Archive for September 2009

27. September 2009 by Kevin.


09-24-09


I went for a short ride from the Poughkeepsie RR station to the east entrance of the Walkway OTH, to do a mileage check of the route I had previously maped out. The east entrance is now paved. The single track siding, that had served as the construction entrance, was also paved. There was a wood frame for a large sign. Interestingly, I had seen some NY state parks - Taconic region - vehicles in the dirt city parking lot. The soon-to-be new owners of the Walkway. One of the dark green vehicles was a dump truck with a trailer. I could also see a paving roller machine nearby. It would seem they had done the paving. I did not have my camera, so I would have to return the next day on Friday to take some pictures (thus the photo date discrepency)


09-25-09


The west entrance in Highland is now complete. The chain link fence gate and the construction office trailer, that were a part of the Highland ”landscape” for a little over a year were all gone. The big sign on the concrete base seemed to be up higher. I could see at the far end of the parking lot, behind a tree, a small structure. In the zoom close-up picture I could see that this structure had a solar panel and a vent pipe. It would seem to be a pre-fab solar powered bathroom. There was striping on Haviland road for additional parking. If the phase 2 section of the Dutchess RT is any indication, the Walkway should be very, very popular.

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Walkway OTH report

23. September 2009 by Kevin.


09-20-09


  This past Sunday I went for a short ride across the river. The walkway now looks almost baren without the 2 big crawler cranes and all the other heavy construction equipment. What vehicles and equipment remain, is now dispersed along the entire length of the walkway. The big Royal rental crane could not be seen. As I rode out of Johnson Iorio park, at the west end of the FDR Mid Hudson bridge, I had noticed a fresh coat of silver  paint on the guardrail. This continued along Haviland Rd. There seems to have been some recent mowing /triming along the road. The town of Lloyd road department would like to make a good impression for the grand opening of the Walkway, in less than 2 weeks time, it would seem. I rode past Ransom Rd. to the west entrance of the Walkway. I could see through the chain link fence, there is now a new wood split rail fence along the north side of the Walkway property. I had also noticed that a large Scenic Hudson sign had been added to all the other signs.


  However, the most noticiceable was not what I had seen, but rather what I did not see. The old caboose, that was in that construction
 lot along Haviland Rd., was no longer there. When I was at the Walkway entrance, I could not see the caboose through the fence. The caboose must be just out of sight from Haviland Rd. around the corner behind the trees. While I was taking pictures of the west entrance, a car drove by slowly toward Johnson Iorio park and then turned around and stoped at the entrance. I yelled out “two more weeks!” to the ocupants inside. As I was taking a picture of the construction lot, sans caboose, someone driving a white Chevy Astro mini van pulled into the lot. I saw that it had custom DMV plates that read “WALKWAY1″. A lean fellow of some maturity, wearing a Walway OTH hat, steped out of the van. I started my conversation with him by telling him what a great idea it was for the concrete decking of the Walkway OTH, and to see just what a great idea that was, he should see the mini trestle in Rosendale that is a part of the Wallkill RT. The old wood decking, out to mid span, is now all warped and nails are sticking up. He had told me that the bridge was closed due to unsafe conditions. I had told him when I was there in April, the old bridge was still open. As I so often do, I forgot to get this fellows name, and did not give mine and most importantly, did not give him my e mail address and the URL for this blog.


The grand opening of the Walkway Over The Hudson, will be over the first weekend of October - Friday 10-02,Saturday 10-03, and Sunday 10-04. The actual opening ceremony will be on Saturday. The ceromony for officials, dignitaries, and other invited guests will be between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The walkway will be open to the public at 3:00 PM. The Walkway OTH site has a full schedule of the grand opening events over the weekend. The city of Poughkeepsie will be providing additional parking and a shuttle bus. Hopefuly they will sacrafice one of the new diesel-electric hybrid buses, with the bike racks, for this special event shuttle. This will be much apreciated for the “topographicaly chalenged” cyclists coming up here, via train, as the east entrance on Parker Ave. is at elevation higher than the RR station.


here is my RR station to Walkway route for those that would like to ride from the MTA Metro North Poughkeepsie station to the Walkway

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Walkway OTH report

18. September 2009 by Kevin.


09-15-09


Only 2 weeks to go! - before the grand opening October 3. The railing on the south side, except for a short 20 ft. section, is almost complete in the city of Poughkeepsie over Water St. On the north side though, in the same area, there is a more substantial section of uncompleted railing from rt. 9 to just west of Water St. I could see that back hoe closer and could see that it has a hook on the end - a back hoe crane. This is perhaps being used for the railing sections.


When I was across the river over the Labor Day weekend, I saw one of those Royal rental cranes, common in this area, parked in that
parking/storage area (that was made for the project) next to rt. 55/44 off Haviland Rd. in Highland. This crane is the rubber wheel truck, hydraulic boom type. On this day I could see that crane at the very west end. I don’t know what this crane was being used for. Aparently for something that requires a bit more lift than that mini crane on the back of the steel work truck.


At the Parker Ave. (SR 9G) east entrance, there did not seem to be any further progress than what I had seen during the Labor Day weekend. While I was taking a picture, a tractor-trailer truck started to drive out the not-yet-paved entance and turned right toward the west end of the dirt city parking lot. As the truck turned, I could see a Mercury vapor type building light on the side. With darkness coming early these days, and only 2 weeks before the scheduled opening, it would seem the contactor is planing on doing some OT to get finished in time. Then all of a sudden, one of the double wheels from the trailer rolled out into the street and stoped in the middle of the street. Traffic had to swerve around it. I walked toward the west end of the city dirt parking lot. I saw the driver of the truck looking around like for the wheel that just fell off. I yelled out “it’s over here!” pointing to the double trailer wheel in the middle of the street. The double wheel eventualy rolled, still upright, up against the curb.

 

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Labor Day Weekend 2009

10. September 2009 by Kevin.

Friday

  The Labor Day weekend weather was looking to be quite nice and started with a warm sunny day.I rode to the RR station and Water St. to see if I could witness the very last section of decking for the Walkway, being placed. I had been there on Thursday and saw the last sections being placed. It would seem I had missed the very last section of decking being placed by mere minutes.  (see Walkway OTH report blog entry)  I had ridden UP along the now, almost completed, Walkway to the east entrance off Parker Ave. After watching the big crane being moved to the weekend “parking spot” over Washington. Ave., I rode to Morgan Lake, the northern terminus of the Dutchess Rail Trail. I rode to Overocker Rd. and then to the Arlington Library, in the town of Poughkeepsie.

Saturday


  A toasty ,low humidity, Colorado-like day with daytime temps in the mid-80’s.On this unoficial end of Summer weekend, it was very summer-like. I could not let the summer end without a visit to Rita’s, in the town of Hyde Park on SR 9G, for a soft serve ice cream cone. There are several places along SR 9G one could get ice cream including the afore mentioned Rita’s. I would document the ride along SR 9G and CR 41 to US rt. 9 - Atlantic Coast Route - BR9 for an alternate US rt. 9 bypass between Marist college and the north end of Hyde Park (village) from the east access, in the city of Poughkeepsie, of the Walkway-OTH. I arrived at my first destination, for the day, Rita’s. (4.7 mi. - see below for more detail)

  I continued north on SR 9G to East Park in the town of Hyde Park and then along a winding county road to US rt. 9 and the village of Hyde Park. I would turn left on US rt. 9 et al. to my second destination, the FDR home National Historic Site.


  After a riding - walking tour of the grounds, and the Henry Wallace visitor center, I would ride home via BR9 / Atlantic Coast Route south (US rt. 9)
 and a route within the city of Poughkeepsie.

US route 9 alternate route via SR 9G - NB


START:Walkway OTH east acces Parker Ave. (SR 9G) city of Poughkeepsie

0.0 L Parker Ave SR 9G    

.3 CROSS Hamilton Ave.  begin up hill 8% max grade  

.4 CROSS Clinton Ave.  .6 } town of Poughkeepsie - top of hill improved shoulder  CAUTION! inadequate width in sections 

 1.2 } FOOD Raymond’s dinner  2.1 Cottage St. HRPC at TCL 

CAUTION! right turn only lane - must move over one lane to continue north

 2.2 } town of Hyde Park

 2.3 } FOOD Sunoco food mart

 3.6 CR 40A

 4.2 } ER Val Kill NHS
 

 4.5 } ICE CREAM Inside Scoop on SB side - sit down inside ice cream shoppe

  } FOOD deli - just after above K&D Deli and just before below

 4.7 } ICE CREAM Rita’s on NB side at Haviland Rd. intersection - north side of TCL - al fresco roadside stand type

 6.0 EAST PARK

  } FOOD Krouser’s market (chain) convenience store on NB side - just before Stewart’s

  CAUTION! must get in left lane for below turn

 6.2 L CR41 Crum Elbow Rd. at TCL

  } FOOD ICE CREAM Stewart’s (chain) convenience store

  CAUTION! winding road narrow in sections

  follow to village of Hyde Park

 7.5 US rt. 9 - Atlantic Coast Route - NY BR9

Sunday

Poughkeepsie Newman and the windmill of the lost village …


  When I had ridden to the Franny Reese Preserve back in July, for a second visit, the entrance on Mack Rd. had been cleared and there was now a gravel road going into the preserve. There was also a chain across the entrance, a trail closed sign, and a small buldozer on the other side of the chain. Construction had obviously begun, as per the master plan map  I had found on the Scenic Hudson site, to make the preserve into a fully developed park.The trail closed sign had indicated that work would be completed August 30 2009. I had planed on returning over the Labor Day weekend.


  When I arived on Sunday, this Labor Day weekend,I was quite surprised to find the preserve still closed.The chain was still across the entrance.
 The small buldozer that was there in July was gone. I had seen a parked car at the entrance.Undaunted by the construction area signs,the trail closed sign, and determined to find that windmill,I went around the chain to enter the preserve. I saw some people walking out, most likely the ones from that parked car. I followed the gravel road to the area where the new parking lot, kiosk, and bathrooms are suposed to be as per the master plan. There was only rudimentry clearing for the parking lot.There was no heavy equipment and there was no foundation for the bathrooms. I continued deeper into the preserve along the old Lewisburgh Road, which is one of the road-trails of the preserve. With the relatively dry weather the past several weeks, the trails were dry and I would not be in amphibious terrain bicycle mode this time. I emerged at the trails intersection, in the clearing under the power lines. There were 2 new log posts but no new signs or markers. It would seem very little additional work had been done since July.


 With the MP map, I now knew I should have continued straight instead of turning left, on that near verticle, rocky road-trail that roughly followed the power lines up, at a 21++ percent grade. The trail, at first went into, then out of, then back into the woods at the top of the hill as the trail made a sharp left turn. There were downed branches and a small tree at the edge of the woods on top of the hill. I saw an old stone base for a gate. The iron hook for the gate could be seen. The trail emerged out of the woods into a thicket of thorny vegitation. I pushed my bike through the thick vegitation. On the other side of the thicket there was another thin vegitation covered road-trail to the left. I continued straight and found myself at a gate. I was at the upper access to the preserve. On the other side of the gate was an open expanse of neatly mowed property. A “yuppie McMansion” could be seen in at the top of the property.


I turned around and went back to the thicket and the trail T intersection. I could see that if I went to the right on the road-trail, it would intersect at a T with that road-trail that went to the left at the top of the hill I had passed by previously. I would turn left on this trail and thus bypassing the thicket. On the road-trail from the thicket, there was a section that was overgrown with thorny vines and on a slight downgrade, I caught the thorny vines on my right side, causing some deep scratches on my arm and leg. I did not realize how badly scratched I was untill I saw some blood trickling down my arm. At the intersection with the main trail where I had been, I tended to my wounds. A couple of hikers appeared on the road-trail I had  just been on, at the intersection. I had asked them if they knew where the windmill was. They did not even know there was a windmill. Once back at the gate, I consulted the MP map. I had determined the ruins of the windmill, and other structures were way on the other side of the thick vegitation covered power line clearing. I had decided the best way to find these ruins would be to go full hiker mode. I left my bicycle leaned up a tree, and with my camera began to walk through the tall ferns, grass and other thick vegitation toward the old stone wall going along the edge of the woods on the other side of the clearing. As I looked to my right, and my eyes followed the power lines down, I could see  a view of the river and a section of the walkway.


  On the other side of the power lines, I found a barely discernible path along the wall. I followed the path up through the high grass and ferns, all the while looking up and to my right into the woods looking for something that resembled the ruins of a structure. And finaly, after what seemed like an eternity, I could see the tops of some sort of structures up ahead at the edge of the woods. I had, at first, thought from my low vantage point, that I was just seeing the very tops of several old structures. When I had gotten closer, I could see that in essence, this is all there was to these two structures. The one structure, with the large standard V roof, was actualy very low, just a stone foundation for a full size small cottage with a tin roof. On either end were two large window-like openings. Inside this low structure, I could see a formed concrete sort of pit, like a swiming pool. In one corner of the rusted tin roof, there was a hole that had been blown out from the inside. The other rooftop was in fact just that. All that remained of a more complete structure. The rooftop was octagonal in shape, and from the size, I had come to the conclusion that this may have been a gazebo. My MP map had shown these two ruins. The windmill was shown as being directly across from these 2. After a bit of carefuly scaning the woods I spoted in between the trees, the grayed, weathered wood of a tall structure rising above the trees that surounded it. I had, at last found the windmill of the lost village. I had expected the windmill to be stone not a pyramid shaped wood structure rising to a point at the top. There was visible evidence this windmill was of the early 20th century, there were old porcelin insulators for electric power on the side. Without an interpretive sign, I was unsure if the power was TO the windmil, or coming FROM the windmill. I walked back to my bicycle and left the preserve the way I had come in. I was triumphant, albeit bloodied and sore, in achieving my goal for the day.

Monday - Labor Day

  A cool, cloudy October-like day. More like Columbus Day than Labor Day. I did a short ride incorporating the Dutchess Rail Trail to document the grade on Hornbeck Rd. in the town of Poughkeepsie from Van Wagner Rd. At the bottom of the grade my SkyMonti inclinometer registered just under 15% - 14 1/2% for documentation puposes. About half way up seemed to be a tad steeper for a very short section- perhaps 16% I was not able to get an acurate reading.

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Walkway update

8. September 2009 by Kevin.

09-04-09

I went down Water St. and the RR station to see if the decking was completed. I had been the past several weeks using the upper deck of the parking garage for my vantage point. The decking is now complete! I had hoped I would have been there for the last section of decking being placed. I had thought there might be some sort of ceremony. Alas I was too late and perhaps the last section had been placed yesterday 09-03. As I rode UP along the Walkway, I could hear the noises of a very large machine. I had realized it was one of the big cranes. I looked to my right in between the houses and there it was, the boom from the crane poking up above the trees. I could see the hook swaying. I also saw some people without hard hats, which I had thought was odd. The crane was moving in an easterly direction, and so when I had gotten to Washington St. I stoped to watch the big crane being driven along the Walkway. There was a large van truck parked on the Washinton St. overpass. I had expected it would be moved to make way for the crane, but was not. I could see that heavy wood timbers were being placed ahead of the crane as it advanced to protect the concrete deck from the crane’s catepillar tracks and imense weight. The crane was stoped at the truck and “parked” for the weekend. It was less than a few hours latter when I got to the library to check my e mail and to check the Walkway website. On the Walkway.org site, there was no news about the placing of the very last deck section. I also visited the Scenic Hudson site for any updates about the Franny Reese Preserve. There, on the main page was a picture of Ned Sulivan, the SH director, signing the last section of decking for the walkway. The date given was September 04! Whoever is the web designer/master, must have had one of those new Verizon 3G enabled netbooks to be able to update the SH main page so quickly. I had aprently missed the verylast section of decking being placed, and the acompying ceremony, by mere minutes. This would explain the hard hatless people I saw up on the Walkway

09-03-09


The decking is almost complete! - less than 50′ to go. There was only the one big crane, the one that started from Highland last year. The crane that had started from the east end in the city of Poughkeepsie was not there. The truck with the little crane was on the decking on the east side of water St.. The railing is now over Water St. It would seem some of what the steel workers were doing, was to remove the old power lines and supports. 

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