Voyage to New York

Now a sophomore in college, I had a girlfriend who lives out of state in Poughkeepsie New York. I made it a point that I was going to go and visit her at some point in the near future. After spending an entire summer working full-time in a nursing home, I had saved just enough money to make the trip to visit her for a week. She ended up having to work while I was up there, so the trip was short-lived and only lasted 3 days instead of a week. However, the journey was incredible.

I started out one Sunday morning and the beginning of August, embarking on a 5-hour drive to my destination in Mid-State New York. I stopped once in the land of the Amish, seeing what was around and using the bathroom there. I headed back onto the road, and stopped again in the center of Trenton New Jersey to get some Starbucks and use the bathroom there. A girl asked me where I was from, and I told her that I was from South Central Pennsylvania and on my way to the middle of New York to visit my girlfriend. She said that I had a lot of ambition and courage to do such a thing, and I thanked her and told her that I would do pretty much anything for a thrill and an adventure. And that was pretty accurate as well.

I finally arrived at my destination around 7:30 in the evening, where her family greeted me for the first time in their lives, warmed up a room for me, and bought me dinner to eat alongside her family for her uncle's birthday party. We would go visit him at day later in there small town of Andes, New York, eat a healthy lunch of a portabella mushroom patty with sweet potato fries with them at “Two Old Tarts”, and then watch a organ recital at a local church. It was very exciting to spend time with them, as they were both musicians and very intelligent individuals who had an affinity for strong and rare whiskey.

Their backyard was magnificent.

Compared to Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie was very quaint and quiet. We went to a Foods truck and saw the local mansion at their biggest park there, which was closed at the time, but still impressive to see. The people driving around up there were much more erratic than in Pennsylvania, much to my dismay. There were a lot more stores of vegetarian and alternative culture to be seen as well, as there was an Indian grocery store not but 5 minutes from my girlfriend's house.

After preparing some tiramisu with ingredients gathered from Price Rite, the New York answer to Giant Food Stores, we went to New York City for a day. We spent most of our time walking around, mostly in Times Square and Central Park. We spent a lovely afternoon there after taking the subway down from Poughkeepsie, ate some good local food, witness New York City from the standpoint of having no clear objective other than being present in the city, and in general had a good time. Although very expensive and nowhere near where I would want to live in the future, New York the second time around was starting to feel just a little bit like home.

Three action packed days later, I woke one morning to be told that I was going back home to Pennsylvania. From here, I would go and visit my friend who lived in East Greenville, stopping at my house to recuperate and refuel before doing so. I left early one morning, and drove home late at night after stopping to visit a friend in the King of Prussia area. There will be more to come on that as well. Allthough short-lived, every part of my trip to New York was enjoyable, and I learned exactly what life was like outside of the city limits of New York City.

Goats and Boats

In late 2017, I took a hike on the Billy Goat Trail in southern Maryland. This trail straddles Virginia and spans just three or four miles. However, these miles are filled with intense bouldering and rock climbing, as well as a Switchback or two. There is not a whole lot of flat hiking to be found. This like also straddles the Potomac River, and intersects with the historical loch houses of the Potomac watershed. Because of the nature of this Trail, the trails website encourages you to bring at least two liters of water, drink your water, definitely attempt to stay hydrated, and if you're hiking the a section of the trail, just leave the dogs at home.

The boat portion of the post.

Once you get past the guest house, which lies inside a Tavern and has a cute little gift shop, you will get to the trailheads as he walked past the locks. These historic water displacement systems allowed for boats to travel from a deeper area of water to a more shallow area of water, and before being shut down, these ones were operated by hand crank. Being a boat worker and docker barely pay the bills and was very intense labor. However, it was a very important job, as several hundred ships came in and out of this part of the river every day to deliver Goods inland two colonies that settled near the Potomac Watershed and Virginia and Maryland. Trains were just being developed at this time, and cars were a far cry from reality.

Another thing to see before hiking the trail is Olmsted Island. It is one of Maryland's last surviving completely self-sustaining ecosystems, and contains many hydroponic plants and flowers. It is a beautiful sight that overlooks the Potomac Rivers Majestic waterfall. Needless to say, I fell in love from the moment I laid eyes on it. It was quite a Blissful sight, and made for a wonderful photo opportunity.

The Island Portion of the Hike.

As for the hike itself, it was not a particularly easy one. The reason why dogs are not allowed on the trail is because there are a lot of slippery Solid Rock surfaces they must be scrambled during the hike. And by that, I mean a good third of the hike comprises crazy Cliffs and bouldering. Although these were very fun to climb, as all rock surfaces are for me, it was definitely easy to lose one's breath, and occasionally, site of the Trail Blazer's as well. What's some fortitude and a Keen Eye though, it was very possible to hike this Trail in less than 3 hours.

Overall difficulty, I would give this Trail a 4 out of 10. It's not a walk in the park, but it isn't going to break you, either. There are some difficult Rock scramble sections that involve some tact and planning to complete, and there are a few Rocky sections throughout the trail.

The "Goat" Portion of the hike.

What does make it worth it though are the trails views. Since the trail straddles the Potomac River, there are several sections where you can walk right up to the river at a beachfront, And get a bird's eye view from the top of a rock formation. It is a very populated Trail as well, so you're likely to meet some friends along the way. Does one particular part of the trail where I climbed to the top of a rock formation and sat with three strangers and stared at the river going Downstream. Being outdoors really does bring people together, and if you're ever near the Virginia side of Maryland, this Trail is absolutely worth seeing.