The End Of Autumn's Golden Glory

While I was making a driving tour of autumn's last golden leaves, I snapped this photo at the Fort Jackson Cemetery:

And these brilliant trees along the Port Kent Road:

This lovely scene was at a bridge on Days Mill Road:

A farm field surrounded by shimmering, pale gold:

And two new, massive stone walls amidst the golden maples on the Port Kent Road:

An orange explosion:

And fireworks of gold:

A joyful symphony of color:

The Hopkinton town square:

In the Fort Jackson Town Park:

Brilliantly colored understory trees beneath taller, older trees:

And a single fiery burst of orange on the shoreline of the St. Regis River. This was pretty much the last color of the season. It won't be long before I'll be taking photos of the snowy scenery:

A Country Autumn, Part 2

I took a drive on the Port Kent Road to see the autumn colors and, while I was at it, explored many side roads where I'd never been before. The result was a record of autumn glory which is repeated each year but never grows stale:

 Wonderful bursts of orange, gold, yellow and green, shooting skyward:

 An old cabin falling into ruin. It was an authentic log structure with chinking, a link to our past which soon will disappear:

 Brighter reds and oranges, all mixed in with green, blue and white:

 Towering color:

 Brilliantly orange with a smaller bronze tree nearby:

 Daphne seemed to appreciate the country color also as we passed by a farm field backed up by colorful forest:

 Exorbitant color:

 A logging operation with autumn trees and blue skies as a backdrop:

 An almost hidden meadow, set way back in the trees:

 A gloriously rich carpet of red and gold on a hill behind a farm field:

 The last photo I took on my way back home was of the St. Regis River, far below the highway bridge. It seemed to be the perfect way to draw this series of autumn color to a close:

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:

Part 1 - A Journey On The Port Kent Road

Tuesday morning dawned and it was time to drive back home to Albany, this time knowing that I'd be moving permanently very soon. So I decided to drive along the Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike. It's a series of small, rural roads now, but once was the major thoroughfare through the northern Adirondacks:

The road took me alongside the lovely and wild St. Regis River:

And I stopped to admire the beauty, hear the roar of the water against the rocks and smell the pines, spruce and balsams:

Even though there was no traffic at all, I didn't let the dogs out because we were parked on the side of the road. There'd soon be more chances for the dogs to get out and have fun:

Everton Falls was just up ahead. I've walked in to see it in the past, but this time just photographed it from the road:

The Papillons also enjoyed the view. Well, Madeline and Clover enjoyed it, anyway. Daphne was totally focused on what I might be up to. She just never knows what mischief I might get into:

There was a small parking area and canoe access near the falls which, I've read, includes a hiking trail. I've not yet tried hiking it, though:

I pulled away from the river and continued along the Port Kent Road:

Until, that is, we reached the Red Tavern Hotel. This is a truly historic site and still in operation:

When I reached the Deer River Corridor, I pulled off the road into one of my favorite and most remote rest stops:

I followed a narrow dirt lane back into the forest and let the dogs out, being careful to keep an eye on old Wally and Winky. Both of them had shown signs of faltering health lately:

We walked down to the Deer River to admire the scenery. You can see why I love this spot. But I'll post more tomorrow: