We were lucky enough to get some decent weather here over the bank holiday (after the summer we’ve had, decent means any day which has more sun than rain) and so we got out and made the most of it.
Lil’s parents brought her bike with them on their last visit, and we thought it would be nice to go out cycling together. Unfortunately the roads around Dawlish, especially in the tourist season, aren’t exactly bike friendly and the nearest cycle track is several miles away. Bright and early on Saturday morning (well, around 10am but it is a bank holiday) we headed for the Halfords in Newton Abbot to look for a cycle carrier for our car. I’d looked on the Halfords website the night before and found one for around £30. In the shop it turned out that the design meant that the rack covered the rear lights and numberplate, necessitating a £20 lightboard, a £10 kit for connecting that into the electrics, and a new rear numberplate. Or you could just buy a £60 rack which mounted higher up and didn’t cover anything – which is what we eventually did. We also managed to resist the temptation to buy some new bikes to go with the rack – full suspension mountain bikes have got a lot cheaper since I bought my rigid frame one back in 1996!
Next we headed up onto Dartmoor. Lil is still trying to get a proper view of a Dipper, and the fast, rocky waters of the moorland rivers are just the place to look. First we stopped at Newbridge, and walked a short distance up and down the river. No Dippers appeared, so we continued on to Dartmeet, and had a very nice (and large) lunch at the Badger’s Holt tearooms. After wandering around their collection of domestic fowl (which included some chickens with truly hilarious hairstyles) we set out to do one of the short hikes from the book of Dartmoor walks which Dad got us for Christmas.
The walk was only 4.5k, but took about 3 hours to complete, partly due to the terrain, which was a mix of waist high scrub, boulders and marshland, and partly due to the fact that we kept stopping to look at stuff, including an unnervingly wobbly clapper bridge. Sadly we didn’t see any Dippers – the next place we have to try is the upper Teign valley!
Posted in birds, garden, video
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We’re in Yosemite, having a great, if slightly damp time!
Time really does fly when you’re having fun! We’ve been here over a week now, in fact it’s only 3 days until we head off to San Francisco – and Yosemite! Here’s what we’ve been up to the last few days…
Friday – and early start and an energetic day! We were up at 06:30, and an hour later we were standing in the freezing cold (yes, California does get cold) beside Big River, one of the local state parks. Hiking up the valley with the sun rising through the trees was a wonderful and slightly surreal experience – it felt like stepping into the middle of a photo spread about the American wilderness. When the sun got warm enough that it was possible to stop walking and not freeze, we sat on a bank above the river and watched Mergansers and Belted Kingfishers. In the end we hiked 4.5 miles up the river before turning back, making it a 9 mile walk which ended in Mendocino just in time for lunch! In the afternoon we wandered round the town, and I picked up a pair of the same binoculars that Lil got, as well as a very nifty microscope that plugs into the computer and shows the image on the screen.
Saturday – a nice relaxing day, starting with some wonderful cookies in Fort Bragg, followed by a wander around the town. Lil picked up some bargain art supplies – we’re going to need a bigger suitcase soon!
Sunday – two words… sea kayaking! An amazing experience, combining moments of perfect relaxation with some pretty intense adrenaline rushes, and all of it in the most wonderful location. We started off paddling around in the open sea, and gradually moved up to exploring some of the many sea caves in the area. One of these leads through to a beach which is only accessible through the cave or by climbing down the cliff. Shooting through a narrow tunnel propelled by the waves, and then jumping off the kayak and dragging it ashore through the surf (all in near darkness!) is a real thrill – and we were doing it on pretty much the calmest day possible! We have some photos, but they were taken on a waterproof disposable camera (what is this film of which you speak?) so it’ll be a while before we have them developed and scanned.
A few pictures – more to come once we’re home and have broadband again!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pterodaktyl/
OK, that’s it for now – we’re off to see some big trees…
Well, the time is just flying by – here’s what we’ve been up to so far:
Monday – we were still pretty jet-lagged, and hung around the house most of the day watching birds and enjoying the sun. We also went shopping in Fort Bragg, the nearest town. The range of fresh and organic food is amazing, as are the prices!
Tuesday – we walked into Russian Gulch, one of the local state parks. Didn’t actually get very far since ever few yards there was a new bird demanding identification. We then headed into the nearby town of Mendocino (think New England architecture with a Californian climate) for lunch, which we ate sitting on a gorgeous white sand beach below the town. After that we went round some of the shops, and Lil found some very nice Nikon compact binoculars for $40 – I’m seriously considering going back to get a pair! Dinner at one of Fort Bragg’s Mexican restaurants rounded off the day.
Wednesday – our first (slightly) energetic day. We started off in Fort Bragg, had a wander round the shops and had some very tasty (and large) sandwiches in the old railway depot. Then we headed out along the coast on an old logging road. Again birds brought us to a halt every few minutes, and by the time we reached MacKerricher State Park, 3 miles up the road, we only had time for a quick look at the seals, Oystercatchers and Heerman’s Gulls at Laguna Point before we had to head for home.
Thursday – today our aunt took us on a road-trip south to Point Arena, about 50 miles down the coast. On the way we stopped off at Manchester State Park, where Lil finally got to see not one, but nine, of the White-tailed Kites I’ve been raving about for three years! A walk through the coastal scrubland to the beach also revealed a Common Garter Snake, Peregrine Falcon and Sanderling on the beach (not everything’s different here!) and a feather from a Northern Flicker with an incredible orange barb. Back at the parking lot we found an extra passenger in the car – a very large Praying Mantis! After a stop at the Point Arena lighthouse we headed down to the pier, where we had a drink at a very nice bar with a view of the Pacific – pelicans, surfers and all!
The sun is hot, the sky is pure blue, and a walk to the mailbox includes hummingbirds and ravens – yes, we’re in California!
The flights went well, apart from a minor hold-up at Schiphol while they conducted a drugs sweep of the aircraft. By the time we got here we’d been awake for 24 hours apart from a few dozes on the plane, and we were asleep within an hour of walking through the door. After 12 hours of sleep we’ve shaken off the worst of the jet-lag and are feeling much more human – sitting in the sun on the porch certainly helps!
Just going to have some lunch and then we’re heading into town to get some shopping – as always there’s one or two things we forgot to pack!
Thank you so much to all of you who came today – you made a great day into a perfect one!
All our bags are packed, and our next update should be from California… Must dash!
11 hours to go, see you all soon!
We’ve created a group on the photo-sharing website Flickr. You’ll be able to see the official wedding photos in here, and if you have a Flickr account you can add your own photos of the event. We’ll also be adding photos from our honeymoon!
View (and join!) the group here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/tomandlil/
