The Cornell University Maple Research Center

My sister and I had just visited the John Brown farm in Lake Placid, NY (see yesterday's post) and began driving back to the main road. But we had to stop for photo of the Adirondack high peaks behind the John Brown farm. You can just see the peak of the John Brown farm house above the little shed. As for the mountains, I can't identify them although I probably hiked a good number of them when I was younger:

We could also see the Lake Placid Olympic ski jumps from the John Brown farm:

So before getting back on the main road, we pulled in for a closer look. The picture doesn't convey the immense size of these things. They were impressive!

Before leaving Lake Placid, we stopped at the Cornell University Maple Research Station:

It was very much open, even though they weren't currently boiling sap:

We went inside the sugar house to see the huge, modern evaporator:

Signs explained the operation:

And maple syrup was available for folks to buy if they arrived when the building wasn't open:

And then we went into the main building:

That was a busy place, with a number of people unpacking boxes of empty jugs and then filling them with syrup:

There was, of course, maple syrup for sale - and lots of it:

One man began explaining the operation to us:

They also make birch syrup, so he gave us a taste. The funny thing was that everyone described the taste differently. The man said it was savory, not sweet. My sister said it was fruity. I thought it tasted like molasses. Some people say it has a mineral taste. One thing I can say is that it is much more expensive than maple syrup, largely because it takes more sap per gallon of syrup, but also (I suspect) because there are fewer big birch trees in the forest and a smaller market for it. My sister purchased both types of syrup to take back with her to Ohio. This was the end of our Adirondack excursion, so we headed back to the farm to let the dogs out. They were sure happy to see us:

Adirondacks From Keene To Brighton, New York

We were on our way up to the farm, the dogs and I, and traveling Route 73 through the High Peaks Region. This photo was taken just as we began to climb up into the mountains:

Route 73 took us past the Cascade Lakes with what I think was Mount Marcy up ahead:

Past an old farm:

With mountains visible in nearly every direction:

I stopped on Adirondack Loj Road to snap a photo of the mountains, but the dogs got into the act also:

And from there I could see Lake Placid just ahead. Those are the Olympic Ski Jumps towering over the town:

And entering Lake Placid, I got a better look at the ski jumps:


Another great view from the highway:

We traveled on Route 86 through the town of Brighton and stopped for pictures. You can see how full the back of my car was. I move more up to the farm house with every trip even though it crowds the back seat dogs:


These remaining shots were actually taken on our way home. This one was taken at the intersection of Adirondack Loj Road. The three Papillons were fascinated with it all:

A great view of snowy peaks:

And finally, one photo of Whiteface Mountain just about 10 miles away:

Through The High Peaks And Arriving At The Farm

I was driving to the farm with all six dogs in the car and had reached the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks. I turned off on Adirondack Loj Road to get a few shots of the amazing mountains surrounding the hay field there:

And since the day was so lovely and since I wasn't in any hurry, I continued along Adirondack Loj Road to see the scenery:

These farm fields are surrounded by some of the loftiest peaks in the Adirondacks. They must surely have been difficult to farm because of the severe winters back when they were first cleared, but now are expensive real estate providing spectacular views:

This log home had 360 degree views of the fields and mountains:

And when I looked toward the northwest, I could see the town of Lake Placid and its twin Olympic ski jumps:

I drove on, entering Lake Placid and stopped once again at the Adirondack Equine Center which was deserted on that Sunday morning. It offered me a fabulous view of Whiteface Mountain:

And other Adirondack peaks which I couldn't identify:

We traveled on through the town of Brighton where more excellent views gave me another opportunity to try out my new camera:

And soon enough we arrived at the farm. I turned on the water, set the thermostat higher and put pillows on the floor for the dogs' comfort:

Seamus had just gotten a haircut at PetSmart that very morning and they'd provided him with a colorful bandanna which I left on. He made himself comfy:

Winky truly enjoys being part of the pack and going where we go even though he's sometimes cranky and often resistant to do what he's told. Winky is a special case, a foster dog which would have been risky to place in any other home. So he happily stayed with me. Maybe he'd planned it that way all along:

It wasn't yet near their 5:00 feeding time, but judging by the look on their hopeful faces, I'd say that all six dogs were wishing I'd feed them early. The contractors had planned to begin the barn restorations that Monday but hadn't yet done anything that I could see. But I'll post more tomorrow:

Driving Home From The Farm - From Lake Colby To The Keene Valley

The dogs and I left for home early on Tuesday morning and I took the usual, fastest route. When we passed Lake Colby near the town of Saranac Lake, I pulled off the road to watch the people ice fishing. Daphne found them all fascinating. I sure wish I could have read her mind:

I stopped right in the middle of the town of Saranac Lake to photograph some lovely old homes along the shore of Lake Flower:

In the town of Lake Placid I pulled in to the Equestrian Center hoping to find both scenic views and and a place to let the dogs out. I succeeded only in the former:

The Lake Placid Equestrian Center was a great place for scenic views of the Adirondack mountains even though the day was overcast:

Farther along, I stopped on Adirondack Loj Road for a view of the high peaks near Mount Marcy:

And from there I could also see the Olympic Ski Jumps of Lake Placid:

Route 73 then took us over the mountains toward the Keene Valley:

And then drops steeply down into the Keene Valley:

The views here are quite nice but the places to stop and take photos are few. I took advantage of whatever pull-offs I could find:

At the intersection of Routes 73 and 9N I stopped once again to photograph my favorite scene of all. The skies had cleared by then although a few wispy clouds drifted across the mountaintops:

The Adirondacks here are close at hand and one can see, at least on a clear day, great detail atop the peaks:

It was a grand scene but not a safe place to let the dogs out. So I snapped one more photo and continued on my way toward home:

From The Cascade Lakes To The High Peaks Region

We were on our way up to the farm, the dogs and I. When we reached the Cascade Lakes I was again awestruck by the beauty and had to stop for a photo:

The lakes were frozen over but I saw no ice skaters. I did see rocky cliffs rising up on both sides of the valley, though:

Daphne, Clover and Seamus watched my every move when I got out of the car:

These cliffs are favorites of rock climbers. This sign reminded me to look closely for climbers:

And I did see some. These rock climbers were much higher than it appears here. I couldn't get the whole cliff in the photo and still see the people, so I opted for just this portion. I have noticed that these climbers seem to prefer ice to rock and I find that odd. I'd be afraid the ice could shift or worse, although I'm sure it's easier to set a piton in ice:

Mountains on the southeast side of the valley, just across one of the Cascade Lakes:

I've never been able to identify that snowy peak which can be seen, at least on clear days, from the Cascade Lakes. Anybody out there know its identity?:

But I had six dogs waiting impatiently back in the car and it was time to resume our journey:

We drove on through the high peaks region and stopped at Adirondack Loj Road for more pictures of the surrounding mountains:

We were close to the town of Lake Placid and could see the Olympic jump towers on the outskirts of town. John Brown's historic farm was just ahead and off to the left of this photo:

I've always been fascinated by that sharp cliff and mountain pass in the distance. I can't identify it, but in days past have hiked in places which probably looked like that (Avalanche Pass comes to mind):

But there's always anxious dogs urging me to get back on the road and do something more interesting. So I resumed the journey toward the farm. I no longer try to make it quickly. Instead, I opt for making it an interesting learning experience: