Madawaska Pond - Part 1

It was going to be a hot day and my hay field was going to be worked in the afternoon, so I left early for Madawaska Pond. It had been closed to the public for four years and only recently reopened. I was anxious to see it again. I drove south for 25 miles and then another six miles on dirt lanes through the forest to get to the parking area:

There was no one else anywhere, so I let the dogs run and they headed off down the trail. Of course moments later I was hollering at them to keep them closer to me:

Warblers and Thrushes and White-Throated Sparrows sang beautifully off in the trees:

The dogs sniffed everything while I busied myself slapping deer flies which landed on my head - hundreds of them died because they thought my bald head would be a perfect landing strip and diner:

I had been here only once before and that was four years ago. Even so, I opted to follow a side trail when I discovered one, just to see new scenery:

The dogs ran down this side trail with great enthusiasm and I, not knowing where it led, began ordering them once again to stay near me:

It led to a clearing with a gorgeous view of Madawaska Pond:

And everywhere there were Lowbush Blueberries, acres and acres of them. Alas, they weren't yet ripe:

We walked down toward the pond but turned back when I discovered that flat green expanse was under about a foot of water with mud beneath it:

So we headed back uphill, looking for another path back to the main trail:

I stopped to photograph the Sheep Laurel in bloom:

And we easily got back on the main trail. With the towering pines, the wildflowers the bird songs and the lovely aromas of evergreens and moss, I remembered why I had loved this place so much four years ago. But we were just getting started. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Slush Pond - Part 1

I was between Albany and the farm on moving day and decided to make a quick rest stop at Slush Pond, a new favorite place. So I pulled off the road onto an unmarked lane and about 3 miles into the forest. Then I parked and let the pooches out to play:

They all ran full speed through the trees and out onto the floating peat bog:

The peat bog bounced beneath us with each step:

And it was very beautiful:

Clover, ever the little adventurer, went ahead to check for whatever it is dogs check for. I'd seen a loon in the water when we pulled up, but it'd disappeared the moment I opened the car door:

Ack! Seamus walked too close to the edge and broke through the peat. I took his picture first and then helped him back up. On the way back, Daphne fell in at that same spot:

There were several carnivorous Pitcher Plants, though I was disappointed that none of them were blooming:

My noble Seamus, the giant Poodle:

We all enjoyed the fresh air, the birds singing and the glorious scenery:

And glorious it was indeed, with Tamaracks framing the view:

We walked back toward the forest:

But I stopped first at this mass of color. I was sure it was Sheep Laurel, but a quick look at my field guide informed me that it was actually Pale Laurel. I often use the alternate name of Bog Laurel, though, because it was not pale by any means. But there was more to see at Slush Pond and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Stopping At Mountain Pond

We left the town of Saranac Lake (see previous post), still headed toward the farm. I figured the dogs all could use another rest stop. So when I saw the sign for Mountain Pond, I carefully and slowly turned down it. That road is an abomination, filled with giant pot holes and bumps. But I already knew to be cautious. I stopped near the water's edge, snapped this photo and let the dogs out to play:

The day was clear and sunny, but not yet hot. It was beautiful and we seemed to have the whole lake to ourselves:

I searched for loons but didn't see any. But that was OK, I couldn't complain with a view like this:

There was just enough breeze to ripple the surface of the water and keep the bugs away:

I saw little minnows in the shallow water. I very much wanted to photograph them but knew from experience that those shots never turn out to be usable:

While I admired the scenery, the dogs trotted around inspecting everything, especially the places where campers might have dropped food:

And there were flowers in bloom on that June day. This one, I've decided, was Orange Hawkweed, an alien species in the Composite family. Alien or not, it sure was pretty:

And Sheep Laurel was blooming beautifully and with brilliant color:

The dogs had fun and I'd enjoyed the scenery, but it was soon time to leave and continue making our way to the farm. I'll post more tommorow:

Along The Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike

I was on my way home from a wonderful, active weekend up at the farm and traveling the Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike. This is now a series of small, back roads but was a major thoroughfare through the wilderness back in the 1800s. Even though it was early May, the deciduous trees had still not leafed out and I had wonderful views of the nearby Adirondack mountains. Clearly there was logging going on also:

I saw more mountains in every direction, mountains which are mostly hidden from view when the leaves are on the trees:

Daphne and Clover helped me watch for loons as we passed remote Adirondack ponds:

The boggy area around this pond featured fantastic Sheep Laurel in bloom last summer and crimson High Bush Blueberries last fall:

The Papillons were alert and seemed to be enjoying the scenery as much as I was:

I stopped the car and got out to take a picture. There is so very little traffic on this seasonal road that I just stopped in the road. There are no shoulders anyway. I'll post more tomorrow:

Travelling The Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike

One of my favorite routes through the northern Adirondacks is the series of small roads, some unpaved and seasonal, which began in the 1800s as a major thoroughfare. This important development in the opening up of our country's wilderness lands ran from Port Kent, on the western shore of Lake Champlain, to Hopkinton, a frontier town in northern New York. My farm is just a hop, skip and jump from Hopkinton, so it's a grand experience for me to take this route. The scenery is wonderful and there's almost no one else on the road at all:

And one of my favorite picture taking spots is this glorious, unspoiled wilderness wetland which abuts the road. On the day I passed by there were Orange Hawkweed, Hieracium aurantiacum, in bloom along the edge of the road:

These are the waters where I often see and hear Loons:

The water level comes right up to the road, covering the base of many of these trees. So I really can't go hiking in and exploring. The "Private Property - No Trespassing" signs, however, seem to have vanished:

The marshy edges which had many Wild Azaleas in bloom in May were now sporting red bunches of Sheep Laurel blossoms. If you click to enlarge this photo, you can see one of them. Or, for a closer view, click on the label, "Sheep Laurel" label below:

We traveled on and stopped once again at another tiny lane taking us deep into the forest alongside the waters of Grass Pond. The dogs were, of course, all excited:

Crabby little old Winky had a bit of trouble keeping up. It's hard to know with him if he has trouble walking that fast or is just being contrary. With him, it could be either or both. He seemed to want to stay near the car, but I urged him on:

Deeper and deeper into the forest:

And then back to the car to continue on our way. As you can see, turning around to head back to the main road is tricky business sometimes:

Part 2, Mountain Laurel Heaven

I was hiking up Mt. Everett, in western Massachusetts, with four of my dogs. Both the weather and the Taconic Mountain scenery were magnificent. We climbed higher and higher up the rocky trail which was lined with budding Mountain Laurel bushes. Little Clover turned around to see what was taking me so long:

There had been lots of Mountain Laurels in full bloom on the entrance road, but here at this higher altitude there were mostly just buds. But still they were beautiful:

A close up view of a cluster of Mountain Laurel buds:

And then I saw these red beauties in the understory beneath the tall Mountain Laurels. They looked very much like a miniature Mountain Laurel and, in fact, turned out to be Sheep Laurel, Kalmia angustifolia, a close relative (same genus) of its taller relative, the Mountain Laurel:

Here's a close up of some Sheep Laurel blossoms:

And just around a rocky bend in the trail I came across a few Mountain Laurels with a few open flowers:

The trail turned both steeper and rockier. I was beginning to huff and puff, but the two young Papillons ran from rock to rock like miniature mountain goats:

Just below the summit, we scrambled up and out onto a rocky overlook where I knew the view was good:

At its highest point, the dogs and I relaxed in the warm June sun:

And looked out over the valley below and from there across the Taconic Mountains:

When I arrived at this scenic overlook, I erred by saying I was looking out over the Hudson Valley. I later realized that I was already east of the Hudson River and looking eastward out over southwestern Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut. The lake I saw was Washining Lake, one of the Twin Lakes just north of Salisbury, Connecticut. In spite of my misidentifying of the landscape, the scene was lovely: