Barnum Pond And A Return To The Globe Thistle

I was on my way home from a weekend at the farm with all six dogs in the car. We'd had a wonderful visit and I was anxious to get back to Albany, so I suppose I should have stopped taking pictures and concentrated on driving as directly as possible to my destination. But the day and the scenery were so lovely that I just had to keep snapping photos. Route 30 took us right past Barnum Pond, a gem of a mountain lake whose shoreline, as you can see here, is a only a few feet from the road:

I stopped only briefly at Barnum Pond to admire the serene beauty and chuckled at the seriousness of Daphne and Clover as they looked on also:

We drove on through the High Peaks Region and through the Keene Valley to where Route 9N cuts off toward Elizabethtown. There I turned off for a brief rest stop just to see the Globe Thistle plant which had amazed me last year:

Alas, it was past its blooming prime but still had a few blossoms. I'd planned to collect seeds from it last autumn but then forgot. I did go back in the springtime but the seeds were all gone. I really want to try again this year. I'm imagining a whole line of Globe Thistles growing along the wall of my milk house or along the dogs' fence:

And of course there was plenty of Goldenrod in full bloom:

I made a mental note of where the Globe Thistle could be found in the autumn and then continued walking:

Little Clover bounded through the tall grass and wildflowers like a dog on springs:

Daphne was determined to eat as many greens as possible. This seems to be a breed characteristic of Papillons since both of mine are ravenous eaters of greenery:

We turned back toward the car:

I was not able to identify this Phlox-like plant but it was blossoming abundantly:

I arrived back at the car where Wally and Winky were waiting. Both of these old timers are prone to wandering off so I have to check on them frequently:

I got all six dogs loaded back into the car and backed carefully out of the woods onto the highway. From there it was a straight run back to Albany with no rest stops:

An Out Of Focus Journey Along Route 73

The dogs and I left our rest stop on Route 9N and began our journey toward the farm on Route 73, the road directly through the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks. I had a brand new camera and was snapping photos which, I later learned, were all out of focus. So no, it's not your eyes but the photos:

Yes, I know this picture is blurry (as are all the others) but I kept it because it shows the Ausable River cascading down the mountainside right next to the road. I later discovered that my new camera's setting got accidentally changed whenever I slipped it into my pocket - or even while just holding it. I had to learn to check before every shot but hadn't yet learned that:

And I tried the zoom lens to get a close-up of the rushing waters:

There's quite a flume in this stretch of river:

So I again tried the zoom lens:

And downstream toward where we'd just had our rest stop:

As I drove through the Giant Mountain region the views were great:

And then we started down into the Keene Valley. Alas, the mountains ahead are not sharply focused because I hadn't yet figured out my new camera:

And I stopped to snap a picture of my favorite waterfall, still unaware that my camera was set incorrectly. Well, I would learn soon:

Wending Our Way Home Through The Adirondacks - Part 3

I was driving home from an action packed visit to the farm and enjoying the views. When I got to Adirondack Loj Road I had to snap another photo of the nearby high peaks:

And looking a bit more to the west:

And then on we went to Keene Cemetery. It was a great day for photos and the dogs needed a break so I drove up the hill to the top of the cemetery:

The dogs stretched their legs but not a one of them pooped (I would have cleaned it up):

Daphne and Clover continued their running and wrestling. I began to wonder if they'll ever grow out of that silly stage:

But we were all alone atop that hill with the Adirondack high peaks as our friendly neighbors:

We stayed only a few minutes and then I collected the dogs and drove on to the intersection of Routes 73 and  9N where the view was so lovely I felt compelled to take yet another picture:

I stopped briefly at Marcy Field but didn't let the dogs out:

One final photo while we were at Marcy Field and we continued on our way:

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:

Parting Shots From The Keene Valley And Marcy Field

I'd dithered so much on my way home that I didn't take any more photos or make any stops once I'd passed through Lake Placid. But when I reached the intersection of Routes 9N and 73 in the Keene Valley, I just had to pull over and try to capture the beauty of the mountains shrouded in clouds: 

If you compare this photo with the one above, you can see how much difference it made when I walked only about 10 feet down the road. The clouds changed, the perspective changed, but it was still lovely:

I'd parked at the foot of the Keene Cemetery, but this time we didn't enter it. I needed to get home:

But the dogs had been patient in the car for a long time and needed a rest stop. So I once again stopped at Marcy Field. I opened the back door and all six happy, excited dogs jumped out and began running:

Little Clover, as usual, ran the farthest and the fastest. She generally needs to be called back with some frequency. I have been trying to teach her to stick more closely to me but she doesn't yet quite grasp the concept - or perhaps just doesn't yet care what I want:

Even old, blind Wally got into the act. He's still able to kick up his heels when the occasion warrants:

The three youngsters had boundless energy and Marcy Field is a grand place for them to run some of it off. We had about two more hours of driving ahead of us so I let them run to their hearts' content - as long as they didn't get too far away from me:

Wally and Winky were less frisky but no less happy:

But this was just a rest stop so I soon called the dogs back to the car:

I took one last photo of the magnificent Adirondacks and set off to finish the journey home: