chapter 283

Walkway over the Hudson

5/31/2012

walking on water

This was my the way back walking across the Hudson on the Mid Hudson bridge although the actual "Walkway over the Hudson" was less photogenic. It is a 3.5 mile loop from the free parking on the west bank across the 100 year old abandoned railway bridge from Highland, NY through Poughkeepsie and return. Had to walk out in traffic in Poughkeepsie and dodge a couple cars to get this angle. There is a danger in trying to make a journey look optimally nice but this is my curse.

The official Walkway over the Hudson is a State Park (as seen here from the Mid Hudson bridge). As the longest elevated pedestrian walkway in the world, it was worth a trip and a checkoff on the bucket list. At over 200 feet above the water and more than a mile long it could unnerve some people. Luckily there are numerous signs warning not to jump over the sides. There is a solid, quiet, and peaceful feeling however, with only pedestrian traffic.

With close to a million visitors a year It is one of the more hugely popular of the State Parks. I'll pass though on the Guinness World Record Hokey Pokey attempt.

Could have been a retired hockey player or at least a fan going up river in his sailboat "Breakaway".

Had a wonderful conversation with this little mockingbird at the end of the trip. We talked for 5 minutes going through his repertoire of bird calls, they are very entertaining (for a bird).

Just noticed I like my upstream shot of Saint Alphonsus better than the one in the Hudson River School of Art