Scenic Drive

We decided to take a scenic drive today and headed toward New Paltz which was our starting point.  From New Paltz on Route 299 and then we went to Route 255  to Napanoch and then to 55A around the North side of the Rondout Reservoir and then Route 55 to the Never Sink Reservoir and then we turned around and went back to Curry on Route 55 and then went through the Catskill State Park on Route 19 and 47  and then NY 28 Kingston.  

We really were not sure what we would see but it ended up being an interesting trip.  The scenery was lovely but mostly impossible to take pictures because there wasn't anywhere to park to take them.

We thought this was pretty funny.  The town of Neversink is now under the Neversink Reservoir.  I'm sure that the people that lived there didn't see the humor in it.

This reservoir is one four reservoirs in the Delaware Water Supply that serves New York City and provides the water.  The water in this region east of the Hudson River is of very high quality which is why the city system produces what has been called "The Champagne of Drinking Water."

After we left Neversink both of us needed a bathroom break so we went out in search of one.  We finally found a place. 

Would you believe that a place in the State of New York that looks the one above, would send us to the best that they had to offer - the picture below.  We were dumbfounded but also desperate!

 Lee on his way to use the toilet facilities!

Once we felt a bit better, we got back on the road.

Forstmann Castle

Julius Forstmann, an industrialist, founded the Forstmann and Huffman Co. in Passaic, New Jersey.  He visited the Catskills and bought 2000 acres of land in the village of Branch.  Here he and his wife built their dream house in 1915.  He died in 1939 leaving his estate and the majority of his stock to his wife.  When his wife passed away, their the son sold the estate to the Frost Valley Association at a fraction of its cost to be used as a Boys Camp.  It is now the YMCA near Claryville, New York. 

  www.eastvalleyranch.org

The YMCA camp also has a lot of horses.  We've never seen such a nice YMCA Camp!

We didn't see a lot of civilization on this scenic drive and food places were practically non-existent so we were pretty hungry by the time we got to the town of Shokan.  We found this little pizza place and decided to have dinner.

Winchell's

 Lee ordering our pizza.

 Rotisserie Chicken and Mushroom New York Pizza

The pizza was pretty good.  We took half of it home for lunch tomorrow.