Part 1 - Beebe Hill On A Mild Sunday

It certainly had been a mild winter, and a recent Sunday dawned clear, bright and warmer than ever. I went to the gym and then decided that I absolutely had to get outdoors and do some hiking. But it was late, so I drove south to Austerlitz, New York for my favorite mini-hike of all, Beebe Hill. I parked the car and let the dogs out. The trail began alongside beautiful Barrett Pond, which still had a coating of ice:

There'd clearly been beavers harvesting small trees around the edges of Barrett Pond:

And the paths which the beavers used to drag their small trees down to the pond were also clearly seen. Daphne and Clover used one as a path to the water's edge:

I got very nervous when Clover ran out onto the ice. Daphne followed, slipping briefly into the open water near the shore:

But when 130 pound Seamus also ran out onto the ice, slipping and sliding, I called them all sternly back to dry land. I didn't know how much weight that ice could hold:

We started up the service road, passing by the turn-off to Turkey Hill and Harvey Mountain. But when I noticed a turn-off for the Upper Loop Horse Path (which would take us to the fire tower), I turned right and began the uphill slog. The dogs were still excited and running like happy fools. I had to holler now and then to keep them from getting too far away from me:

They're good about coming back when called, all excited and expecting praise and petting (which they get):

The trail appeared to have been an old dirt road and had ancient stone walls alongside it. We went up and up and up toward the fire tower. I saw a small pond off to the left which is brimming with Wood Frogs in the spring. I want to be sure to hike here again when the Wood Frogs are mating. It's a sight (and sound!) not to be missed!:

Daphne had gotten herself wet when she slipped into the icy waters of Barrett Pond, but was rapidly drying out in the sun. She and Clover were buddies, running and playing as we traversed the trail uphill toward the fire tower:

Being such a lovely Sunday afternoon, there were other people hiking Beebe Hill. But we never saw anyone on this part of the trail. We had it all to ourselves and it was lovely:

A Red Oak had fallen across the trail and been chainsawed into firewood sized pieces by the rangers. I called the dogs back and had them pose for a group photo. Heaven knows it isn't easy getting them to hold still as a group for more than a few seconds:

And then we continued our upward climb. There wasn't much slippery mud because this trail was so infrequently hiked. It looked liked I'd made a smart choice of trails. We'd already made it almost to the top since this was such a short hike. But I'll post more tomorrow:

The Final Leg Of The Journey Home

Heading home from a visit to the farm, I was driving south on Route 9N in the Adirondacks. The views from this two lane highway were terrific:

We were approaching the intersection with Route 73 in Keene, New York, from which I'd pick up the main highway back to Albany. I wanted to find a place to give the dogs a rest stop before we joined the heavy traffic on I87. But for time being at least, the traffic on Route 9N was still light and the scenery was grand:

The two Papillon puppies, Daphne and Clover, were resting on the seat next to me:

When I arrived at the campsite where we most often take our rest breaks, I found 3 or 4 parked cars and campers enjoying their weekend. So I drove on and stopped at a grassy lane which leads into the woods which I'd discovered last year. I let the dogs out and they were ecstatic. Wally and Winky ran in the sunshine:

Daphne and Clover found an interesting smell in one spot, while Fergus and Wally stopped at another fascinating aroma in another spot. It's important to dogs to "read the local newspaper:"

Big ol' Seamus trotted ahead and it wasn't long before his little buddy, Clover, ran up to join him:

We were in a grassy lane surrounded by forest with mountains all around us. The sun was shining and the crickets were singing their autumn songs. It was a marvelous experience:

I took one video of the dogs enjoying this final rest stop in the sun:



I loaded the dogs back into the car and began the final leg of the trip. But since we'd left early, I decided to turn off the highway and visit the Adirondack Buffalo Farm. They have a viewing platform alongside the road:

The Bison were fairly close and living out their lives in a peaceful, serene setting:

There was one other family enjoying the views and they found my little red car filled with dogs interesting also:

I went into the gift shop thinking I might buy some Bison meat. But I saw no price list and reverted to the old adage, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." So I got back into the car and began the final, less peaceful part of the journey home. It had been a wonderful visit to the farm and the drive up there and back was a big part of the joy:

Up, Up Over The Shoulder Of Whiteface Mountain

I was traveling Gillespie Road in the Adirondack Mountains and it took me up over what I'd call the foothills of Whiteface Mountain. The road runs east and west over a sort of ridge which includes Morgan, Esther and Whiteface. The famous Whiteface Memorial Highway leads south from here directly up to the peak of Whiteface. I took my mother there once many years ago and it was magnificent. But the parking lot is somewhat below the peak and one must walk or take an elevator to the very top. With 6 dogs and lots of tourists, I don't plan to visit it again soon. Nevertheless, Gillespie Road - which soon becomes Route 86 is, as you can see, lovely:

There are foothills in all directions:

And, as Route 86 begins to descend down into the town of Wilmington, New York, I continued to snap photos:

And once in Wilmington, I came upon Santa's Workshop:

I'd expected it to be crowded with tourists, but it was closed. I've since checked the internet and The North Pole is apparently open for only a few months each year:

So, after taking a parking lot tour of Santa's Workshop, I continued on my way through the town of Wilmington:

Clearly, Wilmington is a tourist town and motels abound:

The views from Route 86 are fantastic, but there isn't any "downtown" area. At least none that I could find:

I passed a few very nice homes:

And continued driving east toward Jay, New York:

This very friendly looking house with its multiple chairs for sitting and spinning tales was set right along the side of the road:

Three Taconic Valley Towns

I'd hiked up Mount Everett with three of my dogs and was on the way back home when I decided that I just had to take a few more pictures of the countryside. Mount Everett itself is on the Appalachian Trail in western Massachusetts. The closest "town" is Mount Washington, Massachusetts. This church is about the closest thing you'll see around those parts resembling a town center. That garage-like building behind it has a sign proclaiming to be the Mount Washington Town Hall:

The tiny town of Mount Washington, Massachusetts has a few very expensive looking homes, beautiful scenery and lots of state land which is mostly kept natural. It's right on the New York border and one of New York's two Taconic State Parks, which include the magnificent Bash Bish Falls. I was struck by this historic and serene cemetery resting quietly along a mountain road:

I passed over the New York state line, through the Taconic State Park, past Bash Bish Falls and into the tiny town of Copake Falls, New York. This is its Post Office:

And the only church I could see. A family next door was having a picnic as I snapped this photo:

Surprisingly, for such a tiny hamlet, this rather large, stone pillared tavern seems to do a pretty good business. I ate lunch there once with a friend many years ago after hiking up Mount Everett:

And continuing my drive home, I passed through another very tiny town - Austerlitz, New York. Most of the photos I took didn't come out well, but I wanted to share two of them. This sign proclaims it as the former home of the poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay. She lived there for 27 years in a farm house named Steepletop on 230 acres, most of which are now State owned preserves. I had performed in a choral performance the previous night which included a song with one of her poems as its lyrics, so I was especially interested. By the way, if you want to hear the performance of that song, "Afternoon On A Hill," you can find it here. Or if you'd like to hear more of the choral performances, the play list may be found here:

And one last photo to illustrate the small town of Austerlitz. Their Post Office looks to me like something out of the old west: