Kingston has a good claim to be the first capital of New York State. The legislature met here in 1777, when the state's first constitution was adopted, and in October of that year British troops sailed up the Hudson and burned most of the town. The Stockade District, a neighbourhood of old stone houses, has been rebuilt on the same streets, and a number of the buildings date from the Dutch period of the 1600s. It is the kind of place where history sits on every corner, and the cafés and restaurants have taken advantage.
Down by the river is Rondout, the old canal port, where the Delaware and Hudson Canal once delivered Pennsylvania coal to the Hudson and the great ships. Natural cement mining nearby also supplied builders in New York, and the waterfront is dotted with brick warehouses and cast-iron fronts. A lighthouse built in 1915 stands at the mouth of Rondout Creek, and the maritime museum has boats, photographs and stories of tugboats and ice harvests. A walk here is a good way to break up a long ride.
For motorcyclists, Kingston is the gateway to the Catskills. Route 28 runs west along the Esopus Creek valley, past the Ashokan Reservoir, a vast sheet of water built in the early 1900s to supply New York City, and on towards Pepacton and the high peaks. The road is wide and fast at first, with long bends and good surface, then narrows and climbs into forest as it nears Phoenicia. On a clear autumn day the hills are on fire with colour, and the Hudson is a silver line to the east.
With over twenty-three thousand people, Kingston has all the fuel and food you need, and the last big supermarket for a good way. The chain stations by Route 28 and the Thruway exit are the most convenient. Beyond town, stations become scarce in the mountains, so fill the tank before you commit to the loop. Weekends in autumn bring heavy traffic to Route 28, with leaf-peepers and cyclists slowing the pace, so mid-week or early starts are the best option. Deer are common, and the roads can be icy from October.