I agree, Wessa! Plus we'd get to do some side trips through Las Vegas, Death Valley (which I've never seen), and Reno. And we could come back on a different route primarily through California.
Yes, @Col_C, please do share the photographic love with us! Years ago I lived in Oakland right across the bay from San Francisco and I worked in Berkeley. I have very fond memories of those times and really love the Bay Area. But many of the places that you've listed that you've been in the U.S. are places I've yet to see--and I live in the West! There are just so many wonderful places to explore. When I started scuba diving back round 2003, most of my travels were to places that were known for great diving...and none of those places were in the U.S. So it was scuba diving that was the primary impetus for traveling internationally. But once I started riding motorcycles and then doing motorcycle trips and touring, I've realized how many amazing and wonderful places are right here in the U.S. in my backyard, so to speak.
I've been through Death Valley (in a car) - quite the experience! (Darn hot... ) 52 degrees centigrade when I was there...
I love the bay area - we spent a few nights with a friend on oakland ridge - sitting in a hot tub on his deck, watching the game quaffing bourbon with a view of san fran.. amazing...
We have a BMW-riding friend who has done a few trips to Death Valley with a touring group he rides with. They typically go in the winter...for obvious reasons! I'd love to see it but it's a bit down the list. Check this out.
We're all guilty of ignoring our own back yard, but you have a better excuse than us - your yard is a bit bigger than ours. Enjoyed touring most of our neighbours' back yard (mainland Europe) on two wheels for about 20 years but the USA trips were in rental SUV's, more convenient but you have to get out of that tin box to be "IN" the environment. We have toured the UK but getting to the good bits often involves suffering a fair bit of traffic congestion, which takes the edge of the enjoyment.
It is hot - but impressive. Tumbleweeds and all. I particularly enjoyed the climb out to the northwest, great road! Would have been great on a bike. Sadly I was driving a Dodge die- nasty...
Last week we had two houseguests--two lovely young women who Mr. Sandi has known since before they were born. He's been friends with their mom and dad since they were younger than these daughters of theirs who visited us! Mr. Sandi is like an uncle or 2nd dad (or maybe granddad) to them. Anyway, they said they'd love to come visit us from their home in Tennessee prior to heading off to college and we said of course. I didn't know them well prior to this visit but grew to like them immensely very quickly during their four-day stay. After they left for the airport I said to Mr. Sandi that I'd have more faith in the future of the world if more kids and young adults were like these girls. With our work schedules I wound up entertaining them a bit more during the day than did Mr. Sandi. One of the things we did that was really special was to hike into Sabino Canyon, a Tucson gem that's about a 20-30 minute drive from our house. The girls are both soccer players so our hike was also their workout for the day. Sabino was incredibly green and lush due to all the rain we've had this monsoon season. At this point this is the 3rd wettest monsoon on record for Tucson. In fact, Sabino Creek was running so high that the first bridge we came to was closed and we had to turn around. However, that serendipitously led us to the Rattlesnake and Esperero Trails as an alternate hike back to the car rather than returning on the paved road on which we'd hiked in. The girls were stunned at how massive saguaro cacti are. And they were surprised to learn that the skeleton of these giants is as hard as the wood of trees. This is the bridge that was closed and barricaded off. I stepped just past it to snap this photo. The water was quite a bit higher--and much faster--than you can get an idea of from this picture. We were disappointed to not be able to walk deeper into the canyon. But as I said, the "consolation prize" was the beautiful hike along the Rattlesnake (no, we didn't see any thankfully) and the Esperaro Trails. Just two months ago Sabino Creek was completely dry!! This sign was a bit ominous. When we saw it the girls said they hoped we'd see one. I said that, no, we definitely did not want to see one as they've been known to attack humans. Bobcats, yes. Mountain lions, definitely no. A view looking back towards the canyon from the Esperero Trail. Another shot with a saguaro showing just how huge these cacti are. This particular saguaro must be somewhere around 200 years old. The girls were astounded to learn how old saguaros are before they even get their first "arms". I did a quick google search to confirm what I'd heard in this regard. Here's the info: "By 95-100 years in age, a saguaro cactus can reach a height of 15-16 feet, and could start to produce its first arm. By 200 years old, the saguaro cactus has reached its full height, reaching upwards of 45 feet tall. Some saguaros have been seen with dozens of arms, while other cactus never produce a single one. Saguaro Cactus - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (US https://www.nps.gov › orpi › learn › nature › saguaro-cac..." That stick-like plant with leaves to the left is called an ocotillo (pronounced ō-kō-tee-ō). The dark blue line represents Sabino Creek. The lighter blue line shows our route for the day. Though it doesn't show it on the map, the paved road goes quite a bit further up into the canyon. Sabino is a well-loved Tucson destination for hikers, runners, and birders. And it's a common place to take out of town visitors because it's such a great example of how a desert can be so beautiful and lush. There's also an electric tram that runs out and back from the Visitor Center at intervals for those who prefer riding to walking. All in all it was a wonderful couple of hours out in nature. The girls loved it and came away with a new appreciation and understanding of the Sonoran Desert. And I came away thinking, "Why the heck don't I come here more often?!"
View of Invercauld Bridge today just north of Braemar, it is only used for private vehicles now View up the River Dee from the Bridge
Felt adventurous yesterday and went up to Malin head armed with camera, sleeping bag and a disposable bbq. Turned out very foggy all night and morning but still, it was an enjoyable time
We're in the surprisingly pleasant town of Ayr for the night. They do local games for local people....
Local woods during the evening in Cork, Ireland. Nothing special but light was really nice so had to grab a quick pic.
I took these two photos of cloud formations in the past week on my iPhone. Neither have had any editing at all. The clouds and skies in the past couple of months in Tucson have been spectacular! This one is from our back porch just before sunset. And I saw these clouds over the Santa Catalina mountains forming an arch of sorts.
And more rain has also meant that the night-blooming cereus cacti in our yard have had a second blooming season. We're happy about that--as are the bees! These blooms literally bloom once overnight and then are gone. Sort of a metaphor for me lately for the all too fleeting experiences of life.
I'm sure it used to only be 2mb,also i noticed in a recent thread someone had uploaded a lot more than 10 pics, it used to be a maximum of 10 in any reply
That's interesting that someone was able to upload more than 10 pics, Dougie. I wonder if that was a fluke or we can now have more than 10 in one post. For me it might actually be better to be limited to 10 in a post--it makes me think more about which to include (and perhaps more importantly!) which exclude when I start a thread. In my excitement to share, I get a bit carried away sometimes.
