The Riverside Trail - Part 1

Our first attempt at finding the Riverside Trail in Parishville was a total bust (see yesterday's post), so we got back in the car and began driving home. About 500 feet up the road, I saw this sign. There was no parking area, so I parked on the shoulder and we began our second attempt to hike the Riverside Trail:

The trail began as advertised, a broad, level, easy trail through a lovely forest. And unlike the "trail" we'd just tried, this one was marked:

The trail narrowed as we approached the ravine, down into which we'd find the St. Regis River:

And then the trail turned sharply downward:

Clover was bright, alert, and happy:

When the St. Regis River came into view, Fergus and the Papillons broke into a run to get to the water's edge. Seamus just plodded along with me:

Clover and Daphne were the first to arrive at the river, and hopped out onto a rock for a better view. Accented by early blooming Asters, the two Papillons looked stunning in such a wild setting:

I looked upstream and downstream, enjoying the wildness of it all:

And Fergus did a bit of rock hopping also:

Seamus, however, was thirsty and had more pressing needs than sightseeing:

The rocks were big enough that even I ventured out onto them for a better view and to experience the water rushing by:

I looked back and saw both Seamus and Fergus closer to shore, near the edge of the forest, and knew we'd have to venture onward to explore more of this trail. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Northward Bound, Another Trip Up To The Farm

Another Sunday morning had dawned where I was heading up to the farm. The dogs and I drove as far as exit 30, got onto Route 73 toward the High Peaks Region and stopped at the Ausable River for a rest stop:

We'd been spending so much time at the Schroon River in Frontier Town that we hadn't been to the Ausable River in a long time. We parked and all headed down the steep hill toward the river:

The Ausable River looked inviting. The water level was low, the banks were covered in emerald moss and large stones practically called out for a bit of exploring:

The trail alongside the river was flat and easy, meaning that the younger dogs ran forward and back, putting a great deal of mileage into their rest stop. For them, it was an exercise stop. As for me, I walked down to the river and began hopping from rock to rock. But a rock rolled underfoot and I went down suddenly and very hard. Luckily I was not seriously injured, but I was wet, with bloody gashes on my arms and bruises the size of  footballs all over my body. I ended the rest stop and hobbled painfully back to the car:

We drove on toward the farm, stopping one more time at New York State land just off of Route 458:

There were White Baneberries, also known as Doll Eyes, in fruit:

Here's a close-up, which will make it clear why people call them Doll Eyes:

And White Wood Aster. Yes, autumn was surely arriving:

And Milkweed pods:

And exquisite New England Asters:

Joe-Pye-Weed had by then all gone to seed:

Many varieties of Goldenrod were in full, glorious bloom:

We then continued onward toward the farm, but I couldn't resist one more stop in Santa Clara at the St. Regis River. It's just too serene and beautiful to be ignored. I was in much pain from my earlier fall and, to be honest, still quite disturbed by how close I'd come to truly hurting myself. I was worrying about being all alone with no one to help and needed a bit of serenity along this lovely river before I traveled on to the farm. But I'll post more tomorrow: