Dyke Road In Bangor, New York

I'd just finished a driving tour of two scenic, rural roads in Franklin county, New York (previous two posts) and turned onto state highway 11 to head for home. I passed an interesting looking rural road and thought, "I might as well drive down it and take a look." So it was that I came to take a driving tour of Dyke Road in the town of Bangor, New York:

Dyke Road was indeed rural. This house, barn and garage sat so very far off the road that I had to use my zoom lens to photograph it. Surrounded by hay fields, it seemed to me like "the little house on the prairie." I remember thinking how much snow plowing they must have to do in the winter to keep that long driveway clean:

There were fields filled with long, giant, plastic covered tubes of what must surely have been silage:

And fields covered with farm equipment:

This historic farm house and barn sat up on a small hill:

There were golden woodlands:

And green hills, covered with tall Pines:

This farm pond had a wooden pier built out into it, perfect for children who liked to swim in the summertime:

We were just outside the Adirondack Park border and the sandy soil must have been similar, because this moss, birch and Reindeer Lichen covered hillside sure reminded me of the Adirondacks:

What appeared to be an elegant estate sat up on a hill and behind the trees:

This farm house and outbuilding sat so far off the road that I wondered if it had another entrance off another road somewhere. Again, I used my zoom lens to get a picture:

I ended my driving tour at this historic looking building with a new, metal roof. It had the look of an old school house or grange hall, but I suspect that it's just a storage barn for someone now. I saw no houses near it. My driving tour had come to an end, it was past lunchtime and I was hungry. So I put my camera away and aimed for home:

The Adirondack Carousel

On the second day of my sister's visit, we left the dogs at home and drove south, into the Adirondack Park. When we arrived at the village of Saranac Lake, we stopped at the Adirondack Carousel:

We walked right inside and began taking pictures. The top of the carousel featured paintings of beloved Adirondack scenery and wildflowers:

The animals of the carousel were all Adirondack wildlife:

Before it began turning, the man in the green shirt told each kid what kind of animal they were riding and a little bit about the species as it lived in the Adirondacks:

The music played, the carousel turned at a surprisingly rapid speed, and the children appeared to be having a great deal of fun:

A beaver, a red squirrel, a raccoon and either a lynx or bobcat (I wasn't sure which, as both are native to the area):

Here's a closer look at the cat. What's that other animal? I'm guessing it's a toad:

We investigated the gift shop and were told that each hand carved carousel animal had a ladybug, New York's official insect, on it somewhere - and they sold ladybug umbrellas:

There were a few extra carousel animals like this red fox which, we were told, are occasionally switched out so that all the animals get a chance on the carousel:

You can see that this frog has a ladybug at the rear center of its saddle. It also has a series of tadpoles, growing into adult frogs, around its neck:

It was a great diversion and an interesting stop along the way, but we had another destination in mind. So we bid farewell to the Adirondack Carousel and continued on our way to Whiteface Mountain. I'll post about that tomorrow:

Paul Smiths College Adirondack Visitor Interpretive Center

Please click on the link at the top of the page to go to the farm website. I need some traffic so that my website will come up in Google searches. But read this post first, because the farm website will open in the same window. Thank you.

When I was traveling between Albany and the farm on a regular basis, I used to pass by Paul Smiths (they seem to leave out the apostrophe, so I will also) College Visitor Interpretive Center almost every trip. But I never stopped to investigate because I always had a carload of dogs. So one recent snowy Tuesday, I drove down to find out more. I parked my car and walked toward the main building, passing this Butterfly House on the way. In the summertime, it's covered in netting and filled with butterflies:

The main building was behind some trees, and I headed in that direction:

I passed a map of Paul Smiths trails, some of which I've hiked in days gone by:

And I walked past the "Bird's Nest," a play area for children (in warmer weather):

Once inside the building, I was impressed by its beauty and grandeur. All the walls were hung with Adirondack art. There was no charge for admission, no greeting from staff. I just walked in and began to explore:

I found an interesting hall, but no displays. I think this hall contained classrooms and labs. Here too, the walls were filled with Adirondack art:

There was, however, one room filled with Adirondack interpretative displays. I was immediately drawn to the children's table, and especially to the skunk and other furs:

The walls were covered with displays explaining the glaciers' effect on the area and the different types of Adirondack environments, such as bogs and swamps:

And forests:

Mountain slopes and summits:

There were several displays of Adirondack pottery:

And, near the exit, a terrific photographic display about the Adirondack Park. I didn't spend much time there, but I was glad that I finally saw the VIC. I plan to come back to see the Butterfly House some time when it's warm outside:

Part 2 - A Glorious Adirondack Winter In Nicholville, New York

This is Part 2, a driving tour of the wintry beauty I found in Nicholville, New York, right at the northern border of the Adirondack Park. Like yesterday, I won't add any more text. I suggest that you click on the first photo and then you'll be able to see them all full size, one after the other:

Part 1 - A Glorious Adirondack Winter In Nicholville, New York

We'd just come off a big snowstorm and the temperature was about 20 degrees, the warmest we would see for half a week. but it was sunny and I decided to go looking for scenic winter beauty. I found it in Nicholville, New York, right at the northern border of the Adirondack Park. I don't have much to say other than, "Ooh, isn't that pretty?" so I'll not add any text. I suggest that you click on the first photo and then you'll be able to see them all full size, one after the other: