The St. Regis River Access Trail - Part 1

I left for the St. Regis River Access trail early in the day and got within a couple miles of our destination before I realized I'd forgotten both my cell phone and my camera. I drove all the way home and returned, adding another hour onto the trip, but it was worth it:

Black-Eyed Susans bloomed all along the roadsides and all along the trail:

And the St. Regis River was inviting. Little Jack couldn't resist wading in while Clover rolled in the wet sand:

Steeplebush was in bloom, beautifying everything:

We walked slowly, examining things along the way and taking advantage of every path we saw down to the river:

Now, here's the real reason I wanted to go here. I figured it was Cardinal Flower season and I was right. Our wild Lobelia is so very red that it seems as if it might glow in the dark:


The dogs, of course, had no regard for Cardinal Flowers and walked right past them without a nod:

They had a grand time, and Seamus looked almost gaunt after his recent haircut. In fact, he looked so thin that I increased his morning bowl of food a bit:

Jack, Fergus and Seamus all went into the water together:

Happy, happy dogs:

Clover and Daphne went into the river also, but first they had to explore a riverside trail:

And everywhere along the shore were Cardinal Flowers in bloom:

Daphne splashed and played a bit, and then held still to cool off and get a drink:

I remembered that this wildflower was called Swamp Candles, but I had to look it up when I got home to get the more common name, Yellow Loosestrife. It is a member of the Evening Primrose family:

We were the only visitors to the area so leashes were not needed. That was fine with the pooches. Notice the row of Cardinal Flowers on the left of this photo. But we had just begun, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: