A Trial Run On The Red Dot Trail

The next morning we left the farm and began our drive back to Albany. But I'd only gone about 35 miles when I decided to turn onto White Pine Road and check out Osgood Pond:

Just a short way up White Pine Road was the entrance to Osgood Pond and, I hoped, the trail head for the Red Dot trail:

Osgood Pond was lovely in the morning sun but I was unable to photograph its full scope without pointing the camera directly into the sun. The dogs played happily around the shoreline:

But my real reason for being there was to find out if, as I'd read, the trail head for the Red Dot trail began there. Indeed it did, and I gave the pooches a call so we could investigate the trail for just a short distance:

The Red Dot trail was broad, level, flat, scenic and very easy walking. The dogs found lots of interesting smells:

We'd have walked farther, but old Winky and Wally were slow and a bit confused. I had to hang back and keep encouraging them:

We crossed a little plank bridge over a feeder creek to Osgood Pond:

Wally can't see much, but he has fun and responds when I call him:

I got to a shady spot and dared attempt a photo of Osgood Pond. It was lovely but not dark as it seems here. The darkness was my camera's automatic response to the bright sunshine:

Even old Winky seemed to be enjoying his walk in the forest. He has been aging rapidly and I never know if one of these happy moments will be his last. I try to keep that in mind and maintain an attitude of patience as I urge him to keep up with us:

Fergus ran happily up and down the trail, checking in on the old timers and the younger dogs too:

But this was only a trial run and I decided that the Red Dot trail was probably too tame and had too many visitors for me and all my dogs during the main tourist season. It might, however, be a perfect hike for the off-season and I was already planning one for a future weekend up at the farm. Stay tuned:

Discovering Osgood Pond On White Pine Road

Tuesday morning arrived before I felt ready to drive home, but I had no choice since I had to be at work on Wednesday morning. So I cleaned up the farm apartment, loaded the dogs all back into the car and headed south through the Adirondacks toward Albany. Just past Paul Smiths I turned onto White Pine Road because I'd read there was public access to a lake off that road. Indeed, I quickly saw this sign for Osgood Pond:

We turned down the access road and beheld this glorious morning scene. No one else was there so I let the dogs out to play. You can see Clover and Daphne below as they race toward the water's edge:

Seamus arrived shortly behind them and walked over to check things out:

White water lilies bloomed gloriously and I wanted to get a nice photo of them. But they were all too far out in the water and I wasn't about to wade out there, getting wet right up to my chest. So these more long distance shots will have to do:

The "Silly Sisters" were fascinated by the foam and aromas of the shoreline. I imagined how very thrilled they'd be at the detritus along an ocean shore:

Daphne posed for a picture, apparently wondering what on earth I was doing:

Wally and Winky stayed up near the trees and Clover eventually joined them. Yes, that's old Winky near the base of the tree with the sign on it:

Wally finally made it down to the water's edge, but by that time I was preparing to leave:

The dogs took a short stroll through the forest near the Osgood Pond:

Fergus was intent on reading the scents in the area, the canine version of the daily newspaper. You can just barely see Clover in the background. She, with her adventurous spirit, has a tendency to get too far away and I often have to call her back:

But soon I got all the pooches collected and back in the car:

After we left Osgood Pond, I continued a short distance more on White Pine Road until it ended at White Pine Camp. I couldn't tell by the only view of it I got, but apparently this is a private vacation cabin rental resort on the shore of Osgood Pond. Their website advertises it as "four season rustic elegance on magic Osgood Pond." We then continued our journey back through the Adirondacks toward home, but I'll post more about that tomorrow: