Heading Toward Home, The Final Leg Of The Journey

In this final post about my journey home from the farm, you can see the sort of weather I was encountering. It was rainy and very windy. And I do mean very windy! The dogs and I passed through the town of Tupper Lake and headed for Long Lake where we passed Hoss's general store. I learned on a previous trip that their deli is not worth stopping for, but I should stop and investigate souvenirs and gift items one of these days. On this trip, I passed it by and bought a ready-made sandwich at the local gas station quick mart (Stewarts). But the Hoss's building is always a welcome sight with its Adirondack kitsch - bears carved from logs, twig art and siding which looks like birch bark. It really does look like birch bark but covering that much area, I suppose it's got to be imitation:

By the time I passed this log cabin style Episcopal church in the town of Newcomb, the winds were howling through the mountain passes:

And just down off the highway I noticed this little cabin and outhouse. Cute though it is, If I were to own an Adirondack cabin, I'd want it to be farther off the highway:

And heading southeast out of Newcomb on Route 28N, I was only mildly surprised to be stopped by this tree which had been downed by the high winds:

Still on Route 28N, I passed this modern style house near Minerva, New York with a phenomenal view of an Adirondack peak with its head in the clouds:

Also near Minerva, I took a moment to snap a picture of this beautiful barn. I love old barns and some day would like to make a photographic record of their rustic beauty. But a simple snapshot of this one Adirondack structure will have to suffice for now:

A Wild West Adirondack 1950s Town

Taking a different route than normal on my return trip from the farm brought me through the town of Tupper Lake. I only travel this route occasionally and each time I enter downtown Tupper Lake, I promise myself I'll snap some photos. It has the appearance of a wild west town mixed with Adirondack styling and 1950s kitsch. I find it enormously appealing. On this wintry Sunday morning, the traffic and shoppers were few and far between so I decided to wait no longer. For starters, this insurance building is adorned with Adirondack stones and white cedar logs:

And more of the "foresty" look on this downtown building:

This seller of "Rustic Design" even has the classic Adirondack twig art. And the Swiss Kitchen was doing a booming business on that Sunday morning:

This 1950s style movie theater was called the "State," but a letter had fallen off, rendering it only the "Tate." I laughed because it reminded me of the Elvira movie where falling marquis letters left an obscene message:

Another Adirondack store front:

When I was a boy, my mother drove my sister and me across the country to visit her relatives in Oregon every other summer. We did much touring of the western parts of the country and downtown Tupper Lake reminds me of many of those towns. This building even had two horse statues on its roof. Casper, Wyoming would be proud:

Oh Little Town Of South Colton

Certainly it had been a short visit to the farm. A long drive to get there, a short stay in my little apartment and now the dogs and I were driving back home, this time on a seldom used route through Parishville, Colton and South Colton. South Colton is a little Adirondack town which I especially like and we passed this field of horses just as we began entering it. I drove right by and then made a U-turn so I could return and snap a photo of these contented equines. I was particularly taken by the miniature horse on the left:

Sitting right alongside the highway, this is the horses' barn:

And another barn on the edge of South Colton:

I didn't stop at this general store but I should make it a point to do so in the future. This tiny business sells groceries, fuel, hardware, propane, ice and probably lots more:

And South Colton has an antiques store:

And the official "Welcome To South Colton" sign is on the Red Pine Pub, probably another good place for this tourist to stop while making the journey in the future:

Heading Home Through Parishville and Colton

Well, it had been a short visit at the farm but I'd been able to verify that all was well and to spend a night there. Now it was time to drive back home again. I loaded all the dogs into the back of the car and headed south towards Albany. Then, on the spur of the moment, I decided to take a different route home just to see some new scenery. I turned southwest on a county road at Greg and Molly's general store and that took me through the town of Parishville where I passed this old house:

And this remarkable stone house:

I really liked this brick house:
I pass many state forests as I drive most anywhere near the farm. When I drive to Massena, I pass Lost Nation State Forest. Driving south through Parishville and Colton, I passed Whiskey Flats State Forest:

And shortly thereafter, High Flats State Forest:

In the small town of Colton, I saw the Timber Tavern, surely a gathering place and watering hole for the local populace. When I used to live in tiny Berlin, New York, there was a similar place called The Lamp Post - - but that's another story which I won't go into here:

And I thought this was a rather elegant home, especially for such a tiny Adirondack town. I'll post more of the sights I passed on my way south in the next post:

Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie

Well, the dogs and I had made a rather lengthy but interesting trip up to the farm. The problem we encountered once there, however, was that everything was buried in snow and ice. And of course it was cold outside. So we just made ourselves comfortable and settled in for the evening. Making themselves comfortable is something at which the dogs are quite expert:

I confess that it did seem a bit of a shame to drive such a long way only to go to bed and then begin the return trip the next morning. Since the farm house is rented and all is running smoothly, I decided to go up less frequently, at least during the winter months. As you can see here, Seamus and Fergus are not fretting over my decision. To them, it's all good:

And Winky is a boy who is quite happy just to get comfortable:

Casey's age gives her special bed privileges:

Night has fallen outside, but inside we're all warm and comfy. All the dogs except Wally are shown here:

And there's Wally (who also has bed privileges):

Winky needed exercise so switched to a different pillow. Now he's exhausted:

And it appears that Seamus is praying - for a dog treat, perhaps?:

Wren, my little porkopotomus, has climbed up onto a soft pillow and is ready for a power-nap:

Arriving At The Farm

It had been a long drive, but the dogs and I finally came to the end of Route 458 at the northern boundary of the Adirondack Park. We were almost to the farm. I stopped briefly at the town square in Hopkinton because I wanted to investigate their museum. I figured I could either tour it right then (leaving the dogs waiting for me once again) or find out when it was open so I could tour it some other time. This is the museum and library which, alas, was closed and had no hours posted:

On the other side of the town square was a barn and a Congregational Church:

In the center of the square was a gazebo. And that red building on the right with the huge pile of firewood is Wilber's Hardware store, an old fashioned hardware store if ever there was one. But if you need to find something, they most likely have it. It's a long, long drive to Home Depot which may not have what you need when you get there anyway:

On the county road approaching my farm. You probably can't see it unless you click this photo to enlarge it. My farm is the farthest house on the left:

Now we're almost there. That's my house on the left with the big barn behind it:

When we arrived, I put the dogs out into their fenced yard while I unloaded the car, turned up the heat in the apartment and connected the water supply:

The drive was long, the temperatures cold and we were to return home in the morning. So the dogs and I spent the rest of our day relaxing. Seamus is getting comfortable here:

Casey and Fergus got right up on the bed while Winky and Wren stayed on the floor:

But where was Wally? Under the table in the corner! Why? I don't know. Wally chooses strange resting places sometimes, though he most always spends the night on my bed, sometimes positioning himself to act as my pillow:

High Peaks and Rest Stops

The dogs and I were traveling toward the farm. We'd had several mini-adventures and, though this was becoming a very lengthy trip, it was an interesting one. Leaving the town of Saranac Lake, the dogs and I continued on toward the farm through Brighton where I pulled over briefly to snap a shot of some high peaks not too far in the distance:

The town of Brighton has many places with excellent views and this is one of them:

And when it comes to views, they don't come much better than this which was taken from the edge of the road as you can tell by the guard rails:

And as I passed by a small cemetery, I noticed a coyote trotting along in the same direction as I was headed. I stopped and rolled down the window. The coyote stopped to watch me as I snapped the picture. His tail and rump looked bare, possibly from mange. He held still until I snapped the photo and then he ran off in the opposite direction. A person only gets one chance to take a picture in a situation like this:

Only a half hour or so from the farm, I stopped at a parking area on Route 458 to let the dogs out for a rest stop. They were happy to do so as it had been a long drive so far. Fergus and Seamus, the two youngsters, took off immediately:

Old Casey is getting slower and her old bones are stiffening up, but she still can cover ground:

Fergus, Wally, Seamus and Casey give the place a sniff test, reading the doggy equivalent of a daily newspaper:

Wren, my little porkoptomus, waddles along at a slower speed:

And Winky is of a distinctly independent mindset, not requiring my company or that of the other dogs:

Wren and Winky are best buddies, however, and frequently travel together:

Wren and Casey are already in the back of the car. Wally, Winky, Fergus and Seamus have done their exploring and left behind their deposits. It's time now to get them all back in the car and finish making the journey to the farm: