Fall in the Catskill Mountains
Ever since I learned the story of Rip Van Winkle, the Catskills have held a special place in my life. As a young boy my family went camping in these beautiful rugged mountains. Our forays into the wild were first at Woodland Valley state campground. We slept in cabins in Phoenicia and went everyday with picnic baskets to the campground. It had a small stream where we kids would build dams and excavate small pools to sit and float our toys in. The water was ice cold and still is today. Mountain streams are usually spring fed from high up on the mountain and provide natural air conditioning on hot days.
After that initial summer vacation, Mom and Dad purchased an Army Surplus tent. Dad had a Nash automobile. Nash cars had a neat feature back then, their seat backs lowered down on pegs and made a flat bed. Mom made some curtains to cover the cars windows for privacy and to keep the early morning sun out. Since Mom was short she slept on the drivers’ side since her feet wouldn’t become entangled in the steering wheel.
Now with sleeping bags, cots, tent, coolers and cooking gear we were ready for our first actual camping trip. This trip like others had some hilarious moments which Fuzzy will cover in later postings. Right now I want to show you the Catskills in fall with the hard woods in full color.
You can hear the echos of Henry Hudson’s men tramping through the woods.
These old geologically worn mountains hold fantastic views for the traveler and in fall they delight your senses.
Katerskill Falls cascades down its gorge on the way to Route 28.
If you live or are in the area, take an afternoon drive. The mountains are beautiful and mystifying at any time of year.