Driving Home On The Magnificent Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike

As soon as I'd eaten breakfast, shut off the water supply and cleaned my apartment, it was time to leave the farm for Albany. This trip had been far too short. But the weather was grand so I decided to take the scenic route home, traveling the old Hopkinton Port Kent Turnpike, once a major access road through the wilderness but now a series of back roads, some only seasonal. Along the way I passed a farm pond with Canada Geese in residence:

And that same farm had a small flock of red hens happily clucking around the barn. I was using my new camera's zoom lens:

Some of the more adventurous hens strayed farther from the barn and toward the woods. They looked happy and peaceful and I wished them well, but I also knew that lots of chicken eating wildlife lived in those woods:

And at that same farm were three contented horses who watched me with interest as I snapped their picture from my car:

But then I continued on along the Port Kent/Red Tavern Roads (part of the "Turnpike"), stopping when it came right up next to the St. Regis River:

The water level was surprisingly low for a spring day but I supposed the lack of snow that winter would mean less water all spring and summer. At any rate, the scenery was lovely:

The dogs waited, though not particularly patiently, for me in the car while I explored and took photos:

A little bit farther up the road I stopped again and walked down to the river to see Everton Falls:

When I got to the seasonal roads, I was happily surprised to find them in reasonably good shape and as scenic as always:

I heard one loon crying off in the distance but didn't see any on this trip:

The edges of this pond are so marshy that I couldn't get too close to the water. But the road is so remote and seldom traveled that I saw no other vehicles anywhere and could stop in the road at any time to take pictures. The mountain air was clean and fresh with a hint of Balsam and I was very much enjoying this journey. I'll post more about it tomorrow: