The Last Leg Of The Journey Northward

The dogs and I had been driving for hours and were getting close to the farm. We had already stopped at the Ausable River and the Hayes Brook Horse Trail. But when I saw this service road leading off into the woods, I had to stop and do some exploring. I'm sure I don't need to explain that all the dogs were ecstatic about my decision:

These were exceedingly sandy soils, quite common in the Adirondacks, and both Seamus and Daphne were enjoying it as an outing. If you click to enlarge the picture, you'll notice the other two youngsters up ahead. The elders, Wally and Winky, were lagging behind:

There appeared to be a gravel pit up ahead and we followed the sandy lane to go check it out:

Alas, Winky is growing noticeably slower and I spend more time keeping an eye on him, urging him onward and, in some cases, giving him an assist. But he's also developing a more mellow personality and showing a great deal of joy:

I got all six dogs loaded up, counted noses two or three times for good measure and we continued on our way toward the farm:

Just south of the tiny town of Santa Clara, I'd noticed on Google Maps a swath of state land along a very wide section of the St. Regis River. Furthermore, it showed a long dirt road following the river and I intended to check it out. I pulled off the highway where it should be and found a boat launch/fishing access spot with an incredible view:

A friendly man and his little boy were fishing. I asked them about the road and was told there was none. So I continued on my way but have since realized that it's probably a barricaded service road and very likely a great hiking trail. Now I plan to go back and check it out again:

The St. Regis River is a breathtaking wild Adirondack waterway, and here where it was wide and placid I found it especially scenic. But after saying goodbye to the fishing duo and snapping a few photos, I continued on to the farm, just a few more miles northward:

The Hayes Brook Horse Trail

The dogs and I were on our way once again up to the farm and traveling through the beautiful Adirondack Park. When we turned onto Route 30, I began watching for the sign indicating the Hayes Brook Horse Trail, another favorite rest stop. I parked my car and the dogs all jumped out, running excitedly into the forest and sniffing everything:

Winky and Wally, both getting slower as they age, stayed together as they moved at their own speed. The youngsters could run wildly along the forest path if they wanted, but Wally and Winky had more mature thoughts and interests:

Daphne And Clover were, as always, full of fun and excitement. Life is a great joy for them and they investigate the world with such enthusiasm that it's difficult to not feel likewise:

I found another patch of Whorled Loosestrife, Lysimachia quadrifolia, along the trail, a beautiful plant and a flower I only discovered this year:

Winky was not moving very fast and we had to wait for him, but he seemed so happy about it all that it was a pleasure to have him along:

Seamus has such long legs that he can arrive almost anywhere ahead of the rest of us if he chooses to. Mostly though, he's happy to walk calmly along, thinking deep doggy thoughts and contemplating the world as he experiences it:

I ambled along the trail through the beautiful Adirondack forest with the young dogs ahead of me and the oldsters lagging behind. This is the same trail which my sister and I walked back in December when it was covered with snow. It was quite lovely then also:

Wally's eyesight is failing but his nose works just fine:

And Clover read the "forest newspaper" by sniffing everything:

All the dogs got themselves a good olfactory workout and we all got to stretch our legs and experience a bit of Adirondack forest. But it was time to continue our journey to the farm:

Driving Home Through The Adirondack Mountains

Another visit to the farm with all six of my dogs was over and we were driving through the Adirondacks on our way back to Albany. I made it a point to stop at the Hayes Brook Horse Trail for a rest area to see if the road was still blocked by a fallen tree. The tree had been cleared, but only by being pushed a bit to the side, giving me the idea that an ambitious traveler had done it, not a State employee. But the road was passable and I drove all the way into the forest and around the bend to Mountain Pond where the dogs got out to run. You can see in the shoreline behind Winky that the lake was still flooded:

But the scenery was as spectacular as always and we had the whole lake to ourselves:

The dogs are now quite used to these brief run/sniff/poop/pee breaks and their enthusiasm is remarkable:

After taking a break at Mountain Pond, we continued southward to the town of Brighton where a former hay field was being converted to a housing development. I turned up the construction road to take a look:

The views were fantastic, but I couldn't help but lament the loss of a hay field for expensive housing:

The utilities were in place, the lots were marked and some had already been sold. I suspect that building will be in progress by the next time I drive up to the farm:

And houses with views like this will surely not be cheap:

We continued on our way back toward Albany. When I saw that the little lakeside park along the Cascade Chain was free of snow and the steep access road passable, I turned in to give both the dogs and myself another rest stop. There was a mountain waterfall there to which I hoped to hike. You can see it in this picture if you click to enlarge it. I discovered the woods too muddy, however, so we never did climb up there:

We all jumped out of the car and headed into the woods. There were other people there also, but I managed to keep the dogs away and in the woods:

We walked across a small bridge toward the very nearby mountainside:

The time quickly arrived for us all to resume our journey southward, so I collected the dogs and once again made extra sure that all six were in the car with me (I've seen too many sitcoms of parents leaving a child behind at a gas station). I snapped one last photo and we were on our way back home:

The Beautiful High Peaks Country

The dogs and I were heading to the farm to spend the night and to show the farm house to potential renters. We'd made it through the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks and were approaching Paul Smith's when I stopped to snap a few pictures f the nearby mountains:

The fields were still brown but the mountaintop snow appeared to be melted. Spring had arrived in the Adirondacks:

We turned north on Route 30 as we continued on our way. I did not stop at Mountain Pond as I felt sure its access road would be flooded. But I did turn onto the entrance to the Hays Brook Horse Trail, knowing it was level and not too close to water. Alas, I found that it was also impassable:

Stymied once again, the dogs and I were anxious for a rest stop. And yes, that is indeed snow you see in front of the car:

So we kept driving and as the sky cleared, the Adirondack vistas opened up with great beauty before us:

I stopped to take a picture and you can almost read Daphne's mind in this photo. She seems to be wondering, "Where the heck is our rest stop?!?":

Route 458 took us to the end of the Adirondack Park. We were almost to the farm at that point. You can see Canada in the distance from here. If I can see another country from my house, does that qualify me to run for Vice-President?:

A Snow Covered Adirondack Forest

The next morning, my sister woke up to a surfeit of dogs. I'm sure she'd have preferred to sleep longer, but the dogs had other ideas. By this time, Madeline had made peace with my dogs and even allowed them on the bed:



A new day had begun. It was cold and snowing lightly, but my sister and I piled all seven dogs (yes, seven - can you imagine?) into the car and drove southward into the Adirondacks. We stopped to let the dogs out to play at the Hays Brook Horse Trail:

My sister led the way through the firs and balsams as snow fell lightly. The dogs ran ahead, then behind, but always stayed on the trail:

She looked like a Pied Piper type figure leading the dogs deeper and deeper into the snowy forest:

I lagged behind, taking photos. Fergus ran back to be sure I was OK, his ears flopping happily:

At another point I walked ahead of the pack and looked back to take a photo:

This was an uncommonly lovely forest, filled with aromatic balsams and frosted with snow like a living Christmas card. And speaking of Christmas, I wish you all a very happy holiday. I'll post more tomorrow: