Sleepy Hollow Vacation: Day 6

Thursday, October 28th:

We got up at 6:45 a.m., stopped for breakfast at McDonalds, and were headed to Kaaterskill Falls by 8:00 a.m. We arrived at the trailhead at 9:40 a.m.

First we took pictures of the Rip Van Winkle Falls (Bastion Falls) that were at the trailhead along side the road. These falls are 60 to 80 foot with a larger upper fall and multiple lower falls. They were very pretty falls. Being that the falls were in the shade, it was hard to get good pictures.

The Rip Van Winkle Falls were partially in the sun when we hiked back from Kaaterskill Falls.

Then we hiked a 1/2 mile to the Kaaterskill Falls, a two-drop waterfall located in the eastern Catskill Mountains of New York. The dual cascades total 260 feet in height, making it one of the higher waterfalls in New York, and one of the Eastern United States' taller waterfalls. It was a rocky, steep hike. We were the only ones on the trail. The falls were gorgeous. Tracy, of course, had to climb up to get better pictures of the falls. He was even able to walk behind the upper falls - he loved that! I sat on a big rock beside the river keeping a look out for bears. I was not happy that I did not have my bear spray! A few more people came to the falls after we had been there for awhile. We passed quite a few people on our way back to the car.

Our next stop was the Saugerties Lighthouse. It is a red-brick lighthouse built in 1869 at the mouth of the Esopus Creek. The restored lighthouse offers overnight Bed & Breakfast accommodations. It would have been cool to stay there but they are booked out over a year in advance and it costs $200 per night! We had a 1/2 mile hike to the lighthouse but luckily it was completely flat!
After lunch at McDonalds, we visited a park along the Hudson River to view the Roundout Creek Lighthouse. It was built in 1915 and replaced the earlier 1867 lighthouse.


On the way to the next lighthouse, we drove along the Hudson River- it was a very pretty drive.

Our last lighthouse to view was the Esopus Meadows Lighthouse. The Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, fondly nicknamed the “Maid of the Meadows”, was completed in 1871. It replaced an earlier structure built in 1839. It is the only remaining wooden lighthouse on the Hudson River.
We then headed back to the hotel to clean up, change clothes, and go to the evening's entertainment. We went to the Westchester Broadway Theatre for dinner and a show. We had front row center seats - they were great! They served dinner as you arrived. We had a ceasar salad, rolls, and choice of entree. I picked pork loin and Tracy picked prime rib. They also served ice cream for dessert. The show was great: Jekyll & Hyde, the Musical. We had dessert during the intermission. I had turtle cheesecake and a caberet cappucino and Tracy had an Ice cream delite. On our drive back to the hotel after the show, I directed Tracy to go the wrong way and we ended up 1 mile from Yonkers and had to pay $2.50 in tolls!