Besides the “first” last name van, Rip van Winkle and I share some history of profound enough unhappiness to consider disappearance;  I weathered the “storm” in plain sight whereas he went into these rocky banks of the Hudson River and stayed up here for 20 years, returning with some cockamamie story about being kidnapped or befuddled by outlandishly-dressed bowlers plying him with intoxicating drink, a tale I’d respond to with “Sure, Rip.  Ever consider rehab?”

Rip has clung to my back so long I decided to follow his path last weekend to see what he might have seen.  Here’s a vista looking southward toward Esopus and Crum Elbow, I think.  Yes, there’s snow in themthar Catskills, or Cats’ Hills.  You may have looked up at these peaks from the River or the Thruway;  here’s what the wayward Rip saw, what you’d see from up there.

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Another overlook in roughly the same direction.

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The speck in midstream is the lighthouse that appeared two weeks ago in foto 12 of the Flinterborg post here.

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If you know the River between Saugerties and Catskill, you’ll know these silos  in Cementon.

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Skeptical or not, I did see enough interesting features in the rocks to

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tread with respect.  I even conversed with a few gnome-like rocks (rock-like gnomes??)  to

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… or tried to.   No sure what language they spoke or whether they dealt with ol’ Rip.  No eye contact and nothing but silence . . . as if there were all out to sea or across the universe  themselves.

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Rip must have seen these critters, right?

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For me, it was a weekend reconnoitre.  I’ll head back.  One goal is to fotograf a ship or tow from one of the overlooks, soon.  Thanks to Joel for pointing the way.

All fotos this weekend by Will Van Dorp.

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