The Scenic Drive Home From Westville, New York

I had just toured the new Westville Museum and begun the thirty mile drive home when I came upon this scenic, old cemetery. I stopped for a closer look:

Most of the gravestones were from the early 1800s, so this cemetery had been there for nearly 200 years:

Behind the cemetery, I could see farm fields and an old barn:

But mostly, there was the lovely Salmon River, lined with trees in autumn foliage:

I left the cemetery and began the drive home, stopping only for a closer look at the remains of this old, stone house - and to buy a sandwich for lunch at a local store:

When I arrived home, I took note of the rural beauty which surrounds me every day. My little bantams scratched in the driveway and the neighbors' horses and cattle grazed in the pasture across the road. It had been a good morning of autumn scenery and friendly people. I have found a good place to enjoy my retirement:

Discovering A New Museum In Westville, New York

I decided to visit a local museum on one autumn afternoon and drove to the tiny settlement of Westville, in Franklin County. The property sat on the scenic banks of the Salmon River:

It was a brand new facility, and they were holding an open house and dedication that day:

I discovered a long table inside with lots of people there for the dedication and to enjoy the food which was offered. But I was there to see the displays, so I began with this exhibit of old time kitchen wares:

There were lots of pots, pans and kitchen utensils:

And a 1952 Raytheon television which had been discovered in the attic of an abandoned house:

This old cabinet radio must have been from the 1930s:

Old books, flags and a tea/coffee set:

A thirteen star American flag, old quits and miscellaneous cloth goods:

There was a military room, with assorted mementos of past wars:

And a World War II uniform:

Lots of old kitchen goods, such as the percolator, mixer and egg slicer. There were also a number of old flatirons. I did not join the good folks for dinner but thanked them, took my leave and began the drive home:

High Falls On The Salmon River - Part 3

We climbed down a steep rock face, past the base of the falls and walked out onto the flat rocks beside the Salmon River. We were looking downstream when this was taken:

And this was looking upstream, at the falls plus the flume above it. It was roaring loudly and filling the air with mist:

Seamus, surprisingly, did not go into the water. I think he was tired from climbing down the rocks:

Those stairs you see on the right were half rotten logs and several feet above the ground. I could maneuver them and the smaller dogs were able to get up and down them. Poor Seamus, however, was totally incapable of it, so when it came time to leave, I took him by the collar and dragged him up the logs. I saw no other way. It's a good thing he's such a compliant fellow:

But first, we took one last look at the falls. I didn't know if there were salmon in the Salmon River, but surely there must have been. I Googled it and learned that Atlantic Salmon used to swim upstream here, presumably even beyond the waterfall, but do so no longer. It didn't say why they stopped:

Once up the steep, rocky bank, we continued uphill on the hiking trail:

And back out the way we'd come, crossing the log bridges:

Fergus and the Papillons were still running full speed. Seamus and I had slowed down considerably at this point

I began seeing Painted Trilliums with thin, strap-like petals. At first I thought it was an odd species or some abnormality, but when I looked it up later, I discovered that Painted Trilliums often have thin petals. They looked kind of orchid-like:

We continued on through the forest which again became full of Balsams, scenting the air with their sweet fragrance:

We followed alongside the Salmon River (to our right):

Almost to the trail head, I stopped to remove a pebble from inside one of my braces. The dogs continued to check everything out while I worked at my brace and shoe:

And the last photo of the day was almost to the trail head, where there was a large patch of Foamflower in bloom:

High Falls On The Salmon River - Part 2

We were hiking to High Falls on the Salmon River. Most of the muddy spots and deep ravines had bridges with planks or logs:

And the forest was exquisitely beautiful:

Foamflowers were blooming everywhere:

Clover and Daphne were having a grand time exploring:

And running and playing. Notice Fergus in full gallop:

"Sheesh, Dad. Can't you walk any faster?:"

I began to hear the formerly placid Salmon River through the trees. It was beginning to pick up speed and getting louder as we proceeded toward the falls:

Daphne and Seamus posed for a photo:

This tiny (notice the ant) ferny moss was beautiful:

The dogs seemed to sense a mounting excitement as the roar of the river increased, so much so that I had to keep calling them back to prevent them running ahead:

As for me, I was still learning to use my braces and walking slower than I used to. The dogs would just have to wait for me to catch up:

We arrived at a site where the Salmon River roared around an island:

And then began plunging down a flume. This is where I began to worry about the dogs (not to mention myself). A fall into the water here would carry one down the flume and over the falls. We were almost there. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

High Falls On The Salmon River - Part 1

The day was lovely and I had a lot of farm work to do. But it was simply too beautiful to spend it forking cow manure and laboring, so I took the four younger dogs to Franklin County for a hike to High Falls, on the Salmon River:

The forest trail was lined with Bunchberry in bloom:

And it took us alongside the lovely Salmon River which, at this point, was quiet and serene:

There were log and plank bridges over muddy spots and ravines. The dogs had no problem with them, but I discovered that my braces were too wide to allow me to safely stand with my feet together. I began experimenting with different ways of walking across them:

I stopped to let the dogs go into the Salmon River but only Daphne was interested:

Foamflower was beginning to bloom and, in some places, fully in bloom:

Clintonia bloomed everywhere, filling the forest floor with its banana yellow flowers. My camera didn't register the color well at all. In reality, they were a gorgeous, full bodied yellow:

We'd had heavy rain the previous day and the trail was wet in places:

In some places, it was exceedingly wet. I was happy to note that some recent repair work on the bridges had made hiking easier:

Much of the trail took us through Balsam forest and the aroma was sweet:

The smaller dogs and I walked the planks, but Seamus didn't bother. He'd trudge through the mud or walk down into the gullies and back up the other side:

Like this:

It was a thoroughly pleasant trail through a lovely forest and toward a great destination. But we weren't there yet, so I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: