Through Poughkeepsie

I rode into Poughkeepsie this morning, expecting to get there around 11 but actually closer to 10.  I waited at a community garden near the Vassar campus until Anna was ready to see me.  She showed me all around the campus -- which is more like an arboretum than a shady lawn -- and the art museum where she works.

In the dining hall, I felt pretty cool hanging out with the college crowd ... until I learned that Anna's friends had assumed I was her father!  Don't get me wrong, her father is a good-looking guy, but he's gotta be 20 years older than me...

North of Poughkeepsie is Hyde Park, where the Roosevelts and Vanderbilts lived.  I toured the grounds of FDR's house and would have gone to see Vanderbilt's mansion, but the driveway was dauntingly hilly.  Hyde Park would be a nice weekend destination: lots of inexpensive motels, and the tourist destinations are all connected by a walking trail along the Hudson valley.

I stopped for the night at Mills-Norrie State Park.  I had thought I might face heavy competition on a Saturday evening, but the campground is as empty as it is isolated.  Perfect!

24.6 mi