Day 8 - West Point

Not the greatest weather to travel. At least this time it wasn't so heavy but it is definitely cooler. With the rain and a time crunch as we wanted to be in to the city before the rush hour so we could only do one thing and chose the one hour tour with just two stops.

The first stop was the Presbyterian Chapel is a beautiful church.

There are dozens of stained glass panes like this one. Each cost $300 and different classes in West Point have bought a panel as a graduation present. (Often they are bought for older classes who didn't have the chance to purchase one.

Here is the stained glass behind the alter. This picture doesn't do it justice.

This is the chapel looking back from the alter.

One pew is roped off and a candle is burned each day to recognize those lost in action who are MIAs or POWs.

This shot shows classrooms with the chapel behind. The green in the forground is the Parade Gounds where the cadets march. No one is allowed to step on that grass except cadets. I thought about it but wasn't about to get sent to the brig.

The location of West Point isn't an accident. It is at the narrowest part of the Hudson River, and the Fort was built here to stop the British from traveling up the Hudson and cutting the colonies in half. Washington had the perfect solution for this. They built a 65 ton chain and strung it across the river - this kept the British to the south..