Part 1 - Sinclair Corner, New York

Allen Falls Road (see yesterday's post) took me into Sinclair Corner (yes, it's singular) at the intersection of Old Potsdam Road, Parishville Road and Sinclair Road. When I arrived in Sinclair Corner, I expected it to be five or six houses and perhaps a couple of farms. It turned out to be much more, starting with this old place:

A modern home with a double garage and a carport:

Lots of trailers:

And this efficient looking structure:

Another wisely designed home, all consolidated for heating efficiency - or at least that was my take on it:

A nice blue modular with an attached garage and another outbuilding:

But this was real farm country and there were lots of homes far off the road:

The maples were being tapped the old fashioned way. It was a wonderful sight:

The sugar house, however, seemed much more modern with its plastic storage tanks:

Two separate chimneys on this home:

Daphne showed much interest in a little cluster of homes with a swimming pool:

And Blue Spruces adorned this lovely modular home. But there was, to my surprise, much more to be seen in Sinclair Corner. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Discoveries Along Allen Falls Road

I turned onto Allen Falls Road to get to my next destination, the small settlement of Sinclair Corner. Along the way I passed over this massive pipeline, perhaps 6' in diameter. Since I'd seen them elsewhere, I felt quite sure that this was part of  Brookfield Hydro Power, utilizing the waters of the St. Regis River to produce electricity (note - I'd originally said it was the Raquette River, but a commenter corrected me):

I passed by this barn/garage/storage building:

And some nice rural homes:

Most all the homes were set far back off the road:

I stopped at "Ball Park North" for a photo but subsequent Google searches have not given me any idea what it was:

Ball Park North may have been a summer camp of some type as it had lots of log cabins clustered together beneath the trees:

This modular home was very far off the road:

And this home was quite close to the road:

There was a nice home surrounded by maples:

And what apparently was a second floor home atop a double garage:

An old barn with a dog out front who was determined to get to me. I snapped this photo quickly and drove away before he could get anywhere near me:

There were big old maples in abundance and I was almost to Sinclair Corner, about which I'll post tomorrow:

Rural And Scenic Southville, New York

I left Converse and passed into Southville, also along Route 11B. The first thing I noticed was this Amish farm:

This farm had many outbuildings and barns. It looked as if they sold rough cut lumber in the summertime, and had religious messages on signs facing the highway:

Southville had modern homes:

And lots of big trees. In fact, the Southville State Forest was nearby:

I was especially enamored of this old barn all by itself up on a snowy hill and surrounded by trees. I'd have loved to have a look inside:

This rural home and, apparently, business was situated comfortably beneath Red Pines:

A more modern home with what looked to be Spruce out front:

And speaking of trees, I passed this sawmill in Southville:

 The barn was filled with neatly stacked lumber. There was lots of trucks and power equipment in operation, so I could tell it wasn't Amish:

 I passed by the Southville Cemetery, probably a very historic place. I didn't get out and look, though. Perhaps I'll do so in nicer weather:

I guessed that this friendly home marked the end of Southville, but I had other places yet to see. Tomorrow I'll post about the continuation of my driving tour:

Exploring Converse, New York - Part 2

The tiny settlement of Converse was clearly farm country, and I was enjoying my driving tour:

And there were many Amish homes. I figured this home was Amish because of the clothesline on the front porch:

There were beautiful old barns:

And at least one stone house of great beauty. Might it be Potsdam Red Sandstone?:

I saw one business, From The Heart Custom Cabinetry:

An older home with a garage and enclosed porch:

And an impressive home with a magnificent rail fence. This system of fence with double posts is common in these parts, though I don't remember seeing it elsewhere. I really like it:

A green home with smoke rising from the chimney:

And a modern home up on a hill:

This blue home looked friendly and inviting, but I figured I must be at the end of Converse and entering Southville, about which I'll post tomorrow:

Exploring Converse, New York - Part 1

I arrived at the farm earlier than usual, unloaded the car and made the dogs comfortable. But it was still early in the day so I decided to investigate a few small, nearby settlements. I began with Converse, New York which, as far as I could tell from the map, was west of Hopkinton on Route 11B between Connor Road and County Road 47. I first stopped when I saw this Amish roadside stand:

A closer look at the Amish farm stand. They'd apparently had lots of winter squash for sale just before closing down for the season:

An Amish home near the farm stand with a new addition in progress:

And an Amish barn with a buggy parked out front and piles of firewood and rough cut lumber:

Not an Amish home, this one had a horse with lots of personality who watched every move I made:

A major construction in progress. I suspected this might be Amish, but couldn't be sure:

A nice home with an antique tractor out front:

And a smaller, simpler home whose owner apparently builds and cleans chimneys:

Lots of barns, big and small:

Sheds and silos. This clearly was farm country. I kept driving and exploring, and will post Part 2 tomorrow: