Blogs from Catskill, New York, United States, North America

Touted as one of the most aggressive of the Backcountry motorcycle routes, the start is designed to test your skills. For the first five miles, one is faced with a damp non-maintained track edged into the forested hills above the Delaware. The route involves climbing rock strewn inclines and dodging along trails strewn with stones, with one side sloping 200 feet down to the river. Very picturesque, but woe betide anyone who looks at the scenery for more than an instant. Total concentration is needed to get through this lot. After about 10 miles of similar track, it eases up. The route crosses the river 20 miles later at Callicoon, and doubles back a few miles. There were many opportunities for that perfect river side photo. In the sweat to survive, I'm not sure I got ... read more

Nancy and I had a spare weekend, so we decided to spend it in New York. Not in New York City, which most people think of, but in the Hudson Valley. Not all in the Hudson Valley; first we went to Sagamore Hill, the home of Theodore Roosevelt. It is in Oyster Bay, on Long Island, the Northwest corner. I’d always wanted to go, but we were disappointed. We weren’t able to get a tour of the house- the tours were all booked. It is a National Historic site, and that is the first time we’ve experienced being turned away from one. We did tour the museum part, though, and that was interesting. From there, we headed to the Hudson. We stayed overnight in Hampton Inn in Poughkeepsie. We had a hard time securing a room; ... read more

North South State Park North-South Lake is the biggest and most popular state campground in the Catskill Forest Preserve, offering extraordinary scenic beauty, and historical sites, such as: Alligator Rock, Kaaterskill Falls, and the former site of the Catskill Mountain House. An abrupt change in elevation occurs from about 540 feet above sea level at the base of the escarpment to approximately 2,250 feet at the site of the former Catskill Mountain House. The provinces around the lakes have long provided visitors with exceptional views of the surrounding countryside. It is said that on a clear day, five states can be viewed from the escarpment.... read more

More photos at: Picasa url=https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AxcoPtATsluIibmN1EPK7tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlinkimg=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fsUE33yJgR8/UhqyVoc33EI/AAAAAAAACJw/RQK-pQmPk0Y/s288/image72.jpg I did three different hikes in the Catskills today. The first was up to an rocky overlook called Giant Ledge. It was very short and steep hike, ascending 1000 feet in less than 1.5 miles (one way). The trail was also very rocky, with rocks averageing a foot in diameter as the trail bed, due to the trail having been built without erosion control. Once I reached the top though, I got to see a great view of the surrounding mountains and the forest below. The second hike was a much gentler mile each direction along an old road bed to Diamond Notch Falls. Diamond Notch Falls is... read more

Et voilà! c'est fait! nous avons enfin remater le 4A! Ca ne fut pas chose facile! L'année derniere quand il a été dematé (nous n'étions pas les proprio à ce moment là) l'enrouleur a été placé avant le mat. En principe c'est le contraire qu'on doit faire. Ça été un peu plus long que prévu, mais nous y sommes arrivé malgré tout!! C'est toujours une tâche stressante pour nous de voir son mat être pris dans les air comme ça par une si petite grue. Et si le mat tombait!!!! Le mat peut peser entre 700 et 1000 lbs. Ouf! On aime mieux ne pas y penser... Le travail c'est bien fait, un gros merci a l'équipe de Mike chez Riverview maina.Nous avons installer les voiles jusqu'à 22 heures le soir. Pour les 2 jours qui ... read more