Traveling Blue Ridge Road, An Adirondack Scenic Bonanza

I'd just left Frontier Town, where the dogs had had a fun rest stop. I next traveled up Blue Ridge Road, headed for the town of Newcomb. Blue Ridge Road is a scenic treasure indeed. The first stop was the Adirondack Buffalo Company, surrounded by mountains:

I stopped to see the bison which were quite close to the road on that day:

But I didn't go inside and buy any meat. I just enjoyed the scenery for a moment and then continued on my way:

The dogs waited in the car while I snapped pictures. That beautiful home across the road belongs to the owners of the buffalo farm and that's a miniature covered wagon behind the pickup truck:

C'mon, Dad. Can we get moving again?:

We continued climbing higher on Blue Ridge Road, but I stopped to snap a photo of this magnificent, historic barn:

And the Papillons liked it too:

I'd planned to give the dogs a rest stop at the top of the mountain by the Bog River, but found people camping there when I arrived:

So I pulled into the forest across the road from there and let the dogs out:

We couldn't go far, but enjoyed the forest while we we could:

Winky had slowed down a lot lately and Wally had just died the previous day, so I determined to get a photo of his cute little face in a natural setting. He looked so happy to be out in the forest that I'm very glad I got this picture. Winky died the next morning and was buried near the fence in the north hay field:

Fergus and Seamus eyed the forest, the Papillons ran around like little imps and then we continued on our way:

The Start Of A Very Special Trip Up To The Farm

I left for the farm on a Sunday morning and began driving northward, just as I usually do. But this trip would be different because my sister was coming all the way from Columbus, Ohio to visit. And her daughter, my niece, would be coming with her, bringing along her beloved Papillon all the way from Chicago. When their visit ended, my niece's Papillon would stay with me and my friendly dog pack. So I drove northward as far as Exit 29, pulled into the old, abandoned Frontier Town and went straight for the beautiful shores of the Schroon River:

My six dogs needed a rest stop and frankly, so did I. We walked down to the river and looked around:

Wally trotted across the sand dunes between the forest and the river:

Winky and Fergus joined him for a sniff-fest:

But I gave them a call, wanting them down by the river to get a drink before we continued on our way to the farm:

The trees were just beginning to acquire their autumn colors and the scene was altogether pleasant:

The dogs ran up and down the shore and had themselves a thoroughly wonderful time:

But we couldn't spend too much time there, so I gave them a call and we began moving back toward the car:

But Seamus, of course, wanted to go into the water before returning to the car. That way he'd be wet and covered with sand when he jumped in: Both dogs and kids seem to delight in making messes:

Dainty little Clover trotted up over the sand dunes toward the car. I got all the dogs loaded up and we continued on our way, traveling up Blue Ridge Road toward Newcomb:

I stopped at the Adirondack Buffalo Company along the way, both to enjoy the view and to buy some meat for my family's visit:

I purchased Bison meat and Elk meat to cook for my family and returned to the car to find the dogs all anxious about where I'd gone and why I'd left them behind. We then continued on our way, but I'll post more tomorrow:

Page 3 - North Hudson, New York, The Hub Of The Adirondacks

I was on my home from a weekend at the farm and making a driving photo tour of the town of North Hudson along Blue Ridge Road. As I reached the foot of the mountain, there were more houses along the road:

This, I suspected, had once been a general store:

An attractive home nestled beneath the trees:

All of North Hudson was sparsely populated and forested. I found it extremely attractive and thought it would be a nice place to come home to. But where would these people find work?:

Split rail fence and an old fashioned Snowball Bush:

A deep ravine with a rocky river ran alongside the road:

And the Blue Ridge Falls Campground:

A Mountain home:

Several wild and lovely bodies of water abutted the road. This one had a loon in the center of it, but it dove when it saw me point my camera:

A screened porch on which to relax and enjoy nature. A fenced yard for children and/or dogs. An attached garage for rough winter weather:

A nature lover's home in earth tones, with a deck and a picnic table. The Adirondack forest was omnipresent:

A big old Snowball Bush and an early burst of autumn color (this was in late August). But I'd reached the Northway and it was time to put down my camera and concentrate on the drive home. Just past the Northway exit was Frontier Town, also in North Hudson, but you've seen plenty of photos of that in past postings:

Page 2 - North Hudson, New York, The Hub Of The Adirondacks

I was on my way home from a weekend up at the farm with my usual carload of dogs. We'd made it to Blue Ridge Road in North Hudson and were headed down the mountain toward Exit 29 from which we'd drive the rest of the way home on the Northway. I was enjoying the scenic views and pleasant homes along the way:

This is Adirondack forest country and any home had to be surrounded by trees, mountains and wilderness. But these people clearly embraced that closeness with nature:

I passed by the entrance to the Ragged Mountain Fish And Game Club:

Now, this was real Adirondack living!:

More views of the surrounding mountains:

A traditional Adirondack home with a modern addition, a woodpile and a boat:

An old barn along the road, a reminder that some hardy souls once farmed here:

And the entrance road to the privately owned Elk Lake Resort. The road is also the starting point for several high peaks hikes. I once used it for a hike up Dix Mountain with a group of friends:

I passed by the bison of the Adirondack Buffalo Company as they grazed in their mountain pastures:

This house apparently belonged to the owners of the Adirondack Buffalo Company:

And their meat and gift shop set alongside the road with magnificent views of the surrounding mountains and the bison grazing below:

I continued down the mountain on Blue Ridge Road, encountering some increased population as I went. North Hudson was sparsely populated by anyone's standards, though. I'll post more photos tomorrow:

Page 1 - North Hudson, New York, The Hub Of The Adirondacks

We left the rest stop at the Boreas River and continued on our way down the mountain on Blue Ridge Road. This was all in the town of North Hudson and when I saw this new sign calling it "The Hub Of The Adirondacks," I decided to take some photos and record its beauty:

And the views from Blue Ridge Road were truly marvelous:

There were a few homes and a few cottages along the road, though mostly it was forested:

A stone house up on a hill:

Lichen covered banks alongside the road with trees on top:

More Adirondack mountains on the horizon:

And up close and personal:

A matching house, shed and dog house, with lots of firewood and an American flag:

A natural wood-toned home with a stone retaining wall:

A brand new home:

And an old trailer, set way back in the forest:

Daphne was thrilled to have the windows open so I could take pictures. But we were just coming to the more populated parts of Blue Ridge Road. I'll post more tomorrow: