We did a second short trip up to my folks just two weeks after our spring break trip to attend a birthday bash for my aunt. After all the sugar we ingested at the party, we needed some fresh air and exercise. On Sunday, after mass, my husband went for a long run, and my parents and I took all three girls down to Poughkeepsie to check out the Walkway over the Hudson State Historic Park. There are plenty of signs directing you from Route 9 to the parking lot off of Parker Avenue. At this time, there are two parking lots. One is a nice, paved lot maintained by the Park, and you will pay $5 to park there. There is a second lot, also called the lower lot, which is free, but it isn’t paved and they are some ginormous rocks you have to contend with. Last time I was here, I tripped on one of those monster rocks and gave my knee a good bashing. Despite the memories of that sore knee, we decided to park in the free lot, and I carefully maneuvered my car around the rocks to a parking spot.
It was a sunny day, warming quickly, so I packed water in my backpack along with a portable potty for Pebble. I didn’t want to get out mid-span and have her tell me she needed to use the bathroom. When we were here last, Rainbow was a baby riding in a carrier on my chest, and there were only portable toilets. Now, there are actual restrooms, a welcome center, even a mini gift shop, and these exist on both sides of the Walkway! I also discovered that the Friends of the Walkway have an electric, 12-passenger, wheelchair accessible tram for those who cannot manage the walk on their own. This is the World’s Longest Elevated Pedestrian Bridge, 212 feet high, and 1.28 miles long. On the bridge, there are panoramic views of the surrounding Hudson Valley.
We were not the only ones who had had the bright idea to get some fresh air. There were a lot of other pedestrians as well as cyclists, but the bridge was wide enough that we never felt hemmed in by people or bikes. Initially, when I had talked to Stormy about doing the Walkway over the Hudson, she was adamantly opposed, but Pebble and Rainbow were excited. Now Stormy was excited. Yes, the height made her nervous, but she loved reading each of the placards placed on the railings detailing the history of the bridge and the area. She happily moved across the bridge looking for the next bit of history to absorb. Rainbow, on the other hand, was not as keen on this adventure, and she devolved into whining about the length of the walk and the sun. Pebble also tired quickly, but was easily distracted by trains on the train tracks on both sides of the river, by the pack of motorcyclists roaring up Route 9, by the boats on the river, and even the dogs on the bridge. There was a lot to see as we walked, and it was a beautiful day!
Mid-span we came across a vendor selling cold drinks near the elevator. We stopped to watch the elevator make the ascent up to the walkway from the ground below. This is another way one can access the walkway on the Poughkeepsie side, but from a different location down on the waterfront. When we finally reached the other side of the bridge, Rainbow voicing her discontent the whole way, we stopped at a picnic table for a break. Stormy spotted some rocks to climb, and set off to explore those, while Pebble, my dad, and I checked out a sculpture of Sojourner Truth. It hadn’t been there last time I’d been here, and the detail in it was amazing!
All too soon, we rounded the girls up, and set off back across the bridge. I carried Pebble for a bit, as did my dad. My mom gave Rainbow a piggy-back ride for a short distance. Stormy discovered there were placards on both sides of the bridge, so she was happy to move ahead of us reading everything! By the time we returned to the car, we were all hot, tired, and hungry, but we had had fun, even Rainbow…I think. The promise of a trip to the ice cream shop after lunch helped motivate her and her sisters, too.
If you are ever in the Poughkeepsie area, this Historic Park should be one of your stops. Oh! If you have extra time to kill while visiting the area, and you have little ones, there is a great museum called the Mid Hudson Children’s Museum right on the waterfront. You can easily spot it from the bridge. There is paid parking at the Museum, or you could leave your car in the lot at the Walkway and take the elevator down to the waterfront. The Museum is only a short walk from the elevator, and it is super neat! Both Rainbow and Stormy have loved going there, but now that admission is up to $12 per person, it isn’t as affordable for a family of five. Anyway, just something to think about! Happy trails!
