So yes I took the Valkyrie out late this morning
Cruised up the Goat Trail to Bear Mountain and stopped to watch the long freight train moving south along the west shore of the Hudson for a while, then up 9D to Garrison and then Cold Spring
Cold Spring-on-Hudson, NY -- George Washington slept here. Well, maybe. Local legend has it that George Washington appreciated a drink from the area's "cold spring" and the name stuck. What is true is that the scenic riverfront village of Cold Spring-on-Hudson has played a role in our nation's history since the American Revolution.
Both the colonists and the British forces appreciated the strategic access afforded by passes in the area's narrow, rocky highlands. One spot chosen for fortification in 1775 to prevent the British from advancing up the Hudson River was Constitution Island, at the southern edge of Cold Spring. Across the river on its western banks, General Washington chose the commanding plateau of West Point for his new fort, personally selected Thaddeus Kosciuszko to design the fortifications in l778, and transferred his headquarters to West Point in l779. A l50-ton iron chain was extended across the Hudson to control river traffic. Despite Benedict Arnold's treason, the British never captured Fortress West Point. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Just a decade later, after the War of 1812, President James Madison vowed the U.S. would end its dependence on foreign cannons and ordered four gun foundries to be built. New York entrepreneur Gouverneur Kemble won the contract for a Cold Spring site, having access to iron ore and waterpower, with a river link to the sea and the protection of nearby West Point. The West Point Foundry opened in 1818. Until its doors closed in 1911, the Foundry manufactured many firsts. These include the first public water pipes for New York, Boston and Chicago, the first two locomotives built for service on a railroad, the first passenger train, and the first iron-clad ship of the Civil War, the U.S.S. Monitor. The Foundry was also the most prominent arms manufacturer of the Civil War, producing Parrott cannon developed by Robert Parrott, a Cold Spring resident.
Now lying in ruins on the banks of the Hudson River with its1865 office building the only remaining structure, the West Point Foundry is considered the most significant archaeological remnant of America's Industrial Revolution. It was acquired by Scenic Hudson Land Trust in 1996, which is working with other groups to develop the site for public education and recreation.
Many artifacts, documents and other items from the Foundry's history can be viewed in the West Point Foundry Gallery at the Putnam History Museum on Chestnut Street. Built in 1830, the building was originally used to educate the Foundry's teenage apprentices and employees' children; one room within the museum features original schoolroom furnishings and materials. Permanent collections also feature objects pertaining to life in the area, paintings from the Hudson River School and four centuries of local genealogies. A museum store offers art, maps and replicas of a variety of objects including cannon models.
The village grew to house Foundry workers as well as others drawn to the site of such 19th Century prosperity and a central commercial area developed. The foundry continued to thrive because of its location on a primary transportation route, especially when the Erie Canal made the Hudson River a link to the country's interior. Even as railroads began to replace ships, the Foundry and Cold Spring, a stop along the east-shore railroad, continued to thrive. It wasn't until 1911 that the Foundry was closed for good.
There was a police cruiser at the foot of the pier which prevented me from riding onto the pier, so I walked over and asked if I could take a pic. Officer Rhonda said ok
and we talked for about 15 minutes. She wants to buy a Spyder and I mentioned that from the members (like Flamingobabe) that have them like them. Looking across the water at 218 which is the Cliff Road north of Washington Gate for West Point I asked if she knew of a phone number I could call that would let me know when the road was closed for rock slides, something that happens frequently She gave me a barracks number for West Point and I thanked her.
Nothing worse that taking a 30 minute detour and finding the road is closed, And she told me that 106 is now open, one of my favorite roads within 100 miles.
So I started the Valk and rode east on 301, just 2 traffic lights (one for 9D and one for 9) and thru Fahnstock Park Mountain where the snow was high on the sides of the roads and ice on the lakes
and then down the Taconic Parkway where I got to use other vehicles to test for LEO until I hit route 100 and then home to Ossining
About 2 hours of magical fun on the Valkyrie
