A Driving Tour Of The Adirondacks

My sister and I were taking a driving tour of the Adirondacks with all seven dogs in the back of the car. We'd had a nice hike on the Hays Brook Horse Trail, so the dogs were relaxed and reasonably quiet. The weather, however, was not cooperative. So when the clouds parted momentarily, I snapped a photo:

Snow was falling and the skies were overcast as we pulled off the road alongside the Cascade Lakes:

And the wind was blowing so hard that my sister stayed in the car when I got out to snap a few photos. That's the three Papillons in the front seat with her (right to left): Madeline, Daphne and Clover:

And we got as far as the high peaks town of Keene, the home of my favorite store. So of course we stopped to look around:

They sell many Adirondack themed gifts in addition to the taxidermy of animals, both local and exotic:

And much of the taxidermy is set in action poses with artificial plants or other animals to complete the scene:

Overhead are antler chandeliers:

My sister was surprised and impressed by the awesome size of the bison:

And a stuffed bear next to the stairs which led up to a loft filled with pelts and other items:

It's a fun place to visit but one has to have lots of money and be truly into taxidermy to buy much there. I have, however, purchased other, smaller items as gifts:

On the way out we took each others' photos beside the chainsaw art mountain man and the pillar of moose antlers:

And I got my turn also. As kids, we used to pose for such photos at tourist stops all across the country, so this brought back some happy memories:

The Hays Brook Horse Riding Trail Continued

My sister and I were hiking the Adirondack Hays Brook Horse Trail, accompanied by seven (yes, seven!) dogs. It was a lovely, Christmas type day and the dogs were as happy about it all as you might expect. Even crooked legged little Winky trotted merrily through the snow, a little canine elf if ever there was one. And to think he was almost put down at the Shelter. Well, he's now living a happy, social life:

My sister stopped to offer a word of encouragement to little Winky. Her daughter's Papillon, Madeline, was by then feeling confident enough to take her place in the pack and trot on ahead with the other dogs:

Snowy forests have a special quietness and we reveled in it. Only the jingling dog tags on our pack of seven broke the silver silence as we walked deeper and deeper into the forest:

I posed for a photo with Madeline and Seamus:

Seamus, Madeline and Winky:

A moment of joy. Seamus was romping along the trail with enough enthusiasm for his big ol' ears to bounce. I count six dogs in the photo. Only little Winky is missing, probably walking at my heels as I snapped the picture:

We eventually arrived at a steep hill deep in the forest where the trail seemed to disappear. Well, never mind, it provided us an excellent place to turn around and head back to the car:

And finally, a brief video of our happy hike through the Hays Brook Horse Riding Trail: