Labor Day Concert at West Point

In this rural area the closest unit of our church was a branch a bit of a drive away, which I’d expected, but I was blown away at its diversity. Enough members came from French- or Creole-speaking places that some of the prayers and testimonies were given in those languages.
 
After a brief nap, we went to West Point early to stake out our spots for the evening’s concert. That left plenty of time to take turns holding the fort while others walked around the campus. Like the Hudson River Valley as a whole, West Point is a place I’ve heard about for years but knew almost nothing about. I learned the campus’ location was intentional at a strategic bend in the Hudson River, and that during the Revolutionary War “The Great Chain” was a boom extended across the river to control the passage of ships. They made a small monument from some of these massive links, and I couldn’t imagine the effort involved to deploy it. They called this location “Trophy Point” and also had cannons from previous wars. The campus itself resembled a castle or fortress. I loved seeing the homes of the superintendent, commandant, and their surrounding gardens—only to discover a sign as I was walking back another way saying that the area was only open to students and faculty (whoops!). Also plenty of signage reminding them of their athletic duty to beat Navy.

Concert venue—hard to beat the view!

West Point campus

One of the many cannons on Victory Row

Battle Monument

The Great Chain from the Revolutionary War

Superintendent's House

Another charming home on campus

At last, the concert began in their dedicated stage with a natural bowl for the audience seating to overlook the Hudson. The military band was talented and performed American music covering a range of genres, topped off by a great fireworks show over the river. Definitely worth the trip.

A wonderful musical accompaniment to the beautiful sunset

Fireworks finale

  

Labor Day Weekend at Bear Mountain State Park, NY

A friend in the ward grew up attending a Labor Day concert on the campus at West Point, and graciously organized a group camping trip for us to experience it. Growing up in California, it still blows my mind how many East Coast states you can drive through in a few hours, but the combo of holiday weekend and general New York City traffic meant we arrived at the campground in the dark the night before.
 
We spent a good part of Saturday exploring Bear Mountain State Park nearby, and I learned this concept of a developed recreational public park was novel in its time, and quickly became a popular excursion from New York City over a century ago. It also contains the oldest section of the Appalachian Trail and the AT’s lowest point, so now whether or not I do the rest of it, I can say I’ve hiked these landmarks. My favorite parts, though, were the old lodge, a historic carousel, and a mini zoo (mostly a rescue center for injured local wildlife, including a few namesake bears). We also saw the remains of a Revolutionary War fort, built to overlook and guard the nearby Hudson River.

Fort remains from the Revolutionary War 

Bear Mountain State Park Lodge

An awesome old carousel

Before leaving the area, we walked on the bridge crossing high above the Hudson River. Seeing the train lines far below following along the river, it was easy to picture people over the last century coming here to take a break from New York City. I’d heard about the Hudson River Valley for years, and seeing its scenic beauty in person made me see one of the reasons why it’s so well known.
 
On the way back to the campsite we took a scenic drive on Seven Lakes Drive—not sure whether we saw them all, but it was lovely anyway. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at our campground, and I enjoyed taking small walks for the people watching as much as being in nature. But it also had a memorable moment as I encountered my first spotted lantern fly while walking on the sidewalk along the swimming area of a lake. Most of it is black, white, and gray, helping it blend in perfectly with the sidewalk--but its bright red hindwings gives it away. Knowing it’s an invasive bug with the potential to damage forests and crops I did my best to stomp on them, but  after spotting the first one it felt like dozens came into view and it became a Sisyphean task. Hopefully they figure out a way to combat them in the coming years.

Beach along the campground's lake—they took the sand grooming very seriously