Taconic State Park, New York

May 22, 2024

We were northward bound again, with our usual sunny travel weather. Our next destination was Taconic State Park in New York, near the borders of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

We had a bit of a conundrum shortly after entering New York:

Hmmm...our trailer height is 13'6"...

Which sign do we believe-- "13' 8" Actual Bridge Height" OR "12' 8" Low Clearance" ???

Call us old school, but our understanding of "12' 8" clearance" implies that an object 13' 6" high would not make it through

We actually stopped in the road for a few moments as we debated what to do. Incidentally, we had just watched a video (literally the night before) from the website 11FOOT8.com, where they show video compilations from a bridge having a clearance of 11' 8" and the more spectacular instances of vehicles over  11' 8" attempting to traverse underneath it. Not wanting to be fodder for anyone else's YouTube channel, we were briefly frozen with indecision. Just then, a fairly tall box truck approached from the opposite side at quite a brisk clip. It sailed through under the bridge unscathed. Emboldened, we decided we would probably be fine. Just in case,  Julie got out and watched to make sure we did, in fact, clear without taking out an air conditioner or solar panel or something. All was well.

Once in the countryside, we didn't have to deal with any low bridges for a while

Crossing the Hudson River

The campgroud roads were a bit tight, but doable. Our campsite was plenty large and easy to get into, but it was very sloped. We tried a few positions until we settled on the back corner of the lot, pretty much in the weeds. That was the only place where we had a chance of getting level by using all of our leveling blocks (which we did end up needing).

A very unlevel site

For once in forever, we had three days of warm, sunny weather. Unfortunately, the state park was doing maintenance on its main attraction (the trail to Bash Bish falls), so we couldn't do that. No problem, we're flexible-- how about biking the rail trail that abuts the state park? Nope. That trail was also closed for maintenance. But, we were able to drive 10 miles south to pick up the southern section of the trail that was still open. So that's what we did on Tuesday.

The Harlem Valley Rail Trail turned out to be very nice. And, it was very nicely maintained (due to all the maintenance). It traversed through a valley of the Taconic Mountains and included varied terrain of wetlands and forests.

Rick is so patient through all of Julie's picture-taking stops 😊

Overlooking the Taconic Mountains

A baby turtle on the path

Swan family!

Lots of wild phlox blooming along the trail

A cool section where rock had been cut through for the original railroad

That evening, we were able to sit out on the deck. The temperature was pleasant, and it must have been too early in the season for mosquitos, because we weren't bothered by them. 

A cute little squirrel came to visit

The next morning, we hiked the short trail to Sunset Rock. It was a reasonably pleasant trail, and it was only 1/2 mile long. We decided that the payoff was commensurate with the effort.

Yep, it's a rock

It was quite a hazy morning, so not the best of views

That afternoon, we explored the Copake Iron Works Historic Site. Several buildings from the late 1800s company town have been preserved. Here is a link for more info: Copake Iron Works

Remains of the original blast furnace

The original engine house is now a museum

Original office and company store

One of the owner's homes

After the iron works closed its doors in the early 1900s, the original ore pit was abandoned.  It eventually filled with spring water and subsequently became a popular swimming spot.  It is still used for that purpose in the state park today.

The old iron ore pit looked inviting from a distance, but up close, the water was a little murky

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