal fired power plants and eventually converted to natural gas and oil. These were originally constructed in 1952 and renovated in 1958-1960 during our first stay in Newburgh. Our second Newburgh stay was the four-year period between 1969 and 1973 when Units 3 and 4 located in Roston, just south of Danskammer Point were built.
Danskammer Point (Devil’s Dance chamber) was named by Henry Hudson circa 1609. Tradition has it that he saw Native Americans, the Lenni Lenape, dancing in the firelight on a large flat rock that was on the top of the point in 1609. The flat rock was broken off a few centuries later during a collision by a river steamer and replaced with a light house.
Day 2 of the adventure did not dawn as bright and early as we had hoped as we slept in a bit and were not in any rush after our travel day. It turned out to be a rainy and gray day. We eventually got ourselves together and ventured across the river to Beacon for brunch.
The River Road area along the Hudson on the Newburgh side of the river has enjoyed significant development on relatively large lots as folks from closer in to NYC recognize the natural beauty and views of the Hudson River Valley from this side of the river. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the commuter rail lines from NYC have been developed on the east side of the Hudson so towns like Beacon, Fishkill and Wappingers Falls have enjoyed a resurgence of urban renewal and redevelopment of the more historical aspects of those locations. Newburgh has been the beneficiary of some of that redevelopment also, but not to the extent of the east side of the river. The riverfront in Newburgh was redeveloped several years ago and the immediate areas downtown north and south of Broadway have seen some significant changes in the last 10 years. East Broadway down to the river had been slummy for many years including my high school years. The good news is that while still not fully redeveloped, it is clear that improvements are happening…. probably inevitable that would occur over the 50 years since high school.