Brasher State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking a new trail in the Brasher State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). It was broad, level, easy walking and the autumn scenery was lovely:

The dogs were exuberant:

The trail, in places, was so straight that I tried to see where it was leading - but all I saw was more trail and more forest:

Usually the dogs would have slowed down by this time, but they continued to run ahead and I continued to call them back:

We took a few side trips off the trail, but not many and we didn't go far. I could imagine getting turned around in this forest and having trouble finding my way back to the trail:

I decided it was time to turn back toward the car and save further exploration for another time:

That was fine with the happy dogs. They don't care which way they are going, as long as they are going somewhere:

I noticed in a few bare spots that the trail (one time road) appeared to have been roughly cobbled with native stones. That's probably why it has resisted rutting and eroding over the years. On the other hand, I couldn't help but wonder who went to all that work. There is a nearby CCC dam and reservoir, so perhaps the Civil Conservation Corps did the work back in the 1930s or 1940s :

The dogs led the way with their usual exuberant joy:

And I enjoyed the autumn scenery as if we hadn't seen it all before. The sun had been in my face on the way out and was behind me on the way back, so every new turn of the trail looked new:

I could see something moving up ahead - something very big. I figured that meant we were close to the road but began to worry about my unlocked car. I later learned that logging trucks had slowly passed by, and that's what I'd seen:

We again crossed the snowmobile bridge over Redwater Brook, which meant our car was just ahead. I put my camera away and concentrated on keeping the dogs under control. We made our way back to our car and began the short trip home:

Brasher State Forest - Part 1

The dogs and I had just walked around the tame but scenic camping and picnic area (see yesterday's post), but I wanted to go exploring, so I parked my little red car at a nearby trail I discovered and we began a hike:

I chose the smaller of two trails, which led to a bridge so rotten I didn't dare set foot on it - and so many fallen trees that Seamus and I couldn't push our way through (the little dogs scooted underneath the fallen trunks and tangles of branches):

But that was no problem because another trail was just a stone's throw away. We began walking that trail:

And we came to another bridge, this one in fine shape and covered with rubber runners for snowmobiles in the winter:

I could see the old, rotten bridge just up Redwater Brook from the maintained bridge on which I was standing:


This trail was level, broad and easy walking. It was also a pretty forest with a few autumn colors left:

We headed off into the forest to see some of the golden Beech trees. It wasn't until I got home that I noticed how little orange Jack tended to disappear among all those orange leaves:

But soon we were back on the trail and exploring a section of forest we'd never seen before:

And it was beautiful, with golden leaves falling continuously, kind of like snowflakes:

I never did find out how far this trail went, but that leaves us a place to explore the next time:

And did I mention that nearly every place I looked was covered in beautifully colored leaves?:

We walked onward with me concentrated on keeping the dogs close, and having to call them back every minute or so. But we weren't done yet, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Tri-Town Winter Carnival Snowmobile Races

I'd read that the snowmobile races were to be held at the "Helena Racetrack" but Google had never heard of any such place. So I asked at the Brasher Falls general store and they had no idea where it might be either. They suggested I just drive to the tiny village of Helena and look around. It was a 10 minute drive, all within the town of Brasher. Indeed, I did notice this small sign stuck into the snow bank. I turned onto a plowed farm field, paid two dollars and parked my car:

The big attraction, and very close to where I parked my car, was the food stand. They were doing a good business selling hamburgers and hot dogs:

A man out behind the food stand was doing the grilling. The flat field out behind him was, apparently, the snowmobile race track:

Nearby, some men were cutting and splitting wood. I especially liked the hat with the Viking style horns:

There was no racing going on, but there were lots of snowmobiles parked singly or in groups, with men nearby, chatting:

Occasional riders roared by on their snowmobiles:

But the big action, I could tell, was down below - on the race track. It was a difficult walk to get down there, through deep snow. Apparently I could have driven, but I didn't know that at the time - and neither did a lot of other folks I met floundering in the snow. When I got to the plowed surface, I found this check station with a giant "1," indicating, I supposed, that it was to be the starting place for the races:

There were somewhere between 50 and 100 snowmobiles in various loud colors, shapes and sizes and I was amazed at how many people owned snowmobiles in the area. But then again, we sure do get lots of snow. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised:

I walked around, checking out the snowmobiles and making occasional smalltalk:

The deep snow on the field had been plowed, though what was beneath it was a hard surface of ice on which I had to tread carefully to avoid falling:

It was colder than I'd realized, so although I hadn't seen any actual races, I decided it was time for me to begin the long, snowy trek back to my car:

Despite the lack of any actual races, I found this a friendly and interesting event. My neighbors, I learned later, had also attended, similarly finding no real races and eventually giving up. But it was time for me to drive home and get warm. But first, since I was already there, I decided to take a photo tour of the village of Helena, which I'll post tomorrow:

County Route 47, Parishville-Norfolk Road - Part 3

County Route 47 was a rural sightseeing bonanza, with lots of old barns, silos and farm houses:

This farm yard had lots of farm equipment parked along the road:

And this traditional farm house looked inviting and comfortable:

This mobile home had been enlarged, and there was a snowmobile parked out front:

I couldn't tell what type of machines this business repaired, but it appeared to be doing a good business:

Another traditional farm house:

This house and barns were all covered in board and batten, with steel roofing and split rail fence. It made for an attractive scene:

A very small home, but it had a great view. There were several snowmobiles parked there:

A very large, red barn:

And a well kept, gray and white farm house:

This old home had a multicolored roof, perhaps using roofing left over from other jobs. But there was still more to see on County Route 47 and I'll post Part 4 tomorrow:

Snowy, Rural Beauty On County Route 56 - Part 2

I was taking a driving tour of County Route 56 and enjoying the beautiful rural scenery such as this farm house with a barn and silo out back. As a side note - our weather began to moderate yesterday and reached temperatures above freezing. Yet even though our snow is melting, things still look pretty much like this:

A spectacular old barn:

And a not so spectacular old barn:

This corn field was backed up by woodlands, with more farm fields beyond that and more woodlands beyond those - and farm silos on the horizon:

A farm house with a wonderful back porch:

D&D Small Engine Repair:

I see lots of tractors on mailboxes, but this was a surprise to me and, I thought, very clever. I guess I don't need to tell you what this person's winter hobby was:

Another country home, all comfy and warm despite the winter weather outside:

This old tractor, silo and hay bales had apparently not been accessed recently, at least not since the last snowfall, but they make a wonderful scene for a photo:

Snowmobiles, pickup with snowplow, split rail fence with corn stalk and lots of rural trimmings. This is country living:

Another logging operation. This one clearly seemed to be for firewood:

This old barn housed a small flock of very calm and friendly sheep. They watched me with interest but no alarm as I snapped their picture. Yet there was still more to see on this country road and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: