Part 4 - A Journey On The Port Kent Road

We were stopped at Grass Pond for a little fun and recreation on way home from the farm. Clover and Daphne were the first to arrive at the end of the boardwalk:

Clover jumped off the end of the boardwalk to explore the sights and smells of the marsh before the other dogs arrived. Madeline and Daphne watched her over the edge of the boardwalk but declined to join her:

When I got there, I was awed by the wild, natural beauty of the quiet pond:

This was the Adirondacks that most tourists don't get to see:

But this was just a rest stop, and soon we were headed back up to our parked car where old Winky and Wally slept, pretty much oblivious to all that was going on:

Seamus must have decided that he was a nature boy and refused to walk on the boardwalk, preferring only to step on the mossy ground alongside:

Madeline, she with the perpetual smile, was only too happy to use the easy wooden surface:

And we all paraded happily back up to the parked car, just visible through the brush:

There was a flurry of "Papillony" activity just as we reached the car, but everything went smoothly:

I did a head count and pulled back onto the Port Kent Road, here only a seasonal road:

And then we continued heading southeast toward Route 3, passing this logging operation on the way:

We passed through the little town of Loon Lake and turned south onto Route 3. I put my camera away and concentrated on driving, at least for the time being. But we were to have one more rest stop, and I'll post about that tomorrow:

Part 3 - A Journey On The Port Kent Road

I was on the way home from a weekend at the farm and driving the seasonal roads of the Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike. Views like this one should explain why I chose that route:

Wetlands, mountains, loons, wildflowers, the smells of pine and balsam - all on a dirt road which almost nobody else seems to use. It was, as always, magical:

I often seen ducks, geese and loons here, but there were none that day:

I don't know which mountains those are in the background, or even if they have a name. There are so many in every direction that I just can't keep track of them. Even the 46 high peaks are impossible for me to know when I see them poking up above the others. Sometimes I can guess from their profiles, though, such as with Nippletop and Rooster Comb:

But I'd taken lots of photos and it was time to continue on our way:

The Port Kent Road took us along past more wetlands, more mountains:

And up a hill where the scenery reminded me of my Oregon summers as a boy:

But I stopped once again when we reached Grass Pond:

Wally and Winky were too old and tired to even want to get out, so I left them snoozing in the car while the youngsters raced down the boardwalk to the water:

Just ahead was Grass Pond, a scenic paradise:

The boardwalk was built by the state to make it handicapped accessible, but I noticed it also kept people (and dogs) from churning up the soil and trampling plants:

The boardwalk took a rather serpentine path, presumably so it wouldn't be too steep. Imagine a wheelchair running amok and racing down a steep slope, right into the lake. No, it was better that the boardwalk be zigzag. I'll post more tomorrow:

Chapter 3, Autumn Beauty On Port Kent Road

We'd reached the most remote part of the Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike, a seasonal road through the northern Adirondack forest which I consider my favorite route home. I stopped to take photos of many lovely scenes, including this wetland with a patch of fiery orange on the far shore and leaves so brightly colored on the base of the mountain that one could be forgiven for thinking it was on fire and spreading up toward the summit: 

The dogs watched me with great interest every time I got out of the car to take a picture:

I know what you're thinking now, that I've gone overboard hitting the "Enhance" button. I assure you that this scene photo got only the usual editing and, in fact, my software doesn't even have an "Enhance" button. Breathtaking, isn't it?:

The Port Kent Road descends from there down through a mixed forest which was also spectacularly beautiful. I could see through the trees that mountains were just ahead:

The road leveled out but the glorious colors continued:

I stopped at Grass Pond to let the dogs out once more:

Old Wally and Winky seemed happy snoozing in the car, so I just let the younger dogs out for a romp down the wheelchair ramp toward Grass Pond:

And the dogs were appreciative, basking in the natural wonder of the Adirondacks:

But this was just a quick rest stop and within minutes we were walking back up toward the car:

We continued onward and I rolled down a few windows for the dogs' enjoyment (that's sweet Madeline's freckled face in the side view mirror):

Near the hamlet of Loon Lake, I turned off on a small dirt road because a state sign said there was a public fishing spot that way. In fact, it was called Fishhole Pond. The road to it took us through dense forests with lots more autumn color:

We reached Fishhole Pond and it was indeed spectacular. But I went no farther. I snapped a photo and turned back toward the Port Kent Road. But there was a lot of autumn color along the way, and I'll post about that tomorrow:

From Grass Pond To Vermontville On Scenic Route 3

I'd just left from our rest stop in the Boreal Forest along the Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike when I saw this sign for Grass Pond Fishing Access Site. Just completed a year or two ago, it is a handicapped accessible walk down to the lovely Grass Pond. Of course I stopped:

Since we'd just had a rest stop, I left old Wally and Winky napping in the car and proceeded down the walkway with the four younger dogs:

It wasn't far, and I shortly saw Grass Pond just ahead:

We walked to the edge of the pond and took in the magnificent Adirondack views:

Aptly named, Grass Pond's edges are chock full of grasses which seem to filling in the pond from the perimeter in, much in the same way that Sphagnum does:

Clover and Daphne wasted no time and ran right out onto the grass/water combination. They were light enough to get away with it but I knew better than to try it myself:

But then giant Seamus ran out there also and he didn't seem to be sinking. Nonetheless, I decided not to chance it myself. Maybe some other time:

But as always, this was only a brief rest stop and withing a few minutes I called the dogs back toward our parked car where Wally and Winky snoozed comfortably:

Seamus was reluctant to leave the water but ran right ahead of me after he'd done so:

We turned south on Route 3. By then it was lunch time, so I stopped at the Birch Bark Deli for a sub. Their restroom was not yet open. That had to wait for summer when they didn't have to worry about frozen pipes:

I headed south on Route 3 toward Bloomingdale, where I passed this field of Herefords with a backdrop of mountains. This looks more like Wyoming than New York. I guess that's part of why they call it the Empire State:

The farms along the way were beautiful, framed with forests and mountain peaks. I ate my sub and kept driving toward home. When I got to the town of Saranac Lake, I turned onto Route 86 and continued on our usual route:

Travelling The Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike

One of my favorite routes through the northern Adirondacks is the series of small roads, some unpaved and seasonal, which began in the 1800s as a major thoroughfare. This important development in the opening up of our country's wilderness lands ran from Port Kent, on the western shore of Lake Champlain, to Hopkinton, a frontier town in northern New York. My farm is just a hop, skip and jump from Hopkinton, so it's a grand experience for me to take this route. The scenery is wonderful and there's almost no one else on the road at all:

And one of my favorite picture taking spots is this glorious, unspoiled wilderness wetland which abuts the road. On the day I passed by there were Orange Hawkweed, Hieracium aurantiacum, in bloom along the edge of the road:

These are the waters where I often see and hear Loons:

The water level comes right up to the road, covering the base of many of these trees. So I really can't go hiking in and exploring. The "Private Property - No Trespassing" signs, however, seem to have vanished:

The marshy edges which had many Wild Azaleas in bloom in May were now sporting red bunches of Sheep Laurel blossoms. If you click to enlarge this photo, you can see one of them. Or, for a closer view, click on the label, "Sheep Laurel" label below:

We traveled on and stopped once again at another tiny lane taking us deep into the forest alongside the waters of Grass Pond. The dogs were, of course, all excited:

Crabby little old Winky had a bit of trouble keeping up. It's hard to know with him if he has trouble walking that fast or is just being contrary. With him, it could be either or both. He seemed to want to stay near the car, but I urged him on:

Deeper and deeper into the forest:

And then back to the car to continue on our way. As you can see, turning around to head back to the main road is tricky business sometimes: