Autumn Leaves Along The St. Regis River

The Fort Jackson town park is a beautiful place to walk at any time of the year, but a walk in October along the St. Regis River is especially colorful:

The trail took me along one side of the river, which allowed me to photograph the beautiful trees on the other side:

Jack and Daphne were happy to be outside, exploring and traipsing through the fallen leaves:

And then Clover joined them, racing toward the water's edge:

Explosions of color on the opposite shore:

The mighty St. Regis River added a wild aspect to an otherwise calm scene:

Roll on, river, past the trees as they prepare for the winter to come:

Brilliant colors:

Lots of gold in this scene:

Quiet beauty:

The opposite shore would have drawn me into its forest but for the river, which acted as a barrier. My side of the river seemed duller in color, but perhaps that was just because I couldn't see it from a distance:

Clover and Jack found another place to access the water. These dogs sure live a happy life:

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:

Colorful Converse Road - Part 1

Most of the brilliant red leaves had already fallen and some trees were bare. We'd had a hard freeze the previous night and I was on my way home from the hardware store when I passed Converse Road. My camera was in my pocket and it was a lovely autumn day. Thinking this might be my last chance to photograph some wondrous fall color, I turned onto Converse Road:

I photograph the autumn color along Converse Road every year and didn't want to miss out this year. I wasn't disappointed. The dairy farmer who owns this woodland sometimes puts calves in it:

I passed the lovely Fort Jackson town park:

And an unused red barn beside an even brighter red tree:

Most of the red leaves had fallen, leaving only yellow and gold, but there were still a few trees of exceptional redness:

I passed a dried, brown cornfield, backed up by colorful autumn trees:

And a small flock of sheep which was almost hidden behind the trees:

Deep woodlands which seemed to glow with yellow and green:

Converse Road is lovely at any time of year, but beyond beautiful in the autumn:

Like leaves on fire:

Muted yellows, greens and golds:

A colorful tunnel of trees, beckoning the traveler to explore just a little farther, just a little bit farther. And so I did, which means there will be a Part 2, posted tomorrow: