The New Croton Dam, part of the New York City water supply system, stretches across the Croton River near Croton-on-Hudson, NY. This masonry dam is 266 feet broad at its base and 297 feet high from base to crest. The dam has an unusual spillway, part artificial and part natural, which forms a waterfall that is both dramatic and unique. The total length of the dam and spillway combined is 2,188 feet and at the time of its completion, it was the tallest dam in the world.

Jeanine and I stopped to admire this marvel of civil engineering as a way point on our road trip to Harrisburg, PA where we are headed to surprise my youngest sister in celebration of her 50th birthday. We also made a brief visit to nearby Chuang Yen Monastery which houses the largest indoor Buddha in the Western Hemisphere. We spent the evening in Bear Mountain State Park in a stone cottage that sleeps 8 in four bedrooms. Unfortunately, the inside temperature was controlled by a single thermostat which our cottage mates kept set to 76 degrees. Unable to sleep in these sauna like conditions, I was up at 1am to quietly adjust it down to 66 degrees and again at 5am to reset it to 72 degrees.