Winter Scenery Along A Gravel Road - Part 1

We hadn't had significant snow in more than a week, though we had more than our share of bone chilling cold. I decided to drive again down the gravel road beside my house to see the woodland sights:

It was beautiful and quiet, with no other cars or any signs of life other than the trees. White Birch and nearly white Aspen trunks stood out along the road:

But the most striking sights were the Beech trees, for they held their golden leaves right through the snow, cold and wind:

This gnarled old Maple trunk has stood for many decades, and I imagine it began as a seedling over a hundred years ago:

Snow was heaped up over a fence post and Beech tree leaves brightened this frigid woodland:

I couldn't identify these conifers, nor could I determine if they were alive or dead. I wasn't going to get out of the car and climb across those snowbanks to go see:

The remnants of old barbed wire fencing lined much of the way:

And Red Pines had been planted on former potato fields in other places. These trees had recently been thinned by a crew who wanted telephone poles:

A lovely scene, with a golden Beech tree in front, surrounded by Aspens and backed up by what I think was a White Pine. Notice the old barbed wire fence in the foreground:

More of the strange, needle-less branches of the mystery conifers. They weren't Tamaracks, but beyond that I don't know:

The woods were quiet and mysterious - inviting, but I had no intention of going in to see. It was private property anyway. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: