White Hill Road - Part 3

White Hill Road began in the town of Parishville and seemed to cross the line into Hopkinton as I drove. At any rate, it was surely scenic, both in terms of the forest scenery and the summer cottages which were numerous and set back into the trees. This place was covered with Adirondack siding:

More Adirondack siding and a screened front porch:

Perched on the side of a hill, this cabin had a nice view:

This was another home which seemed to be a year 'round residence:

A bright red steel roof:

And off to the side of the above house, behind a pine tree, was this totem pole. I loved it!:

This little camp was for sale. I checked its price when I got home and found that it had only .2 acres of land and they were asking #19,900. I thought that was a little steep, but then maybe that's why it hadn't been sold:

And the state forest land all along the road was beautiful:

Another bustling place with bicycles, lounge chairs and signs of activity. Perhaps this was a permanent residence or perhaps the family was just spending the weekend here:

I passed by scenic wetlands:

And this cute little cabin:

This place was much bigger than most, and had what appeared to be an elevated porch surrounding the entire building. I took White Hill Road all the way to Joe Indian Pond, where I found many more cottages around a scenic lake. But I'd taken enough pictures for one day. So I put my camera away and turned back toward home:

White Hill Road - Part 2

I'd been prevented from hiking in White Hill Wild Forest by the snow which persisted on the access road. So instead, I decided to take a driving tour of White Hill Road, which had an abundance of camps, cottages and cabins, as well as lots of woodsy scenery. This cabin was still rather buried in snow despite the springlike temperatures and late April date:

And I was amazed to discover the Cedar Lodge Bar & Grill. Like almost all the camps, it appeared to be closed for the winter, but it was evidence that this might be a rather lively place in the summertime. I'll have to take another drive on this road to find out:

I passed by a logging operation:

And a nice red cottage which had gotten lucky during a recent winter storm. A big tree had come down, narrowly missing the building:

Kelly's Old Homestead Bar & Lounge. I don't think this was a bar, but someone's summer cottage and they nailed up the sign as a bit of whimsey. Perhaps the owners were named Kelly:

A small trailer turned into a camp:

Adirondack siding, metal roof and lots of windows:

I think this place was a year round residence. Clearly, there are folks who like rural living and solitude even more than I do, folks who aren't afraid of wild, rugged winters atop a mountain:

A cute little place with a front porch:

And this place, covered with board and batten siding:

This place, though small, may also have been a year round residence, at least judging by the extra large propane tank and satellite dish. White Hill Road was certainly proving to be interesting, so I kept driving and snapping photos. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

White Hill Road - Part 1

As I posted yesterday, we were on our way to the White Hill Wild Forest in Parishville, New York for a springtime hike. But alas, the seasonal road was still covered with too much snow and ice for me to get my car through. As I turned around, though, I noticed that White Hill Road had a lot of small cottages, or "camps," which were picturesque and a perfect subject for a driving tour:

I hadn't realized that White Hill Road was a long as it turned out to be, but I discovered many miles of scenic forest and cute summer cottages. This one, clearly, had begun as a travel trailer and been added to over the years:

This place was fancier and had a garage. It may indeed have been a permanent residence. Power lines brought modern life the entire length of that extremely rural, woodsy road:

Another cute little camp, built around a travel trailer and nestled beneath the trees:

A more traditional structure with a steel roof:

And a rather fancy looking log home. Perhaps this also was a year round residence. I couldn't tell. Either way, they sure had a scenic location:

This was the most common sort of camp - a small, rectangular building on blocks and surrounded by trees:

A cute little place with tree trunk pillars and Christmas lights:

And a real, honest to goodness, chinked log cabin beneath giant White Pines:

Another possible year 'round residence with coiled water hose and porthole style windows:

This attractive green cottage was boarded up for the winter. But there was still a lot more to see on White Hill Road, so I kept driving. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Route 458 On The High Northern Plateau

My weekend at the farm was over all too soon and I loaded all the dogs back into the car for the drive back home. The return trip began on Route 458 which passes through the magnificent Santa Clara Tract of forest:

There were about four logging operations along the road, with this one being the largest header I've ever seen:

Here's a closer look. That's a lot of wood, but it seemed too small for lumber. I guessed that it was pulpwood, most likely headed to a pulp mill somewhere in the area:

And back in the trees was this cluster of tiny, old cabins. They may have been hunting cabins or perhaps a logging camp many years ago:

Route 458 stretched out along the high Adirondack northern plateau, with mountains rising up on every horizon:

There was what I believed to be a road maintenance garage:

And wetlands alongside the road with snow covered mountains in the background:

Someone's camp or home, set back in the trees:

This old bridge always fascinates me when I see it. I suspect it was once a part of the road which has now been replaced by Route 458. Perhaps now it is used by the Adirondack Park Agency or maybe it is a private lane used by landowners. Either way, it's a beautiful sight:

Clover watched out the window as we passed a creek, bubbling its way through the snowy highlands:

It sure looked cold out there!:

The road crossed the St. Regis River which has several branches and seems to be everywhere. But it's wild and beautiful. And right about there we encountered the small town of Santa Clara, New York. But I'll post about that tomorrow:

Jones Pond Road To Rainbow Lake, New York

I'd left Osgood Pond and was continuing our journey back home on Route 86. But I only gone about 1500 feet when I decided to make one more exploratory turn, this time onto Jones Pond Road:

It took me to a small (and empty) camping area on the edge of Jones Pond. I left the dogs in the car and walked down the terribly rutted boat ramp to the water's edge:

Jones Pond was lovely in the morning's light:

I then continued on Jones Pond Road to the tiny hamlet of Rainbow Lake, New York:

Rainbow Lake appeared to be a combination of summer homes and permanent residences, a small settlement in the beautiful Adirondack forest:

There were large homes:

And smaller homes, all of them built beneath towering pines and spruces:

Apparently a young lady named Emily was earning money for college (nearby Paul Smiths, perhaps?) by cutting, splitting and selling firewood:

Many homes sat far back off the road in the woods. I supposed these were summer homes, as keeping the snow plowed in winter could be difficult:

Many homes looked rather deluxe to me:

This colorful home in the forest was my favorite. I liked its colors and homey aura:

This home was for sale and I looked it up when I got home, thinking that it must cost a fortune in such a lovely resort community. It was listed at only $159,000 with 1.5 baths, 3 bedrooms and a .25 acres. The interior was spectacular. Here's the website if you'd like to see more, though I can't guarantee it won't be sold by the time this posts. I then continued on my way home thinking I'd seen all of Rainbow Lake. But I've looked more closely at the map since and discovered there's much more to this settlement than I'd realized. Maybe I'll go back there again and see more: