Dartbrook Rustic Goods

My dogs were still anxious for a rest stop but I nonetheless decided to pay a visit to Dartbrook Rustic Goods in Keene. I parked the car and got out, but before I went into the main store, visited the little cabin just off to the side:

The little cabin was filled with Adirondack decor and furniture:

Such as this amazing coat rack. I didn't even look at the price lest I have a heart attack:

A moose head and an Adirondack style bed. I could live like that:

Then I went into the main store:

And found an even more amazing variety of Adirondack goods:

I met one of the owners and got his permission to take pictures. I also learned that they make most of that furniture themselves in a workshop just off the main building. I was very impressed. Their website is here if you'd like to learn more:

They specialized in birch bark furniture and there are beautiful examples of it in every room:

Tables, chairs, benches, bookcases, dressers, desks, picture frames, mirrors - just about anything you might want to furnish your rustic lodge:

I was very impressed:

I walked up the stairs where there yet more rooms full of Adirondack style furnishings:

The only thing I ever bought there was a birch bark picture frame. That's more in my price range. I can tell you, however, that the recipient loved her new picture frame. I shot one more photo and said goodbye to the owner as I left the building. My dogs were waiting out in the car, not very patiently by this time. They needed a rest stop! I'll post about that tomorrow:

From The Keene Valley To Saranac Lake To Brighton

The Keene Valley is somewhat settled, but it also affords some spectacular views of the surrounding high peaks. This rustic brown house and its large stack of firewood were nestled at the foot of two Adirondack mountains:

And there were many places to pull off onto the shoulder of the road and snap photos of the mountains which were sprinkled with puffs of clouds:

I stopped at Marcy Field to snap a photo of the surrounding mountains which appeared to be swimming in mist:

And rising out of the steamy forests:

Farther along Route 73, the low clouds had almost consumed the view, but I've always loved to see mountains as the clouds tickle past them. It makes everything both mysterious and alive:

Even the more distant peaks hid shyly behind their clouds:

In a few places I even got to see the clouds up close and personal:

As I passed through the town of Saranac Lake, I stopped to check on the progress of the Adirondack Carousel and found it looking as if it might open soon:

And then we drove on through Brighton, where Whiteface Mountain can be seen in the distance. By that time the dogs were wanting another rest stop, so I knew I'd have to plan something. But I'll post more tomorrow:

The Adirondacks Of Keene Valley

We were traveling homeward down through the Adirondack Mountains, the dogs and I. We were on Route 73 in the high peaks region when I stopped along the road to snap a few photos. You can see what a beautiful November day it was. Just ahead of where my car was parked, the road dropped sharply down into the Keene Valley:

Once down to the valley floor I stopped again to capture the glorious view:

Smaller mountains lined the roads while the taller mountains were a few miles away:

This field afforded magnificent views of the nearby high peaks and the ramshackle old barn in the lower left recalls a time when this was someone's hay field or pasture. It wasn't that long ago really:

I got closer to the barn for a better look:

And then decided, "What the heck, I might as well walk right on down there and see it for myself:"

The inside of the barn showed its old structure where, I supposed, horses or cattle once rested during the cold, cold nights of Adirondack winters. Someone had propped up the sagging hay loft with steel columns:

One wall had caved in. I noticed that someone had begun painting the interior white but never finished. The history of the Adirondacks is full of hunters, trappers, explorers, dreamers, farmers and visionaries (like John Brown, buried at his farm near Lake Placid). What a marvelous place, the Adirondacks - a wonderful park, an amazing and enduring legacy for the people of New York State:

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:

Lake Placid And The High Peaks Region

I'd had a pleasant weekend up at the farm and was on my way home to Albany with all six dogs in the back of the car. We were traveling through the high peaks region of the Adirondacks. When I passed through the town of Lake Placid, I decided to stop at the extensive Adirondack Equine Center. There was no event going on at the time so I simply pulled in and took a tour. My main interest was in the surrounding mountains:

And the views of the surrounding mountains were quite nice:

I was a little concerned that the various workers driving around in pickup trucks would stop me, but no one seemed to care as I drove around, stopping in various places to snap pictures:

But I was soon back on the road and stopping once again at Adirondack Loj Road to take a photo of the high peaks, still a bit shrouded in clouds that morning:

A young couple with their Beagle on a leash also stopped on the shoulder of the road and got out to enjoy the scenery. They began running and playing in the hay field, a perfect picture of joy:

Farther on down the road I stopped at a driving range to admire the autumn color:

There are signs in places warning of possible Moose in the roads. I've never seen one in the Adirondacks, but I have seen them in nearby Vermont:

As Route 73 began to drop down into the Keene Valley, the mountains straight ahead were almost all covered in clouds. With my stop at Benz Pond, detour along Blue Mountain Road and numerous photo stops, this was becoming a very lengthy trip. But I'll post more tomorrow:

Passing Through The Beautiful High Peaks Region

I was on my way north through the Adirondacks with all six dogs in the car. We'd had a rest stop along the Ausable River and now were driving northwest along Route 73 through the high peaks region. The highway had recently been badly damaged and closed due to Tropical Storm Irene. I could see recent repairs everywhere, including in sections such as this with sharp drop-offs at the edge of the road. It must have been terrifying when the road collapsed:

But all was well now and the views were fantastic. To make it even more wonderful, the autumn colors were just beginning to show:

I stopped on the side of the road to photograph the cascading water. I'd expected the water flow to be huge because of the recent rains, but it was not. Nevertheless, the view is wonderful and I never tire of seeing it:

We drove through Keene, New York with its lovely mountain views:

Alongside the road were huge piles of boulders to be used in road repair. They also made a nice framing for mountain pictures:

A few old farms remain in the high peaks region. They were once hardscrabble farms in a difficult place. Now they're expensive, highly desirable real estate:

Adirondack peaks on both sides of the road:

Some mountains are big, some are small:

Once we were past the town of Keene Valley, the road starts uphill toward the highest of the high peaks:

We were on our way to the farm on an exquisitely beautiful day. I was thrilled to stop and snap a few pictures to share with you:

I know from many trips along this route that this high peak directly ahead is the signal for the Cascade Chain of lakes. We'd be there in just a few miles: