
85. Camp Catskill
03/16/23 • 30 min
2 Listeners
Welcome to Season 6 of Cidiot®!
I'm excited to talk about 700,000 acre-big Catskill Park, "America's First Wilderness," with Ryan Penny, owner of Camp Catskill in Tannersville, NY.
In two parts, we'll cover what drew Ryan to the Catskills, about starting his store in Tannersville, spotting a cidiot, and about Catskill Park, including his four favorite spots "inside the blue line." We also get into Kaaterskill Falls and the controversy of its claim as the tallest waterfall in New York state. We also talk about micro spikes, crampons and how I shouldn’t wear my Stan Smiths into waterfalls. In part two, we cover culture, including the story and connection of Rip Van Winkle. You'll want to wake up for this.
Be sure to check out these links:
- Tannersville: Cidiot Guide to 5 Places To Visit Nearby (on the Cidiot.com blog)
- Camp Catskill store (Use promo code CIDIOT10 for 10% off. For a limited time.)
- Episode 55: Hike Your Own Hike (with Sean of Mountain-Hiking.com)
Cidiot® is a registered trademark, hosted and produced by Mat Zucker. Visit Cidiot.com for more info including sponsorship and partnership opportunities. Original music created by Space Studios.
Welcome to Season 6 of Cidiot®!
I'm excited to talk about 700,000 acre-big Catskill Park, "America's First Wilderness," with Ryan Penny, owner of Camp Catskill in Tannersville, NY.
In two parts, we'll cover what drew Ryan to the Catskills, about starting his store in Tannersville, spotting a cidiot, and about Catskill Park, including his four favorite spots "inside the blue line." We also get into Kaaterskill Falls and the controversy of its claim as the tallest waterfall in New York state. We also talk about micro spikes, crampons and how I shouldn’t wear my Stan Smiths into waterfalls. In part two, we cover culture, including the story and connection of Rip Van Winkle. You'll want to wake up for this.
Be sure to check out these links:
- Tannersville: Cidiot Guide to 5 Places To Visit Nearby (on the Cidiot.com blog)
- Camp Catskill store (Use promo code CIDIOT10 for 10% off. For a limited time.)
- Episode 55: Hike Your Own Hike (with Sean of Mountain-Hiking.com)
Cidiot® is a registered trademark, hosted and produced by Mat Zucker. Visit Cidiot.com for more info including sponsorship and partnership opportunities. Original music created by Space Studios.
Previous Episode

84. And It Worked (Season 5 Finale)
Cidiot closes out Season 5—the show's biggest yet—with reflections on what worked and what's ahead.
Thank you for making Cidiot one of the Hudson Valley's biggest and most loved shows. Stay warm catching up on past episodes and watching the Cidiot anthem video, available here, via Cidiot.com, and on YouTube.
Thank you for our sponsors and partners this season, including El Sueco and the Don, Greig Farm, Hudson Valley Kitchen Design Center, Hudson Community Incubator, Taconic Toastmasters Club, Sunflower Market in Woodstock and Rhinebeck, and Scot Hastie of Pardee's Agency (A World Company).
Thank you to all the guests this season, including Ben Senterfit and Paul Rivers Bailey, Andrew Addotta, Allison Chawla, Jeremy Franson and Sandra Franson, Emily Sachar, Osun Zotique, Robinson Greig, Elizabeth Sobol, Mary Howard and four other Taconic Toastmasters, Diane Parisella, Kathy Stevens, Brett Barry, Suzanna Hermans, Amy Zimmerman, Amanda Stromoski, Kendra Sinclair and Jared Vengrin, Alissa Hessler, Anne Sanger and Amy Krane.
Cidiot 's new season begins March 2023. Would love hear your ideas and comments and please rate & review the show at Cidiot.com or on Apple Podcasts. Stay in touch via Cidiot.com, join the newsletter and follow on Instagram. And come visit.
Next Episode

86. Route 9 - Albany Post Road
Sometimes the show takes you to new places, and sometimes the way to get there is the destination. U.S. Route 9 is historic—for much of the portion in New York State, it's The Albany Post Road. Join Cidiot® for a very personal driving tour from Poughkeepsie to Kinderhook with sites, stops and history along the way. Be sure to see the surviving markers, a system developed by Ben Franklin, including the iconic 100-mile marker in Rhinebeck.
Below are some of the places mentioned w/links for more info.
Poughkeepsie to Hyde Park:
Staatsburgh to Rhinebeck:
- River & Post restaurant
- Mills Mansion (Staatsburgh State Historical Site)
- Habitas on Hudson
- Patty’s Pet Palace
- The Beekman Arms
- Le Petit Bistro
- Samuels Sweet Shop
- Oblong Books (book recommendations on Episode 77)
- Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market
- 100 Mile Marker (picture on Cidiot Instagram)
- Northern Dutchess Hospital
- Co. coworking
- Dutchess County Fairgrounds
- Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Red Hook:
- Maizeland (Van Ness House)
- Taste Budd’s Cafe
- Annabelle’s Village Bake Shop
- The Corner Counter
- Localvore
- Historic Village Diner (The Halfway Diner)
- The Elmendorph Inn
- Rose Hill Farm
- Greig Farm
- Lasting Joy Brewery
Clermont to Claverack:
Claverack to Hudson:
- Olana Historic Site
- Visit Hudson NY site
- Wylde Hudson coffee & bar
- MOTO coffee
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