Rural Elmer Road In The Town Of Moira, New York

I decided it was time for another driving photo tour and decided on Elmer Road, in the town of Moira. The first farm after I turned off of Route 11 was this beauty. What could be more classically rural?:

Everywhere I looked I saw beauty. The grass had greened and the trees were budding at a rapid pace:

Elmer Road takes a sharp turn where this log home was located:

I stopped to photograph these horses and then noticed the three goats. The were so friendly and curious that they trotted up to the fence to check me out:

Two small sheds along the road:

And a very old shed, set back off the road behind a row of trees:

This woodsy style home was set beneath towering pines and wood smoke rose from one of the chimneys:

Almost hidden by the trees, I might not even notice this place once all the leaves are out for the summer:

I passed by a large Amish farm and snapped a picture of the first barn:

And then two silos and the main barn:

The Amish house was built in the popular style and had the usual clothesline out front:

They also had a windmill and a sawmill, though a man was working at the sawmill so I didn't take a picture. Elmer Road is very short and this was the end of it, but it's long been one of my favorites:

Wintry Return To The Amish Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were walking in what I have been calling the Amish Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

Though it had been logged just this past summer, the crew had been selective, choosing only tall and straight pines for telephone poles. That left lots of unspoiled, natural beauty for us to enjoy:

Besides the pines, the only leaves to be seen were the golden brown beech leaves, which often hang on all winter long:

But it was cold and there was ice beneath a thin layer of snow, making walking treacherous. So we turned back toward the gravel road:

I could see our car up ahead but luckily, the dogs didn't notice it. They often run to it when they see it:

Besides, they had interesting smells to sniff and bushes to pee on:

Seamus, still looking svelte and trim, cut a smart figure as he pranced. It wasn't long ago that he was obese and having trouble walking. His diet has added years to his life and put a spring in his step:

Fergus walked into the forest and then returned, perhaps wondering why I hadn't followed:

All the dogs stopped frequently to read "the newspaper," scents which only their noses can detect:

And it was all a great adventure and lots of fun:

When Jack spied the car ahead, I knew he would bolt so I put him on a leash. The other dogs were told to heel, and they did so beautifully. Our short, wintry walk was over, a quick excursion on a cold, sunny day:

Wintry Return To The Amish Forest - Part 1

It was a cold but sunny and windless day, so I decided to take the dogs back to what I called the Amish Forest (because the access road is across the road from an Amish farm). I could find no place to park along the gravel road but discovered that I could park in the lane through the woods. I let the dogs out and they exploded with joy:

I received permission to use this land but was asked not to use it during big game season. Figuring that was over now, it seemed like a good day for a walk with the pooches:

And they sure were happy:

There were lots of interesting smells along the way:

The beeches were the only deciduous trees which still held their leaves:

Mostly, this was a pine forest. A hundred years ago, this land grew potatoes. When the land was depleted, the owner planted pines:

And now it's lovely land for walking with the dogs, for hunting and for its owner's cabin:

The dogs were pretty good about not running too far ahead. Maybe they could sense that I was cold and potentially crabby:

It was a pleasant but short walk:


The owner sold much of the pine timber for use as telephone poles and it was cut this past summer. That left skid roads for us to explore along the way:

The logging also opened up the view a bit, exposing spectacular beauty. But we weren't done yet, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Happy Dogs In The Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were walking in the Fort Jackson State forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

The autumn color was wonderful and the mosses were soft under foot:

Occasional mushrooms had pushed up through the moss:

We didn't travel very far on the lane but instead took numerous side trips into the beautiful forest:

Seamus looked particularly noble as he bravely led the way:

Daphne, Clover and Fergus mostly just looked cute. As for Jack, he was running full speed at all times and difficult to get in a photo:

Hey, there's Jack up ahead, with Clover and Daphne following:

Back on the lane, Daphne stopped several times to check on me because I was so slow:

Seamus investigated interesting smells:

And it was a glorious day to be alive and walking in the beauty of nature:

Almost back to our car, the dogs broke into a run:

They were back at the car in a flash, so I called them onto another grassy lane which we explored briefly:

But mostly, our walk was over. The dogs jumped back up into the car and I counted to be sure they were all there. Then we headed for home:

Happy Dogs In The Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 1

I had the dogs with me while taking my annual driving tour of Sheldon Road (see yesterday's post), so we all stopped in the Fort Jackson State Forest for a walk:

The lane through the forest was perfectly safe for driving but of course I didn't know that until I'd walked it - and besides, we were there for walking, not driving:

We had the entire forest to ourselves so I decided to let the dogs run and not to yell at them to keep them close to me. Alas, that didn't work and pretty soon I was calling them back as I normally do. I suppose the advantage is that we will never surprise a bear as any wildlife can hear me shouting at the dogs a long way off:

And yet they have a wonderful time and get to do lots of running:

I investigated a bare section where dirt bikes had been frequent visitors. The State had put up barriers and signs to stop them:

We also took frequent side trips into the forest, just to see what we might see:

The sandy, Adirondack soil grew pines, mosses and Reindeer Lichen everywhere:

And there was plenty of visibility, enough so that I didn't need to worry about getting lost:

But we always returned to the lane, which was easy walking and lined with autumn color:

What a glorious place to have within a couple miles of home:

In some sections, the pine forest gave way to colorful hardwoods:

This was autumn hiking at its finest. But we were just getting started. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: