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:

From The Giant Mountain Area To The Keene Valley

The dogs and I were making another trip up to the farm and had just made a rest stop at our little campsite near the Ausable River. From there we headed northwest on Route 73 through the Giant Mountain region:

Even though it had so far been an exceptionally mild winter, there was snow in them thar mountains. The dogs watched me every time I got out to take a photo:

Mountaintops loomed all along the edges of the roads:

Because I so love to hike, I often gaze at mountaintops and evaluate their potential for good hiking. This one had lots of bare rock surfaces which would provide nice scenic views:

And speaking of rocky mountain surfaces, get a load of this:

And then Route 73 began to drop us down into the Keene Valley:

This lovely little farm in the Keene Valley was one of the most picturesque:

And more mountains rose up on both sides of the valley:

It was such a clear, fine day that I stopped at Marcy Field to snap a photo:

And again at the intersection of Routes 73 and 9N. I never tire of this view:

God bless New York State for creating the Adirondack Park and protecting these wilderness lands. It is today the largest protected area in the lower 48 states, larger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier and Grand Canyon National Park combined:

Driving Home Through The Adirondack High Peaks Region

We'd reached the Keene Valley, the dogs and I, and were on our way home from a trip up to the farm. I pulled up the hill into the Keene Cemetery to give the dogs a rest stop and to see the colorful high peaks. I was not disappointed:

In case you suppose that I thoughtlessly allow the dogs to mess up a lovely cemetery, I assure you that I walk them into the forest and away from the mowed grave sites. When the dogs were all walked and satisfied, I loaded them back up into the car and began to exit. But of course I kept stopping to snap pictures of the surrounding scenery:

The cemetery sits high on a hill in the Keene Valley with the Adirondack's high peaks in direct view. And on this day in October the mountains were clothed in autumn colors:

The skies were filled with clouds which alternately cast shadows on the surrounding landscape and, opening up, allowed the sun to cause the autumn colored mountains to glow. Sometimes the low flying clouds drifted across the tops of the mountains, an effect I always find particularly beautiful:

We drove back down the cemetery road and resumed our journey on Route 73. But I'd only gone a short distance before I stopped one more time to photograph the nearby mountains:

And when we passed Marcy Field, I pulled right in to stop and enjoy the mountain views:

Marcy Field is apparently no longer used for airplanes. It is now the scene of weekly Farmers' Markets. To me it is a wonderful place to view the surrounding mountains. But we still had a long journey ahead of us, so I hopped back into the car and continued on my way:

Cascade Lakes And The High Peaks Around Mt. Marcy

The dogs and I were driving north through the Adirondacks on our way to the farm. We'd stopped at the Marcy Field trail head as well as the roadside park on the shores of the Ausable River. There was still snow in the woods of the Adirondacks, but the roads and open spaces had melted and the air was pleasant. We began our ascent up Route 73 into the high peaks region:



After a bit of driving uphill, we arrived at the beautiful Cascade Chain of lakes:

This series of small lakes stretches out along the highway in a deep valley with mountains on both sides. As you can see, the surface of the lakes was still frozen:

And some snow remained in the mountains. I tried to pull into the little park which had been buried in snow all winter, but found that the entrance road was still unplowed and impassable:

Yes, it still looked like winter, but the air felt very much like spring:

It's all so close to the road in that narrow valley that the dogs had to stay in the car. Besides, they'd just had a rest stop at Marcy Field:

Right next to the road were the towering cliffs of small but steep mountains:

And then we drove on towards Lake Placid, where the mountains are much larger:

The views across the hay fields just south of Lake Placid were magnificent. If you wanted to hike up Mount Marcy, you'd begin on this road:

And just ahead we could see the ski jump towers of the Olympic Complex at Lake Placid. We were on our way: