Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were exploring a new section of the Fort Jackson State Forest and were following a sandy lane downhill in search of the St. Regis River (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

It was cool and windy, but sunny - and I was almost as happy as the dogs:

It would be difficult to match the unfettered joy of five dogs, running freely through the forest and playing, sniffing and peeing to their hearts' content:

We veered off the trail and Daphne and Clover, who I sometimes call "The Silly Sisters," found a patch of white flowers:

They were obviously white violets, but with unusually shaped leaves. I looked them up when I got home and decided they were Canadian White Violets:

And there were lots of Bloodroot leaves (which remind me of the symbol for Batman), but the flowers were all spent for the season:

We never found the river and I knew that the entire way back was uphill, so we began the return journey towards our parked car:

By this time, my excited dogs had calmed down and walked quietly, almost like perfect ladies and gentlemen. The setting was gorgeous and tranquil. What a perfect morning in the forest:

I had to again walk around the mud hole, but the dogs seemed to enjoy going in to splash around. I had to yell at them to get out of it:

We continued on our way, enjoying the many bird songs, the breezes and the lack of insects as we went:

Then I caught a glimpse of bright red through the trees and knew our car was just up ahead:

The dogs always react with joy when they see our car. This was perhaps the closest State Forest access to home and also the most beautiful. I think I will return very soon: