Scenic Brasher Falls, New York - Part 1

I was on my way home from church one sunny Sunday when I noticed Dullea Road and thought it looked both rural and scenic. I had already passed the road by the time I reacted, so I turned around and drove back to it, then took a driving tour which began with this scenic farm and barns:

This lovely farm house atop a hill went the barns in the above photo. Imagine sitting out on that porch on a summer day, looking out over the scenery:

This is the sort of scenery you would see from that porch - corn and hay fields, stone piles and forest:

I stopped at this brushy marshland because I thought the bright red color was due to Winterberry fruit. It was not, so I then guessed it was Red Twig Dogwood. It was too marshy to walk out for a closer look, so I never learned its true identity. It sure was dramatic, though:

There were woodlands along Dullea Road also, though most had relatively young trees, indicative of former farm land, abandoned and gone wild:

But Dullea Road was very short and I soon realized I was entering the tiny settlement of Brasher Falls. So I just continued to snap pictures, noticing as the houses became closer together and the woodlands and farm fields farther apart:

This modern looking home sat well back behind a a row of White Pines:

A small, hip roofed barn:

This was the house which belonged with the above barn. I was on the edge of Brasher Falls:

The houses continued to get closer together in Brasher Falls, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Santamont Trail, Catherineville State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were taking a winter hike on the Santamont Trail in the Catherineville State Forest (see Part 1, posted yesterday) and had just turned back toward our parked car:

Daphne and Clover explored a fallen log, then looked back at me as if they felt guilty:

Jack (the orange spot, lagging behind) ran back and forth, seldom holding still. The other dogs were beginning to slow down:

And I was feeling happy, albeit kind of cold:

Jack passed us and kept running farther ahead. I called repeatedly and with increasing agitation, and when he was good and ready, he came running back:

We came to a sunny spot where most of the snow had melted, so we left the trail to go exploring:

The dogs thought a bit of exploring was a fine idea and they led the way, noses to the ground:

We came to this evergreen grove, with pines overhead and spruce and/or fir seedlings on the ground:

There must have been wildlife here recently, for the dogs were very interested:

But once the evergreen grove was thoroughly sniffed, we headed back to the trail:

And continued on our way, returning to the parked car:

Soon we were back in the car with heat on, headed for the comforts of home:

Santamont Trail, Catherineville State Forest - Part 1

We had a relatively warm (25 degrees F) and sunny day, so I took the dogs down to the nearby Catherineville State Forest for a walk on the Santamont Trail. Having spent so much of winter indoors, they practically exploded out of the car and I spent the first half of the hike yelling at them to keep them close. That's how I got so many photos of them racing towards me. They'd get too far ahead, I'd call them back and then snap a photo as they came my way:

And they had lots of fun. I loved this picture of Fergus in midair and Seamus cavorting next to little Jack. Not too long ago, Seamus was too fat to do any cavorting, so he's enjoying life more now that he's in shape:

Racing up and down the trail, with occasional stops to sniff the scenery:

And forays into the trees, looking for the wildlife:

Jack was particularly active, nearly always at a full run and, unlike the other dogs, not very good at coming when called. He always does come, but only when he's ready:

Notice Clover's position, with her rear feet in the air:

And in case you haven't already noticed, the scenery was spectacular:

This is one of the nicest trails in the area, though I don't often use it. I hope to explore farther along it this summer:

Seamus, Clover and Fergus sniffed around the base of some pines:

This trail is a multi-use trail and vehicular traffic is allowed, so some summer day I hope to drive in farther and start where I usually turn back when on foot. If the beginning of the trail is this lovely, I imagine it's even nicer when you travel farther into the forest:

And there were many bends in the road, presenting endless mysteries as I wondered what would lie around the next curve:

But it was colder and windier than I'd anticipated, so I called the dogs and began walking back toward the car. I'll present our return trip in Part 2, posted tomorrow:

Joy Road, County Route 83 And County Route 49 - Part 2

I was taking a driving tour of a scenic local road which began in Massena as Joy Road and then became County Route 83, then County Route 49 as it passed through the town of Norfolk into the town of Stockholm. This lovely old brick farm house, with its barn and split rail fence, was one of my favorites:

The Brookdale Wesleyan Church, sitting kind of out in the middle of nowhere:

A very old and very large barn, still in active use:

I wanted to capture this picturesque farm, which sat up on a hill, in one photo:

A smaller barn with a new roof:

A large farm house with an even larger barn:

Another old barn:

A historic farm house with two old barns (well, three if you include the smallest one), still painted the green color which, it seems, most barns around here used to be painted:

A lovely log home:

An old farm house with plastic over the porch windows, a barn and silo:

A beautiful old barn:

A comfortable looking farm house:

This barn, set back in the trees and elevated off the ground, was the last photo I took on this driving tour. It is a route I take often, and stopping to snap photos helps me pay closer attention to the beauty I pass along the way:

Joy Road, County Route 83 And County Route 49 - Part 1

I had to drive to Massena to pick up more medication for Daisy at the veterinarian's office, and decided to take the scenic route home. I turned onto Joy Road, in the town of Massena, and began heading toward the town of Norfolk. This abandoned home in the trees was my inspiration to take photos along the way. It had been vacant so long that trees had grown up to block some of the doors. It was a cloudy day, but most of the "dark" photos were on the west side of the road and the setting sun caused the camera to adjust the brightness downward:

A large and modern farm. That "addition" on the right hand side appeared to be an old barn with many rotten boards and beams. I couldn't tell how it fit onto the current house, but they were attached:

A big farm with a corn silo:

A scenic old farm:

There were plenty of woodlands along the way, most of them young because they used to be farm fields. Joy Road became County Route 83, which became County Route 49, passing from Massena through Norfolk and ending in Stockholm:

Lots of corn fields:

This old barn had a snow plow attached to a tractor, a new roof and a full wood shed:

I drove right past this abandoned boat set back in the woods and had to back up to snap a picture of it. There are so many lakes and rivers around here, not to mention the St. Lawrence Seaway, that I see quite a few old boats, abandoned and rotting in woods and fields:

The Brookdale Cemetery:

Two modern looking barns with a very old, wood shingled silo:

This was probably an old barn which was rebuilt, restored and modernized:

This sad, old home had totally collapsed. Someone lived here once:

A farm house with barn, grain bin and tractor in the background. There was more to see along this road and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: