A Day in the Scottish Highlands

June 27, 2019Posted in Historic Sites, Lighthouse, Tourist Attractions, TravelTagged Eilean Donan Castle, Isle of Skye, Kyleakin Lighthouse, Loch Ness, Portree, Scotland, Scottish Castles, Skye Bridge, Urquhart Castle20 Comments

Our small tour bus with Rabbie’s Tours departed Inverness early on a Saturday morning for a 12 hour tour across the Scottish Highlands. As we rode from place to place our guide Colin filled us in on Scottish history and folklore.

Soon after leaving Inverness we were riding along with views of Loch Ness to our left. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one on the bus who was searching for Nessie, more commonly known as the Loch Ness Monster. We didn’t stop at Nessieland, a small theme park.

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-Tour-IPhone-(2) — Nessieland was just up the road, Lock Ness, Scotland

Our only stop on Loch Ness was at historic Urquhart Castle. The castle is undergoing some restoration and we did not tour it. It was our last chance to see Nessie and she wasn’t cooperating.

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-a1-(2) — Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness, Scotland

We had plenty of time to tour Eilean Donan Castle and enjoy the gorgeous setting.

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-(30) — Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland near Kyle of Lochalsh

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-(58) — View from the bridge at Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-Tour-IPhone-(42) — Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

Most of the day was spent on the spectacular Isle of Skye. There are dramatic mountains and cliffs, charming seaside villages, and gorgeous scenery all around the island.

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-(92) — Dramatic Cliffs, Isle of Skye, Scotland

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-(121) — Isle of Skye, Scotland

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-Tour-IPhone-(68) — Henry was glad he wasn’t driving! Isle of Skye, Scotland

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-Tour-IPhone-(70) — Curvy roads around the Isle of Skye, Scotland

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-Tour-IPhone-(75) — Wow! We’re really here! Isle of Skye, Scotland

We stopped in the town of Portree for lunch and a view of the harbor.

20190518-Portee — Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-(84) — Town of Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

A few people on the bus brought back some beer from the Isle of Skye Brewery.

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-(128) — Isle of Skye Brewery, Scotland

Our last stop on the Isle of Skye was the town of Kyleakin. It was raining as we walked around the waterfront with a nice view of the the Skye Bridge and the Kyleakin Lighthouse.

20190518-Skye-Bridge — Skye Bridge, Scotland

20190518-Day-18-Isle-of-Skye-(150) — Kyleakin Lighthouse, Isle of Skye, Scotland

It rained most of the way back to Inverness. When we arrived in Inverness that Saturday night the restaurants and pubs were hopping with young people out on the town. We found a restaurant with no wait, had a quick supper and called it a night after a long but fantastic day.

Hello Scotland

June 21, 2019Posted in Historic Sites, Lighthouse, TravelTagged castle, Corsewall Lighthouse, ferry, George Square, Glasgow, Glasgow City Council Building, Inverness, Scotland, Stena Line, Wellington Statue Glasgow5 Comments

It was really sad leaving beautiful Ireland but the time had come to move on to Scotland. We boarded the Stena SuperFast VII Ferry in Belfast for our 2 1/2 hour voyage to Cairnryan, Scotland. The ferry was huge with lounges, restaurants, and even free WiFi. The seas were calm and the sky was clear for the entire trip.

20160515-Day-15-Ferry-to-Scotland-Glasgow-IPhone-(4) — On the Stena Superfast Ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan, Scotland

As the ferry was passing by our first sighting of Scotland, we saw the Corsewall Lighthouse.

20190515-Day-15-Ferry-to-Scotland-Glasgow-Sony-(24) — We saw the Corsewall Lighthouse from the ferry

We picked up our rental car at the ferry dock and were soon traveling on Scotland’s roads on our way to Glasgow, our first destination.

20160515-Day-15-Ferry-to-Scotland-Glasgow-IPhone-(12) — Another country, another rental car, more curvy roads. We have arrived in Scotland

20160515-Day-15-Ferry-to-Scotland-Glasgow-IPhone-(14) — Scenic drive from the ferry to Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow is a huge city, much bigger than I thought it would be and we only had one full day to explore. After a good night’s rest we enjoyed our first Full Scottish Breakfast before starting our sightseeing. Henry tried the haggis with eggs, I passed on the haggis. We set out on foot to explore the area around the hotel. Our wandering took us to the Museum of Modern Art, George Square and the Glasgow City Council Building.

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(8) — Wellington Statue at Museum of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(55) — George Square with Glasgow City Council City Chambers Building in the background, Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(37) — Ceiling in Glasgow City Council Building

We decided the best way to see the highlights of Glasgow would be to take the Hop-On-Hop-Off Tour. The tour was about two hours around the city, making a few stops along the way. If you got off, you could get on another bus to continue the tour. The top deck of the red double decker buses were open and a guide pointed out places of interest as we went. The city is an interesting mix of old and new.

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(61) — Mural in Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(138) — Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(172) — Italian Shopping District, Glasgow, Scotland

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(99) — Glasgow SSE Hydro concert, sporting, and special events arena

20190516-Day-16-Glasgow-City-Council-Hop-on-Hop-off-Sony-(180) — The old and the new in Glasgow, Scotland

The next day our adventure was a ride from Glasgow to Inverness in our rental car. After a few wrong turns and a ride through the Glasgow suburbs the scenery got better and better as the day went on.

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(12) — On the road to Inverness, Scotland

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(15) — Snow in the Highlands, Scotland

Inverness is a much smaller city with the River Ness running right through the center of town and a castle at the top of a hill. The name Inverness means “mouth of the Ness”. We arrived early enough to take a walk beside the river.

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(44) — Inverness Castle, Scotland

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(53) — Faith, Hope and Charity statue in Inverness, Scotland

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(31) — River Ness, Inverness, Scotland

20190517-Day-17-Glasgow-to-Inverness-Sony-(45) — River Ness, Inverness

Next up, a full day bus tour through the Scottish Highlands.

Wandering around Saint Augustine

February 20, 2019March 14, 2019Posted in Florida, Lighthouse, Nature, RVing, State Parks, Tourist Attractions, WildlifeTagged Anastasia State Park, beach, Saint Augustine Alligator Farm, Saint Augustine Lighthouse, The Real Florida17 Comments

It’s been over 40 years since we last camped in Anastasia State Park. We were camping in a tent with our kids and back then you could drive on the beach.

Today there is no more driving on the beach in the state park. Instead, there is a huge parking area with walkways over the dunes and a wheelchair accessible beach mat to the beach.

It was chilly, foggy and raining during most of our stay. On the first sunny day we went exploring. After a drive south on famous highway A1A, we headed to the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park.

Founded in 1893, the Alligator Farm started out with just a few exhibits of Florida reptiles. It has expanded over the years to include not only reptiles but also birds and mammals from all around the world. Today, in addition to the educational shows and exhibits, it is also used for research.

As we wandered through the zoo toward the Native Swamp and Rookery to see the nesting birds (I posted about them here) we stopped to observe the many varieties of animal life.

Saint Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park

Albino alligator from Louisiana

Baby alligators and turtles at the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm

Komodo Dragon

Maximo, a saltwater crocodile, is largest animal at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm

Galapagos tortoise

Parrot

We took a break for lunch and drove to the nearby Conch House Marina and Guesthouse to eat outside on their waterfront deck.

20190211-St-Augustine-Alligator-Farm-(17) — Lunch with a view at Conch House Restaurant

After lunch it was back to the Alligator Farm to watch the 3:00 alligator feeding. Can you say feeding frenzy?

Feeding frenzy at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm

The alligators go after a tasty rodent on the end of a fishing rod

Our next stop was the Saint Augustine Lighthouse. Gorgeous views were our reward for climbing all the steps to the top.

St. Augustine Lighthouse

St. Augustine Lighthouse Fresnel lens

View from the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse

When we weren’t exploring St. Augustine we enjoyed being in Anastasia State Park. Our campsite was surrounded on three sides by natural vegetation and the beach was only a 10 minute walk from our campsite. One afternoon we explored the nature trail near the campground.

Beach at Anastasia State Park, St. Augustine, FL

Beach at Anastasia State Park

Resurrection Ferns on old oak tree

Nature Trail at Anastasia State Park

Wandering Dawgs 2018 Year in Review

December 31, 2018January 7, 2019Posted in Birds, Butterflies, Florida, Georgia, LighthouseTagged photo essay, year in review23 Comments

Our 2018 was filled with a few short RV trips, Daytona 500, parades, festivals, Universal Studios Orlando, gardening, Georgia Bulldogs, wildlife, beaches, mountains, and lots of fun!

Icicles in January

Start/Finish line at Daytona 500

Glass bottom boat at Silver Springs

Bagpipes at Savannah Scottish Games

Tybee Irish Heritage Parade Junkanoo from the Bahamas

Universal Studios, Florida

The Tybee Island Lighthouse displays the American Flag on 9/11/18 in honor of all those lost on 9/11/2001

This photo of the walkway at the beach shows us a lighthouse when we look away from the beach.

Swallowtail

Painted Bunting on twisted vines

Mexican Sunflower

Georgia Peaches from Ellabell, Georgia

Boat ride in Georgia waters near Tybee Island

Sanford Stadium at UGA

TEAL Walk Savannah 2018

Osprey looks over the salt marsh

Early morning in the Georgia Salt Marsh

Fall brings wading birds to the Georgia salt marsh

Wandering Dawgs at the top of Brasstown Bald

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

Big Shoals trail on the Suwannee River

Festival of Lights at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center

The Wandering Dawgs at the University of Georgia

Happy New Year!

National Lighthouse Day

August 7, 2018August 8, 2018Posted in Lighthouse, PhotographyTagged National Lighthouse Day, U.S.A.18 Comments

During our travels around America we have been known to venture out of our way to visit a lighthouse. In honor of National Lighthouse Day (August 7) I put together a collection of some of my lighthouse photos.

East Coast Lighthouses from Maine to Florida