Heading For Home, A Stop At Hays Brook

It's difficult to find rest stops in the wintertime, but I try. On this trip home from the farm I was (barely) able to drive through the unplowed snow to get to the trail head for the Hays Brook Horse Trail. The dogs were excited:

I let them out of the car and they ran off in all directions, sniffing and playing and having a grand time:

The trails, road, forest and everything were covered with snow and I figured the small access road into Mountain Pond would make a nice winter trail:

So I began walking away from the car and called the dogs to come with me. A couple of them were "stuck" on a fascinating smell, but they came after a moment's hesitation:

The youngsters ran on ahead while I urged the old timers onward and admired the spectacular scenery:

And pretty soon I more or less had the dogs together in a group:

Imagine that - All seven dogs together and easy for me to keep an eye on:

We kept walking as Clover, ever the adventuress, ran too far ahead. Usually I get miffed and call her back, but on this day I just let her have fun:

By this time Winky had fallen far behind, but he was working on keeping up:

So we turned around and rejoined old Winky not too far from the car:

I got all the dogs loaded up into the car and ready to continue on our way except for.................

..........except for crabby old Winky, who was just plodding along. He finally arrived back at the car and had a great deal of trouble jumping up into it. But with a bit of help, he made it and we continued on our way. As it turned out, there would be no more rest stops on this trip because there was too much snow:

A Refreshing Stop At Mountain Pond

The dogs and I were on our way home from a weekend at the farm and had just had a nice rest stop at the Hays Brook Horse Trail. We got back on Route 30 and began driving south when, perhaps a mile down the road, I decided to turn in to the Mountain Pond fishing area. Why not two rest stops in a row?:

There were campsites around one end of the lake and they were all empty except for one tent. The tent, however, was zipped up and I supposed its occupants were off fishing. So I chose a scenic campsite and let the dogs out - after first snapping their picture:

Mountain Pond is a scenic gem, surrounded by small, rocky mountains:

Little Daphne trotted down to the water's edge but didn't go in:

As for me, I just stood quietly and viewed the wild, natural beauty before me:

Winky, sadly, is becoming more deaf and more confused. But I am happy to report that he had a grand time exploring the sandy shoreline, sniffing everywhere and, of course, peeing on everything:

Big ol' Seamus also explored but didn't go into the water. The shallows were all mud and not sand or rocks, so perhaps that's why the dogs didn't go in. I don't see how they could have known that without going in, however. Maybe they're smarter than I give them credit for:

Wally and Clover stuck to the grassy campsite and fire ring, clearly hoping to find some food scraps:

I called the dogs back to the car:

This takes a minute or two as they all decide it's time to jump back inside the car and curtail their exploring:

Once we were loaded and ready to go, I had Seamus, Wally, Fergus and Winky in the back of the car:

And Clover and Daphne in the front seat. This arrangement has worked well and seems to give everyone enough room to be comfortable. Rest stop over, we proceeded on our way home toward Albany:

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:

Driving Home From The Farm

Well, it'd certainly been a wonderful visit up to the farm. The four younger dogs and I had hiked along at Madawaska Pond and up to the summit of Coney Mountain near Tupper Lake. I chose to begin the journey home along Route 458 and enjoy its wonderful views. As you can see, Daphne enjoyed them also. Notice her reflection in the rear view mirror:

When we got as far as Mountain Pond, I turned down the little access road and headed toward the water's edge. It was raining and and all the mountaintops were shrouded in clouds:

The rain was only light and the dogs piled out of the car with great enthusiasm, running directly toward the pond:

Daphne and Clover wanted to get close to the water. I think they were looking for tasty goodies:

As for me, I stood there quietly and admired the peaceful waters and cloudy mountaintops:

There are often loons on Mountain Pond but I didn't see or hear any on that day. Everything was still, and everything was quiet:

When we got to Keene Valley, I had to stop and take a photo of my favorite place, this time with lots of clouds:

And just before we were to get onto the main highway, we stopped at our little campsite along the Ausable River for one last rest stop. We didn't walk down to the river this time, though. Instead, we walked the other direction into the forest:

The Papillons ran ahead while Seamus and Fergus tried to stay halfway between them and me:

Winky and Wally, as you can see, were very slow and the rest of us had to wait for them to catch up. That's my little red car parked in the woods back there, so the two old dogs hadn't made it very far:

I finally got all the dogs more or less together and turned down a side trail:

Winky, as usual, was the last to come along and the slowest. He often acts as if he thinks we're going to play some dirty trick on him. Perhaps that's what happened with his former owner (he was a rescued dog who was going to be put down because he was snappy). But he's happy now, in his own special cranky way, and having a grand time. Sometimes he even gets frisky like a puppy and bounces along the trail for short spells. But this was our last stop. I still had lots of driving ahead of me to get home:

From Saranac Lake To Hays Brook Horse Trail

The dogs and I made as far as the town of Saranac Lake and, as I often do, I stopped there to fill my gas tank and to buy a sandwich. But there was a new attraction that day right across the road from the convenience store. I'd already heard about this new project so I knew right away that it was the beginning of the Adirondack Carousel. Instead of just horses, the riders will sit on carvings of Adirondack Woodland Animals (and one horse). I hope to chronicle its progress in my future trips up to the farm:

And from Saranac Lake I drove up through the broad, flat fields in the town of Brighton where Adirondack high peaks frame the view in nearly every direction:

I stopped just long enough for a snapshot at Barnham Pond. Notice how close the road is to the water:

At the far side of Barnham Pond:

But it was time for another doggy rest stop, so I pulled off the highway into the Mountain Pond fishing area. No one else was there so I opened the car doors and let the dogs run:

Mountain Pond is always lovely:

We walked along the shore. The waterline was still higher than normal, a lingering result of Tropical Storms Irene and Lee:

The dogs played along the shoreline:

And then I loaded them all back up into the car:

But instead of leaving by the way we'd come, I continued on for the length of the pond to Hays Brook Horse Trail. And for the first time, I actually saw horses there. I wanted to stop and say "Howdy" to the horses and their owners, but I did not want my dogs to start barking. So I simply snapped a picture of the horses, waved to their owners and kept driving: