I rode up to Eleanor Roosevelt’s little house in Hyde Park last Saturday (which happened to be her birthday – October 11). The area is gorgeous this time of year, the leaves are changing and there are views of the Hudson river and the Catskills.
In a short video about her life Eleanor talks to some boys in front of a sign printed “Elinor Roosevelt’s School for Boys”. Then, on her desk in her office, there is a nameplate “Elanor Roosevelt”. The tour guide said someone asked Eleanor about it and she said that a little boy gave it to her and she wanted to display it prominently in case he ever came to visit. I wonder how many people assumed they had been misspelling her name after seeing that nameplate on her desk?
Also interesting is that the film referenced Franklin’s lifelong affairs. A friend worked at the Teddy Roosevelt House on Long Island about ten years ago. At that time the tour guides weren’t allowed to acknowledge the sordid (and therefore especially interesting) parts of history – the suicides and affairs.
My ride up was leisurely and uneventful. I took a winding local road to enjoy the scenery. I stayed too long, though, so my trip back was slightly harrowing. I rode for the first time on the highway in the dark. The highway had no shoulder and I spotted several deer grazing on the side. I ran out of gas and had to switch to the reserve tank and hope it lasted until I could make it back to a populated area. And I learned that the mountains are cold at night on a bike! Little adventures.
