Stark Falls Reservoir

The dogs and I had just hiked down to the Raquette River on the canoe carry and returned to our car, which was parked near the boat launch ramp on the shore of the Stark Falls Reservoir:

But how could I leave without exploring? I called the dogs over and we began walking the shoreline near the dam:

Seamus, as always, was the first and most enthusiastic to go into the water:

But Fergus soon joined him. It was too hot to stay onshore:

Clover, not generally a water dog, went into the water again, but mostly just sniffed the grass by the water's edge:

It was all great fun as we walked along the shoreline:

Fergus climbed up on a giant rock:

And the views were magnificent:

Daphne was all smiles:

But there was no trail and the temperatures were going up rapidly, so we headed back to the car:

The dogs and I had ourselves a happy, healthy, cooling and fun morning, but it was time to head for home:

I took one last photo of the dogs in the car before we began the journey home:

The Stark Easement Canoe Carry - Part 2

The dogs and I were exploring the shoreline of the Raquette River, at the end of the canoe carry, and it was scenic indeed:

There were Common Blue Damselflies galore in the Alders at the water's edge:

And in keeping with the blue theme, there were ripe blueberries everywhere. I ate a few:

Fergus and Seamus went back into the water:

Jack smiled up at me from beneath the blueberry bushes as if asking if he could get wet too. He did go in:

Clover and Daphne went in the water - and yes, that is Jack, partially hidden by the foliage, in the water with them:

Meanwhile, I just looked across the water and appreciated the beauty:

Seamus, dripping wet, came over to say hello and shake water all over me:

And then we started back up the trail toward our parked car. I tripped and fell once, but wasn't hurt. I limped for a few minutes until my ankles began working properly again. Life with braces and damaged ankles has its inconveniences:

A moss covered side trail beckoned us farther into the forest for a side trip, but the deer flies soon changed my mind and we returned to the canoe carry trail:

We again passed by the power lines and I renewed my vow to walk up there and follow them in the autumn:

Clover and Daphne couldn't wait. They began running up the trail and had to be called back. I put leashes on the dogs as we crossed the access road, and soon we were back at our parked car:

The Stark Easement Canoe Carry - Part 1

I'd left the house windows open and the fans running all night, but it was still hot and muggy inside the house. The weather promised to be even more uncomfortable as the day wore on, so I decided to take the dogs to some Adirondack water while it was still morning. I drove 32 miles south to the Stark Easement without any idea what I'd find as we'd never been there before. When I saw a sign down a trail saying "Canoe Carry," that's where we went:

It was an easy, flat trail and we had no company whatsoever, so I let the dogs off their leashes:

We passed a strip where the power lines ran. I'd love to explore that on some other, cooler day:

The deer flies were hungry but only seemed to bother me, not the dogs:

Nonetheless, it was a pleasant hike and presumably a short one. I really had no idea, but canoe carries are not generally very long because people don't want to carry their canoes too far:

The shade protected us from the heat of the summer sun:

Then we arrived at a grassy path down the center of what must have been a long peninsula. I could see water on both sides of us:

We arrived at the Raquette River and a magnificent view. The Raquette River is dammed in many places for hydro power and there are numerous reservoirs and just plain wide spots:

The dogs broke into a run, all excited about the water ahead:

And all the dogs went in, beginning with Seamus, Fergus and Daphne:

This was glorious scenery, with cooling waters, expansive views, Meadowsweet blossoms and ripe blueberries:

It was magnificent. I kind of wished I could go in also, but I didn't. We had more yet to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

The Colton, New York Museum - Part 2

I was touring the Colton, New York Museum (see part 1, yesterday) and enjoying the old time articles from local lives and families:

I passed the side door, where the historian was relaxing, enjoying the view of the Raquette River:

I went upstairs, where there were many old dresses from bygone eras:

A women's hat:

Glass bottles for holding shampoo and toilet water:

A baby doll in excellent shape:

A doll in a wicker carriage:

This doll was not so old and, as often happens in local museums, I realized that I have reached an age where some of their "artifacts" are from the era of my own childhood or, as in this case, even after my childhood:

Another doll in a rocking horse. I sure do remember when these rocking horses were everywhere:

Little girls loved their dolls and often kept them throughout their lives. Eventually they wind up in a museum:

A wedding dress, another beloved memento kept for many years and now a museum piece. There was a note which dated this dress to the early 1930s:

There was a very large upstairs room entirely devoted to a man's collection of art and artifacts from all around the world. The lighting and the glass cases prevented me from taking any photos, but I did learn that the man who collected all this purchased the house for use as a museum so his treasures could be preserved and displayed. I remembered in my childhood when collecting artifacts from around the world was popular. It seems now that we've begun to long for our own roots, and people are anxious to see artifacts from local history. I guess we've reached the point where such things seem as exotic as those from Asia or Africa once seemed. But this was my last stop in the museum. I thanked the historian and went on my way:

The Colton, New York Museum - Part 1

The little Adirondack town of Colton, New York sits on the scenic banks of the Raquette River and I drove there one sunny Saturday to see the town museum:

The museum was located in an old house, which was once the parsonage for the Episcopal church which is still right next door. I learned that this house once also served as a temporary school after the main school had a fire. Now it is the town museum:

I signed in, got a bit of local lore from the historian and began my tour in a room devoted to the Colton Fire Department's 100th anniversary. I was most taken, however, by this church pump organ:

And sitting atop the organ was this bit of calendar kitsch from the year 1915, exactly 100 years ago:

I walked slowly around the museum, snapping pictures where I could. It was difficult because the rooms were dark (an old fashioned fuse had blown that morning) and the bright sun was streaming through the windows. Our eyes know how to handle that but cameras have a lot of trouble. I was enthralled by this old kitchen. It seemed to have popped right out of my childhood:

A coffee grinder from Cook's store in Colton, 1923:

An old radio:

An old style telephone. Even I am not old enough to remember these being used:

I was surprised when I saw the bathroom, looking much as it did 50 years ago:

An entire back room was devoted to Adirondack and Raquette River tools, occupations and lore:

This was a frontier town not too long ago and the exhibits in this room illustrated the town's pride in that heritage. There were stuffed animals, birch trees, campfire setups and all manner of Adirondack memorabilia:

And of course snowshoes and mounted fish, both reminders of winters in the forests and fishing on the Raquette River. But there was still more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: