This Ain't Jersey Shore, ya'll!: The Hudson, History & Hooahs

Yesterday Kyle and I ventured one hour and 20 minutes north of our New Jersey apartment to visit the famous West Point U.S. Military Academy in Highland Falls, N.Y. This was our first time ever visiting the stomping ground of historical icons such as WWII Generals George Patton and Douglas MacArthur, not to mention the nations' first president and West Point Founder, Gen. George Washington.

Kyle and I at the West Point Museum

The scenery was absolutely amazing, with landscapes of the Hudson River spanning endlessly into the horizon. The campus was surrounded by mountains and hills of the Bear Mountain region, providing a scenic background for just about every outdoor photo I took during our visit. The Gothic architecture was reminiscent of an English town - a beautiful, historic and quaint scene I've never experienced before.

We started at the Vistors' Center and the Museum, where among the rooms and rooms of displays we saw a collection of historical Army weapons (including an Atomic Annie), and even the original portrait of George Washington.

Original portrait of
Gen. George Washington

Next was a walk around parade field, where the giant George Washington on the horse statue drew our attention no matter where we were walking on the path around the field. We even caught a glimpse of the gigantic dining hall where Gen. MacArthur gave his famous farewell speech to West Point cadets on May 12, 1962.

"Duty, Honor, Country," he declared that Spring day, "Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn. Unhappily, I possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean."

Gen. Douglas MacArthur statue at West Point Military Academy

The amazing scenery of the campus from the doors of the medieval-looking chapel was well worth the steady uphill hike to the sanctuary. The inside of the fortress was equally breath-taking, with high, ornate ceilings and a multitude of colored stain-glass windows.

We spent some time at the West Point Battle Monument, surrounded by cannon representing major Civil War battles. The 46-feet-high monument was dedicated May 30, 1897 by surviving Civil War veterans and is said to be the largest column of polished granite in the Western Hemisphere. In addition to viewing this masterpiece, we had a clear, open view of the Hudson River.

All in all, our first visit to West Point was both beautiful and eye-opening. With all the Army history that took place there, one can't help but be in awe of the fine heroes in our nation's history that once began their careers as West Point Plebes.