Rural Rensselaer County Tour

Another work week was over, another Sunday morning had rolled around. I wasn't much in the mood to do anything, but by about 9:30 I knew I had to get outdoors with the dogs or I'd waste the entire day. So I got out my Grafton Lakes State Park trail map, loaded the four hiking dogs into the back of the car and started heading northeast towards Grafton, New York. On the way I decided that since rural Rensselaer County was so beautiful, I'd stop and take some pictures to share. My first stop was at Snyders Lake, a jewel of a lake which we Rensselaer County folks pass by so often that we tend to not even notice it:

The southwestern corner of the county is flat to rolling hills, but I was traveling northeast towards the more mountainous portion. And I could see the sun lighting up those mountains straight ahead of me:

And alongside the road were beautifully colored trees and impressive rock ledges:

I'd feared that most of the autumn color was gone, but I found quite a bit of it, especially in the more sheltered spots:

And as I proceeded, I got occasional glimpses of the Grafton mountains getting closer:

Old barns dotted the landscape. There are still a few farms in this part of the county, but it's too near the big city and land's too expensive for very much commercial farming:

But there are cornfields and hay fields and golden woodlands where people hunt - even relatively close to the city:

Someone's back yard, typical of rural Rensselaer County:

I'd stopped my little red car along the road to take a picture and saw these adorable puppy faces anxiously watching my every move. Giant Seamus is in there also. Can you see him? Fergus must have been snoozing at the time:

Some photos like this one were taken facing toward the sun and therefore look rather dark. Yet even so, this is a typical autumn look with overcast skies:

Many of the old farm lands close to the city are being built up into housing developments, but a few of the old timers remain. I'll continue the Rensselaer County tour tomorrow: