County Route 55, Part 3

I was touring the very rural County Route 55 and passed by Mike's Garage, where my car had just been repaired. In fact, this was why I had been in the area:

This woodsy home had an elevated deck and a ladder leaning against the roof, presumably for removing excess snow. It was wise of them not to have removed it yet, for we had a spring snowstorm that very night:

Another woodsy home, this one with a small barn out back:

An impressive barn, close to the road:

A classic farm house with wrap-around porch:

Hay bales, trailer, old barn and maple sap collecting in old milk jugs:

A modern farm with attached barns and a feed bin:

The farm house which went with those barns in the above photo:

I passed by the Stony Knoll Bison Farm. The bison were lounging out in the field, but too far away for me to get a good photo:

As I approached the end of County Route 55 in Nicholville, I passed by St. Therese Catholic Church:

A classic front porch, so typical of homes in the area:

At the end of the road was Wheel's General Repair in Nicholville, a competitor to Mike's Garage. I snapped this last photo, put my camera away and headed for home:

Nicholville To Lawrenceville, County Route 55 - Part 1

The sky was clear and the day beautiful, and I thought it might be one of the last we'd see before winter. So I grabbed my camera and headed to County Route 55, a rural road if ever there was one:

There were two story farm houses:

And one story houses. Have you noticed the multiplicity of garages? This is snow country indeed:

The Stony Knoll Bison farm:

The last time I'd passed the Stony Knoll Bison farm, the animals were right up near the fence. But on this day, they'd all decided to take a nap rather far off in the field. I decided to use my zoom lens:

There were untold acres of corn stubble, punctuated by standing stalks which the equipment had missed:

And if you had any doubts that this was farm country, how often do you see a sign such as this? I wonder if I could get one on my road?:

This grand farm home had lots of windows and lots of porch space:

Barns and hay/haylage galore:

A hay feeder out in the pasture:

A house with a very old barn and freshly cut firewood alongside the driveway:

Lots of pumpkins. But there was much more to see. I'll post Part 2 of my driving tour tomorrow:

The Drive Home From The Farm

When it came time for my weekend at the farm to end, I loaded the pooches into the car and headed southward early in the morning. I'd taken so darn many photos over the weekend that I decided not to take any more on the way home. But when a Ruffed Grouse ran across the road causing me to stop and then began displaying as if he dared me to come any closer - well, I had to snap a photo:

We made it all the way to Blue Ridge Road before I took another picture, this time at the beautiful Boreas River at the top of the mountain:

Oops! Seamus, used to sandy river bottoms with gradual slopes, was caught by surprise when he tried to enter the water at this spot. It was filled with large boulders with deep chasms between them. He wisely gave up that endeavor and just enjoyed the shore:

Clover and Daphne danced across the rocks and got a cool drink. And old Winky made it down to the river for a drink of mountain water:

It was all very beautiful and peaceful, but this was only a brief rest stop and we still had many miles to go. So I gave a call and we all began moving back toward the car:

All, that is, except Winky and Wally. They were moving, but very slowly. I was patient and kept encouraging them. When all six dogs were back in the car, we continued on our way:

It would have been a straight run from that point on except that I wanted to stop again at the Adirondack Buffalo Company and get a bit of grass fed Bison meat:

And I loved the view from their observation deck:

These Bison lead a good life:

The pastures are surrounded by mountains:

And the Bison live quietly. I made my purchase and then we continued on our way home:

A Bison Farm In The Adirondacks

I'd made so many trips up to the farm that I was looking for a new route to give me a bit of variety. I decided to exit the Northway at Exit 29 and take Blue Ridge Road, a county highway, west toward the town of Newcomb. But when I passed the Adirondack Buffalo Company, I had to stop:

They had an observation deck adjacent to the parking lot which provided a wonderful view out over the grazing bison to the Adirondack mountains. So I left the dogs in the car and grabbed my camera:

A small herd of bison grazed contentedly in the field below me:

They had a comfortable and scenic life:

I zoomed in for a closer view:

And snapped a picture of the peaks which framed the fields:

And then I went inside and toured the salesroom:

They had lots of Adirondack rustic furniture:

And tee-shirts, candles, posters, towels:

Lots of souvenirs:

More rustic furniture:

I purchased two pounds of ground bison meat and went back out to the car where my dogs were waiting. I used to take Blue Ridge Road when I was an avid hiker many years ago but was anxious to travel it again. I'll post more tomorrow: