Beautiful October In The North Country

I traveled along Converse Road in Fort Jackson, New York to photograph this golden colonnade:

And on nearby Sheldon Road, I found a corner lot filled with these beautiful leaves:

There is a gravel road beside my house where I saw these red Sumacs:

Continuing down the gravel road, red and yellow trees towered above me:

I like autumn color when there is still enough green to highlight the red and yellow:

Along a neighbor's property:

A tree so red it almost glowed:

A small hay field between a stone wall and an autumn colored woodland:

Explosions of color all along the road:

Down toward the end of the road, this house was selling pumpkins:

The light colored bark of Aspen trees stood out among the brighter colors:

And colorful trees bordered the Amish farmer's pasture. It is down the road from his house and barn, and he takes a milk can down there in his buggy every morning, milks his cows and hauls the milk back to his family. New York's north country is beautiful all year long, but October is especially so:

Autumn Color Along The St. Regis River

I walked the dogs in the Fort Jackson, New York Town Park, a trail which ran along the shore of the east branch of the St. Regis River (see previous two posts). All along the river I snapped photos of the lovely autumn color on the far shore. I couldn't seem to stop myself, so when I got home, I separated some out for their own blog post. Here's what I saw:

All of these photos are of the northeast shore:

Notice little Jack and Daphne, exploring the shoreline on our side of the river:

Brilliant splashes of red and orange, mixed in with the evergreens:

Autumn beauty:

The maple bough added depth and beauty to the scene:

Taken from a shady spot beneath the trees:

Brilliant colors:

A closer view, using my zoom lens:

We were on our way back to the car when I took this, the opposite shore then on our left side:

I marveled at the colors:

The last shot, just before we walked to our parked car:

Fort Jackson Town Park - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking a short trail along the St. Regis River in the Fort Jackson (New York) Town Park. Little Clover went ahead to check out the shoreline:

And Daphne found a quiet spot to get a drink of cold water:

Seamus, who has had some leg problems lately, was unusually active and playful:

And all the dogs were happy and playful as they romped through the woods:

I kept noticing the beautiful trees on the opposite shore so took some photos of them while we were there. But I'll post those separately tomorrow. Jack, Daphne and Clover did a bit of exploring:

We reached private land and the trail ended, so we turned around and began walking back to our car:

This is a small, rural park but unusually beautiful - and a great place for happy dogs to run and play, Notice orange colored Jack (almost the same color as the fallen leaves) running and leaping and leading the way along the trail:

They were a happy pack as we proceeded along back toward the parking area:

Clover climbed up on a big rock to check out the area. She often does this and I always wonder if that is a genetic behavioral remnant from when dogs were wolves, a way to search for prey and/or enemies:

Jack and Clover trotted down to the riverbank for a cold drink and I got a shot of beautiful autumn color:

But much of the autumn color was just pale yellow. It too was beautiful:

The dogs were so full of energy and I knew we were alone in the park, so I didn't even call them to heel as we neared the parking area. It had been a happy, scenic walk:

Fort Jackson Town Park - Part 1

I had just finished a driving tour (see previous two posts) and decided to take the dogs for a walk in the Fort Jackson State Forest, accessible from Converse Road. But I found a number of pickup trucks parked in the state forest and decided they had to be hunters - not a good time for us to be hiking. So instead, I pulled into the rural Fort Jackson Town Park. I opened the car door and the dogs ran wildly down to the banks of the east branch of the St. Regis River:

They were even more excited than usual, and I had to holler at them to get their attention. Luckily, there was no one around to hear me. The dogs began to calm down after their initial frenzy:

Even old Seamus got carried away, running until I got him to hold still on the rocks at the river's edge:

I took off along the shore line, and clover and Daphne went ahead to sniff things out:

Fergus, a sensitive soul, wanted to be sure I wasn't too angry. I assured him that I wasn't, but that he'd do well to keep it that way:

We walked to Big Hollow Brook, a tributary of the St. Regis River, and began exploring:

I did a bit of rock hopping and the four small dogs, now calmed down, followed me out onto the big, flat rocks. Seamus, with his wobbly legs, stayed safe on dry land:

And then we began following a trail along the St. Regis River:

The sun was shining even though it was chilly, a lovely day for a walk along the river:

The trail is short but follows the river and has exquisite views:

And giant rocks are scattered around, remnants of the glaciers' retreat:

Jack and Daphne explored the cold water and then decided dry land was best. There was more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Converse Road - Part 2

I was driving on Converse Road in the tiny hamlet of Fort Jackson, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). I came to this old barn, abandoned since I moved to the area. I was surprised to see it fenced off and with Herefords grazing by the side of the road. That square, wooden silo is typical around here:

I stopped one more time at the other end of the barn:

And then continued on along Converse Road, most of which is wooded and beautiful this time of year:

This historic home is the only brick home I know of in the area:

More colorful woodlands:

A barn and concrete silo:

The road was lined with the remnants of old stone walls and with brilliantly colored trees:

A farm house, all decorated for Halloween:

This maple lined section of Converse Road turns solid gold late in the fall, but it was still green when I took this drive:

Almost at the end of Converse Road is a farm with Red Angus cattle. I thought at first that this must be a cattle barn, but decided that like most beef cattle, their Angus stayed outdoors and were fed from the grain bin by the overhead door:

I turned around at this beautiful hay field, and my driving tour of Converse Road came to a close: