Benton Road In Rural Stockholm, New York - Part 2

I was touring rural and scenic Benton Road (see Part 1, yesterday) and enjoying the sights. This old wagon sat in a field alongside the road:

An old tractor, wagon and firewood aplenty:

Farm fields, partly hidden behind a screen of trees:

I got to a section of Benton Road where both sides of the road were forested and stopped to photograph this doe, who watched me with as much interest as I watched her:

There were pine forests on the right hand side of the road with signs declaring it a County Reforestation Area:

The pine forest was inviting, and the mosses and lichens added interest. I saw several lanes off into the forest and decided to come back with the dogs sometime and explore:

A farm house with a big front porch and barn:

And an even bigger barn - actually, a whole series of barn:

I was about at the end of the road when I saw this rather large boat, parked off in the forest. I don't know why, but it's been there for years:

There were several large, modern homes near the end of the road and it was no wonder. This location was quiet, rural, scenic - and an easy commute into Potsdam:

The last house on the road. My tour was finished. I reminded myself to come back soon with the dogs as I put away my camera and headed for home:

St. Lawrence County Reforestation Area Hike

It turned both cold and rainy one Sunday morning. By the afternoon, the rain had stopped but it was still quite chilly. I decided to take the dogs to the Catherineville State Forest, which had several trails off of Santamont Road, not too far from home. But I got mixed up on the unmarked, rural roads and stumbled onto a County Reforestation Area with a marked trail. I'm glad I stopped, because it was beautiful:

The dogs ran and played. For the last several years, I've been insisting that they stay increasingly close to me, reining them in a bit more with each new hike. They're finally beginning to get the idea and to understand that they can still run and play in spite of the new rules:

This was a fairly mature pine forest, marked with occasional bursts of golden color from the Birch trees:

The loop trail was disappointingly short but the scenery was lovely:

We ventured off the trail for a bit of exploration and I quickly realized how very easy it would be to get lost. I returned to the marked trail and decided to stay there:

Watching my happy dogs proceed up the golden lane, it seemed we should be singing, "We're off to see the wizard:"

The trail looped around and directed us back toward the road and our parked car:

An autumn forest is a fine place to be on a Sunday (or any) afternoon:

And I always enjoy seeing the dogs so happy, alert and alive:

"C'mon, Dad. Let's run:"

Clover loves to hop up on things to look around, but I seldom get my camera out quickly enough to capture it. This time, I did:

I wished this lovely trail had been longer, but was grateful it had been so beautiful. We returned to the car and began trying to find our way home: