A Happy Rest Stop At The Keene Cemetery

The dogs and I were on our way home from a weekend visit up to the farm. The day was beautiful, so when I reached the intersection of Routes 9 and 73 in the Keene Valley, I had to stop and take yet another photo of my favorite scene:

And since it was so lovely, I also drove up into the Keene Cemetery to give the dogs a rest stop and myself a great view of the surrounding mountains. I parked, put poop bags in my pocket and let the dogs out. Wally seemed to appreciate the clean air even though he couldn't see much of anything:

And the views were spectacular:

Seamus and the Papillons trotted around, sniffing everything:

A bit of running and playing followed:

And then more sniffing:

Old Winky and Wally couldn't appreciate the views, but I sure enjoyed them as I kept a watch on the dogs:

The younger dogs had settled into some serious sniffing:

But it was just a quick rest stop, and I called the dogs back to the car:

The three "Silly Sisters" resisted. They'd have preferred playing for several more hours:

  Winky couldn't hear me, so I waved my arms and clapped. By the way, don't fail to notice those majestic Adirondack peaks:

I got all the dogs loaded up into the car, counted noses several times and took one last look at the spectacular scenery. Then we were on our way once again:

The Adirondacks From I-87 To Keene, New York

Another Sunday dawned bright and clear, albeit cold, and it was time for another trip with the dogs up to the farm. I drove north on I-87 for over an hour before I began to see the real Adirondacks just ahead:

Though it's been a cold, snowy winter, there'd apparently been a recent thaw as this mountain alongside I-87 was almost completely snow free:

And once we'd pulled off onto Route 73, the first big mountains which came into view were Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge:

Unnamed mountains and valleys lined both sides of Route 73 and driving on such a clear, bright day was a scenic delight:

As we gained altitude, the mountains alongside the road began to show more and more snow:

This one, however, must have been too steep to hold its snow. I think it had just all fallen off:

The highway began to drop down into the Keene Valley, after which we'd drive right back up into the high peaks:

I stopped to take a picture and the dogs watched me with concern:

I stopped in the hamlet of Keene Valley (which, of course, is in the Keene Valley) and turned down Trail End Road to see what I could see. The view was wonderful:

 On we drove through the Keene Valley, with mountains rising up on both sides:  


These homes sure had spectacular views:

And this must surely have been a farm at one time. They still sometimes have horses in that pasture:

A Snowy Stop At Marcy Field

When my weekend up at the farm came to an end, I loaded the dogs into the car and headed toward home. We couldn't stop at Hays Brook because the snow was too deep, so the dogs never got out of the car until we reached Marcy Field in the Keene Valley. They were more than ready for their rest stop:

The views of the Adirondack mountains surrounding Marcy Field were lovely:

The dogs got busy exploring as soon as I let them out. Madeline and Wally walked over to a snow bank, decided not to attempt climbing it and turned around:

Seamus' long legs would carry him just about anywhere, but he likes to take the easy way and stayed in the plowed areas:

Winky waddled around sniffing and doing his business, mostly oblivious to what the other dogs were doing:

The road into the parking area had been plowed, which provided us with the opportunity for a rest stop and a good place to stop and view the surrounding mountains:

And the dogs had a grand time:

We stayed in the parking area on this trip even though there was a hiking trail. The snow was just too deep:

More doggy exploration and "sniffalization:"

Madeline struck out on her own to sniff the countryside:

And then wondered where everyone had gone:

I got all the dogs loaded back into the car, counted noses multiple times to allay my fears of leaving one of them behind - and headed back onto the highway to finish our journey home:

The High Peaks In Winter, Part 2

I was on Route 73, driving through the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks, on my way to a visit to the farm. The dogs and I had passed through the Giant Mountain region and began dropping down into the Keene Valley:

Daphne and Clover watched the passing scenery with interest:

We passed through the hamlet of St. Huberts:

There was a deep chasm right next to the road and then more mountains:

And once we were in the Keene Valley, there were flatlands surrounded by mountains:

A few farms have survived in the Keene Valley, but mostly it is now a place for tourists:

And the old barn I photograph on nearly every trip:

When we reached the high plateau of Route 458, the scenery became different but altogether gorgeous, kind of like driving through the Black Forest:

My front seat buddies:

And then, just ahead of me, I saw a Bobcat slowly crossing the road, not overly concerned with me or my car:

I pulled off the road onto the shoulder in order to watch his progress into the forest:

He became a little bit nervous after I'd stopped to watch him. When he reached the trees, he positioned himself behind one of them, stuck his head around the tree trunk and watched me suspiciously. The dogs never seemed to notice him, which was a good thing as they'd likely started barking. But we were close to the farm at that point and I pulled back onto the road to finish the journey:

Almost Winter In The High Peaks (But Not Quite)

We were on our way north to the farm for the weekend and had just had a great rest stop along the shore of the Schroon River. From there, I headed up Route 73 through the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks. We were making good time until I saw this scene in the Keene Valley and of course had to stop and take a photo. Now that we're all buried in snow it seems hard to believe that everything looked so "autumny" such a short time ago:

From the Keene Valley the road took us up into the High Peaks Region which began with the Cascade Lakes and a good view of what I think was Mount Marcy:

And toward Lake Placid, where lots of mountains framed every vista:

Many of the farm fields in the area are being given over to housing developments, but these fields are still growing hay and still providing beautiful views:

Daphne found the whole thing fascinating, Madeline kept her eyes on me and Clover focused her attention on more immediate concerns. Seamus, in the back of the car, also watches everything with a great interest:

And on through the town of Brighton, where more scenic vistas beckoned:

There wasn't yet much snow in the mountains, but there were lots of clouds caught in the peaks:

I stopped to snap these photos, but mostly we were making rapid progress toward the farm and would be there in record time. I'll post more tomorrow: