China: The Great Wall

Missy and I were brought to the Great Wall by one of my Chinese colleagues, Dr. Yan. We went to the Badaling Great Wall, which is by far the most popular and most restored. This section of the wall lies North of Beijing about one hour by bus. There are several other sections in the mountains North of the city which are accessible for a day trip, and of course there are many other sections of wall throughout the North of China itself. We met a guy from the Netherlands who had even seen a remote section in the desert in the far West of the country; that would be quite the different experience from what we had at Badaling. Overall, it was breathtaking and unbelievable to walk around on such a phenomenal feat of engineering.

Go South at Badaling. This section has a longer walk and is much, much less crowded than the North section. We found ourselves alone quite often towards the end of the open area.

Protective statuettes here as well.

There were some very, very steep sections fo the wall...and in the heat, it made for quite a good hike!

I tried to figure out where the rock was quarried from to make the wall, though I was unsuccessful. The walls here at Badaling are over 25 feet high (7.8 m) and 16 feet (5 m) wide!

This familiar Great Wall is part of the more recent, Ming Dynasty Great Wall. There are much, much older sections from various other time periods, dating back to ~200 B.C. when the Chinese simply used packed earth as the first walls.

These are serious mountains...I cannot immagine invading armies coming through these...the vegetation is dense and the mountains are steep. Apparently, those Mongolians were unconcerned by this however.

The much more crowded Northern section..

China: Beijing, Part II

I was in Beijing for work, but we were fortunate to get some time during the week we were there to see some of the amazing sites around the city. My favorite by far was the Summer Palace, Yihe Yuan. This massive park and historic area sits in the far northwestern corner of the city. It is a great place to get away from the hectic atmosphere of Beijing itself and just relax by the lake, or one of the historic buildings, or in the many gardens or woods. It was a remarkably peaceful place, and the grounds are so huge, you can easily find a place all to yourself.

Painting on the ceiling of one of the old buildings...the hilly grounds are sprinkled with old pagodas, temples, and palaces.

A woman practicing her flute. The locals definitely appreciate the beautiful and tranquil surroundings here.

The Summer Palace was started in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong. His artisans took the garden and archtectural styles from various regions throughout the Chinese Empire.

This palace was built in the Tibetan style.

This area near one of the few entrances has a bunch of little shops along the river.

Another person practicing the flute.

These walkways wind throughout the grounds...which are absolutely massive. We gave up on trying to figure out where we were...we just wandered and enjoyed everything we stumbled upon. Guides will try and intimidate you with numbers when you enter. They say the place is 3.0 sq kilometers, which is true, and that it is easy to get lost, which is also true. However, the reality is that while the property itself is around 3 sq km, 3/4 of that is covered by the lake, so the grounds you can actually wander are much smaller. A map is included with your entrance fee, and overall, the place is small enough that you can just walk in relatively one direction and find something major pretty quickly...finding the way out isn't hard.

A bridge near the Marble Boat (seen in the background on right).

This massive complex overlooked the main lake...it was enormous...once again, pictures do no justice.

Catching the late afternoon sun.

There were many statues of dragons, lions, and phoenixes scattered throughout the grounds. Dragons represent the Emperor, while the phoenix represents the Emperess. Lions were to protect people from evil spirits.

Once again, the painting and detail on the woodwork was intricate and absolutely stunning.

Looking out over the rooftops to the lake.

Attention to detail...and symmetry.

The newly restored Qianmen area, due south of Tiananmen Square. Unfortunately, not many of the stores and restaurants along this main street were open yet, but renovations are nearly complete and they will be open soon enough. This was a great area to come at night since all the buildings are lit up. There is also a cool night market just off of this main strip.

Back through there is one of the most famous Peking roast duck restaurants in Beijing.

The moon cooperated nicely for this shot...

Qianmen by day.

This was the little side street where the night market runs...though don't let the name fool you...most places are also open for business all day as well. One of the most famous tea shops in Beijing is down here.

Inside the Forbidden City. This place is old...and massive. It was built in the early 1400's, and these main courtyards were supposed to be large enough for the entire imperial court, which was comprised of around 300,000 people!

Many lion statues here.

Put these next three photos together to make a panorama of one of the main courtyards...

This place is enormous...impossible to translate by photos. There were throngs of tourists here too...mostly Chinese, but fortunately they stuck primarily to the main North-South axis through the City...so going off-axis a bit is a huge relief!

The Emperor had thousands of concubines and servants. They supposedly had a code system using the color of the roof tiles to let them know which buildings they were allowed to enter.

These carvings were amazing.

Lots of people crowding around trying to get a glimpse and picture of one of the thrones. The complex is set up along the North-South axis, with a series of large palaces separated by massive courtyards and gateways. To the flanks lie a maze of smaller passages and buildings. I didn't like it here nearly as much as the Summer Palace. There is a severe lack of living things other than a few small gardens scattered here and there (ignoring the throngs of tourists that is). The massive, paved courtyards give a very dead feeling to the whole place.

I couldn't get enough of these tiled roofs with the various protective statues on them. As you can tell...I love historic architecture.

Beware when you exit to the north...you WILL be accosted by people trying to sell you stuff...and it seems impossible to get a taxi from here, despite tons of them sitting around.

China: Beijing, Part I

China, where to start? This country is huge in pretty much every way. It is the fourth largest country in the world by way of land area and the first by way of population. It is one of the strongest nations in the world in terms of military and economy. The Yin and the Yang are fundamental concepts in Chinese philosophy, and these opposite yet interconnected and interdependent forces are seen throughout China. The country is home to some of the wealthiest individuals in the world, yet it also claims some of the poorest. It has several of the worlds most densely populated cities while at the same time, some of the most remote regions, which are practically devoid of human life. It is home to the world's highest piece of land yet its coastline stretches for thousands of kilometers. Its cities are infamous for their polluted air and waters, yet its less known national parks and preserved areas are pristine and beautiful. It is a massive country of contrasts with an incredible and very, very long history. Where to start? I will start where Missy's and my trip started, Tiananmen Square, at the center of Beijing and the heart of the country. Here, I will do my best to relay the incredible three weeks we spent traveling through this country. We did our best to see a lot, but we barely scratched the surface in China.

The picture above is of a guard at attention in Tiananmen Square with the southern gate in the background.

One of two nationalistic statues flanking Chairman Mao's Mausoleum.

The Mausoleum of Chairman Mao Zedong. As with other Communist leaders of the past, like Lenin and Ho Chi Minh, Chairman Mao was embalmed (against his wishes; he wanted to be cremated) and entombed in a crystal coffin so the masses could look at his body long after his death.

The other flanking statue. I particularly like the SKS (assault rifle) in hand, but it is fitting as Communist China was founded by revolution.

Tiananmen Square is the largest open-air city square in the world... and it is absolutely massive! The square itself covers 100 acres and it is named after the Tiananmen, which translates to Gate of Heavenly Peace and is the famous red gate featuring the enormous portrait of Mao. Missy and I walked through here...taking our time to take in the enormity of the place as well as the incredible history it has seen.

Looking south down the main axis of the square, and also of Beijing itself. Feng shui is very important to Chinese architecture and civil engineering, and a good North-South axis through the city's center (i.e. where the leader lives...the Emperors Palace in the Forbidden City for Beijing) is vital.

Tiananmen, Tianan Gate, the Gate of Heavenly Peace. This is of course one of the most photographed places in China, and thus, there are plenty of people around it...even more so when you consider that it is one of the few ways to get access into the Forbidden City, which lies directly North (along the main axis) through the gate. It was near here that Missy and I first had the feeling of how few Westerners get to China. We had a couple groups of students ask to have their pictures taken with us as well as plenty of stares from some of the Chinese tourists. Overall, the people were very friendly though, and they got a kick out of my terrible attempts at Chinese. They particularly liked when Missy and I would smile and thank them in Chinese, xie xie.

They must have been repairing some of the tiles on the roof...gives you a good idea of how big that portrait is though.

A traditional gate outside of the Yonghegong Buddhist Temple near sunset. Beijing has a brand new subway system thanks to the Olympics, and Missy and I found it most useful (and extremely affordable) to travel around using it. We hopped on at Tiananmen and got off right outside the temple...unfortunately it was already closed by the time we go there though.

With the temple closed, we decided to go check out a cool little hutong we had read about. Hutongs are the old neighborhoods in Beijing...the old Beijing that is. They are networks of alleys and lanes with old houses, shops, and restaurants. It is in the hutongs, and there are many of them, that you will find some of the best food in Beijing...you just have to be willing to dive in, and probably get lost once or twice, to find it. We ended up going down into this one, North of the Forbidden City and West of Yonghegong, where we found an awesome little cafe with a rooftop patio to enjoy a snack, some Tsingdao beers, and the hazy sunset.

I don't know what it was, but I loved the fact that there was an active skate culture in China. I think it is because it goes so much against the strict, rigid and overwhelmingly studious stereotype of the Chinese youth.

A typical house entrance in a hutong West of Yonghegong Street. Missy and I wandered down here looking for a cafe. We didn't find the one we were looking for, but we stumbled onto the beautiful, tree-lined and historical Guozijian Street and a cafe that was just perfect.

One of the entrances to the Confucian Temple along Guozijian Street.

Guozijian Street is a very well preserved historical street in Beijing. It, as well as the area around it, is well worth a stroll down if you are ever there.

Pagoda inside the Yonghegong Temple grounds. The colors of the paint and the intricacy of the architecture are just absolutely stunning.

There are lots of lion statues in China...this is because lions are believed to protect humans from evil spirits.

Symmetry is very important to Feng Shui and Chinese architecture and planning.

We were blown away by the roofs in China. This is still in the temple, so we expected the intricate rooftops here, but this style is seen on so many buildings, including the some of the average homes and shops, not just the large palaces and temples!

One of the statues flanking the masterpiece of the Yonghegong Temple...an enormous statue of Buddha inside the last building, which you can see some of the intricate painting on here in the background. Despite literal tour busses full of tourists, it was great to see that the temple was still run by monks and used by the devout as well.

For a bit of nightlife, check out the area around Houhai and Beihai (lakes North of the Forbidden City)...though I must admit, the price for a beer is outrageous for China (~35 yuan = $5.00...like prices back home!). There is a cool little, but touristy, night market street near here when coming in from the Drum Tower and some awesome restaurants around the area between the Drum Tower and the lakes.

San Francisco

This is going to be a very short post...not much talking, just sharing some pics from December when I attended the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Overall, I thought San Fran was a beautiful city, with plenty of life and atmosphere. It's huge, both in population and size, but it has somehow avoided the super-massive city feel, which I loved! I'm sure you all know this familiar bridge....the city's most famous icon.

View from Telegraph Hill...well worth the climb up the steep streets.

I love the sign...

Quirky buildings...

Delicious chocolate is made here... and you can't miss the the Ghirardelli store near the heart of things around Union Square...they have free samples!

The Fisherman's Warf area...lots of seafood...high, touristy prices, but still as fresh as it gets (lots of live stuff out in front of the restaurants themselves!)

Alcatraz Island

Sea lions just hangin' out by the docks

There REALLY were bay windows on almost all of the buildings! I loved the architecture in the city and how well everything worked with the many hills. I was not expecting the bay-windowed town homes to span more than a few pockets, but they were throughout the city, which was great! For some reason, they make for a warm, inviting atmosphere.

As I said, it was December, and apparently San Franciscans have a Santa Fest of sorts where everyone dresses up, drinks heavily, and then wanders the city. I was lucky enough to catch them at the assembly point in Washington Square Park!

North Beach: San Fran's Little Italy (really its huge!)... as with the rest of the city, there is some spectacular food here!

Chinatown...also some AMAZING food here!

This is actually a pic from Colorado, but it was on my way to the airport on the morning of my departure to San Fran, and it was just way too beautiful not to include.

Yellowstone National Park: Part 1

Coming in from the South Entrance, we drove North, making our way through endless pine forest and the odd lake to the geyser basins near the famous Old Faithful. We planned on spending our first day taking in the Southwestern part of the park, where the majority of geysers and prismatic pools are found. Our first stop was just randomly along the side of the road in to check out this cascading river. It was quite a way down to it where we were standing and the water was no more than a foot deep and just streaming over the dark rock beneath it.

One of the smaller guys in the Upper Geyser Basin, with the Old Faithful Lodge in the background. This was one of the most built up places in the park since it is here that visitors get the regular showing from the Old Faithful geyser.

Some of these geysers were absolutely massive, and they can spray boiling hot mineral water hundreds of feet into the air.

The geyser basins are like alien landscapes... much unlike anything I've ever seen. Yellowstone is blessed with more geysers than any other geothermal area in the world. A couple other hotspots are Iceland and Rotorua, New Zealand.

Trees bleached white from the chemical steam.

The aptly named Firehole River.

The Morning Glory pool. I talk more about the colors in the next post, but this one isn't nearly as bright and vibrant as it used to be (the center used to be a bright, bright hue of electric blue) thanks to idiot tourists throwing garbage into the pool (which blocks up the vent at the bottom). Missy and I witnessed idiotic people doing a lot of stupid things in the park, like dipping hands into the mud and bright bacterial pools and acting like full-blown babbling morons at the sight of wildlife (running wildly, while drooling, flailing arms, and making weird grunts and squeals). It's people like that that I don't feel bad for when they are burnt horribly by the boiling steam of a geyser they got to close to or are horribly maimed by a wild animal to which they showed no respect. If people can't respect nature and what is there, if they do things to ruin it, then those people should never be allowed to go to such a wonderful place.

The geyser basin is just peppered with these venting white piles and swathed in massive open areas that are too unstable for trees to take root. This is the Old Faithful geyser before blowing its top....any second now...

There it goes...few minutes late....but it didn't fail to deliver.

Near-boiling hot mineral water streaming down into the Firehole River. Rudyard Kipling once visited Yellowstone and wrote about the immense courage it took to stick your head in one of the steaming vents along the Firehole. He said he never worked up enough courage to do it...which is why he was intelligent enough to be allowed in the park by my reckoning.

At most of the colorful pools, the steam was just too dense to see the full out beauty of the electrically bright colors. However, you do catch sudden glimpses through the shroud.

Once again...the landscape is so totally alien, yet here you find it in Wyoming of all places. If I didn't tell you, couldn't you mistake this for a picture taken from the air of the surface of some distant planet's icy moon? Meanwhile it was taken by me along one of the walkways in the Lower Geyser Basin. Amazing place!

Yellowstone National Park: Part 2

Along the Grand Prismatic Spring. I highly recommend you look up aerial shots of this massive color pool. The colors come from various types of bacteria that thrive in certain temperature waters... as the temperature gets hotter or cooler, the color of the bacteria changes. It is surreal that these are so natural and so vibrant. Seriously...google image: "Grand Prismatic Spring from the air"...it is incredible.

Unfortunately, the main part of the pool (with the crazy blues, yellows, and greens) is mostly shrouded by the clouds of steam, but you can catch the faint glimpse of intense color from time to time. Also, the parts that you can see from the walkway aren't too bad either!

I'm not going to write much about most of these pictures. As we traveled through the park, we were absolutely floored by the views and its enormous size. Hopefully these pictures do some justice for that.

A massive geyser along the Firehole Lake Drive...

And a little guy shooting off some steam.

More prismatic pools...

Missy and I loved how the steam would just rise out of random places throughout the park. If you had no idea where you were, you would think that you were surrounded by forest fires in several parts of the park.

Near Mammoth Hot Springs

Missy and I took a drive to the North Entrance. This is the Roosevelt Gate, named after the President who was so important to the National Park system in the US. It is also in southern Montana, which is a state I have always wanted to spend some time in.

The old post office at Mammoth village.

The Lamar Valley.... we saw wolves!!! The Lamar Valley pack was out and about, sitting up on a ridge line and looking down on the massive buffalo heard that makes the valley its home. We saw about ten wolves total and they were really far off (across the valley), but fortunately several others with telescopes and really nice binoculars were there and willing to let everyone take a gander. It was amazing seeing these predators in their natural habitat...wolves are by far one of my favorite animals.

Another dramatic vista...

Missy's entire trip was made when we saw this bull moose. Moose are dying out in the park mostly due to lack of water supposedly, which is hard to believe considering how much water there seems to be. However, the ranger that was overseeing the sighting was telling me about how few there are in recent years compared to before and how there is a direct correlation to the amount of water in the park.

This park is enormous. It is so spectacular seeing so much unspoiled wilderness. There should be many, many more reserves of land that are this large and off limits to human development.

In the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.... it's from here that the park derives its name.

Our last night camping in the park; it hailed and was very, very cold. Each night we camped in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton, I woke up in the middle of the night to howling wolves; I loved it! This last night was really, really cold though, but fortunately we were all pretty tired and went to bed shortly after dinner and sunset. We woke up to an ice covered tent (the condensation from our warmth inside had frozen into a thin sheet of ice all over the rain slick), but the weather seemed to have cleared, which was very promising for our last day.

One of the first things we saw on our drive back to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was this: two buffalo swimming across this misting river!

They got out, had a quick drink, and then just wandered around a bit, crossing the road and moving off into the woods. They were very close and it was pretty spectacular.

The Hayden Valley, we saw another pack of wolves here! The two big valleys in the park (Lamar and Hayden) are famous for their wolf packs, though we were extremely fortunate to see both packs within two days! The Hayden Pack was feasting on a kill from the night before; I wonder if it was the cold or the wolves that got whatever kind of animal it was. Once again they were in the distance, but there were others with telescopes and binoculars that were generous with their gear.

Further along the valley we came across a herd of buffalo.

Artist's Point and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We returned here because we really wanted to see this canyon in full sunshine...it was well worth the extra 40 minutes of driving!

Our last stop in Yellowstone brought us to the West Thumb thermal area.

After another drive through Grand Teton, we stopped and had a full lunch at the Snake River Brewery in Jackson Hole, WY. Jackson Hole is a pretty cool, though super touristy, western town. The drive back was long (~11.5 hrs), but the scenery was amazing. We came back along the west side of the continental divide, which runs diagonally up through Wyoming in a massive ridgeline of 12-13 thousand foot peaks that bee-lines from south-central WY right up to Teton and Yellowstone. There were some spectacular mountains in that range that I would love to spend some time on, especially considering how few people lived around them (and thus how few actually visit them to hike, climb, and camp).

Grand Teton National Park

Missy, Bailey, and I woke up early to this sunrise at our campsite in Northwestern Wyoming. We were on our way to spend five days and nights driving, hiking, and camping through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks over an extended Labor Day weekend (September 2008). We had left after work the day before and drove into the early morning to cover the huge distance between Boulder and the far corner of Wyoming.

Entering Grand Teton National Park from the Eastern, Moran Entrance. The Teton range bursts out of the valley running the length of its Eastern sides. Grand Teton itself (the tallest mountain in this picture) rises nearly 7,000 feet above the 6,800 foot base plain to an altitude of 13,770 ft. It is spectacular seeing these massive mountains towering so high above you and dominating the landscape for miles and miles around them.

Mt. Moran and its reflection on the way in.

As I mentioned above...the mountains dominate the landscape. These pictures do little justice to the real thing. I found it absolutely spectacular to have such a broad, flat valley (the Snake River valley) and this behemoth of a range right next to it that absolutely ignores the notion of foothills and gradual inclines.

Mt. Moran, from the side this time.

Yet another of the spectacular features of the valley is the series of lakes that run along the very feet of the mountains themselves. They are crystal clear, glacial lakes, carved out by the spectacular forces of those receding rivers of ice. I heard from a geologist once that the fault along which the Tetons lie is still very active (obviously when you look to the activity in Yellowstone to the North) and causing the Tetons to grow higher while the lakes get deeper. I haven't confirmed this, but if true, that is pretty cool.

Mt. Moran from the beautiful Jenny Lake and just a short hike from our campsite.

Grand Teton and Jenny Lake. I absolutely fell in love with the area around the Tetons. As for what I look for in nature, you can't get much better than this.

The Tetons. Their modern name derives from what some apparently sex-deprived French-Canadian fur traders called the three dominant peaks: Les Trois Tetons (Translation: The Three Breasts). Somehow, this perverse nickname stuck, and now the United States has a National Park named after a grand tit.

Menor's Ferry. This ferry is part of a historic area in the park, where settlers once made their livelihoods and homes. Menor's Ferry used to be one of the only places for miles to cross the formidable Snake River. The ferry itself is an ingenious design, the guide rope above it restricts its motion to basically one dimension (along the line), and due to the angle on the two pontoons in the water, the side-to-side (in the direction of the guide rope) component of the force moves the ferry. So with the set up in this picture (ferry angled left into the stream), the ferry wants to move left but is stopped by the wall; to move right, just angle the ferry the other way (right into the stream) and let the river do the work for you!

The old General Store at Menor's Ferry historic area. They still sell goods, and the interior is decked out with antique, settler-era furnature, stove, and memorabilia. It is definitely deserving of a walk around inside.

One of the barns along Mormon Row...and yes, that is a herd of buffalo behind it on the left! I can only immagine living in this area in the 1800's...it would have been amazing and terrifying at the same time being so secluded in such a beautiful part of the world. I was blown away to find that there are still private residences INSIDE the park limits! They are left over from before the area had national park status. Lucky, lucky (and probably filthy rich) owners.

The area around the Snake River is lush.

Another old settlement.

And more spectacular views. I found myself as I was in Australia at Uluru...I could not stop taking pictures of these massive peaks. Each new angle, setting, and lighting provided another opportunity I couldn't let pass by.

I was surprised and a little disappointed to find a full-out marina at Colter Bay Village along Jackson Lake, the biggest and least natural (it is pretty much a reservoir created by a massive man-made dam) of the lakes. Though taking a couple kayaks or a canoe out would be spectacular, I just don't enjoy the sound of gas motors so much when I'm in such a beautiful area....though I'm hypocritical now since we drove in a car to cover the parks large distances.

On our second morning in the park we woke up to find this thin blanket of cloud resting midway up the range. The picture does little justice to just how cool this looked, especially since the clouds morphed and evolved in real time, disappearing within about an hour of when we first noticed them.

Crater Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness

4th of July weekend, 2008. A small group of us had wanted to get into the heart of the Indian Peaks Wilderness to see Lone Eagle Peak for quite some time, so we planned a trip over the long weekend. The small group exploded quickly into more than a dozen friends (and 3 dogs) that were up for the long, ~8 mile each way, hikes in and out and 3 days of backcountry camping without fires! The picture above is of one of the more spectacular waterfalls we passed on the way in.

Missy and Bailey about 2.5 miles away from the campsite. Each of us was carrying our own gear, food, and water for the 3+ days we were in the wilderness....plus every other person or so also had a tent.... and Jack also had a wiffle ball set (according to him, it wasn't 4th of July without a baseball game or something like it). Most of the packs weighed between 20 and 30 lbs.... so needless to say our backs and shoulders and legs were happy to finally make it to the campsite.

One of our first views at Crater Lake, where we camped.

Our first view of Lone Eagle Peak, our initial inspiration for planning the trip.

Me crossing one of the many makeshift creek crossings.

Lone Eagle through the trees...

Crater Lake is surrounded on all sides by 12,000+ ft ridges... makes for quite a spectacular setting. It was definitely more beautiful than any of us had imagined.

Nearing sunset on the first day.

Smaller than Crater Lake, Mirror Lake is aptly named. It was pictures like this one, with the perfect pinnacle of Lone Eagle viewed head on like this, that inspired us to go up there. We originally wanted to climb the peak (a class 4 scramble is the easiest route), but once there, we opted to just relax (mostly) for our full day and enjoy where we were.

Another of the views from Mirror Lake and by far my favorite picture from the trip.

My tent: home for Bailey, Missy, and I for the weekend. It was July, but at almost 10,400 ft altitude, the air was only warm in the Sun, and as you can tell from the pictures, there was a fair amount of snow left up there. Our worst bit of weather came in the form of a short, but solid bout of rain and hail. Overall, we did have great weather though.

Oh, Jack also hauled up American Flags...AND an apple pie.

Along the creek connecting Crater and Mirror Lakes...

While most of the (harder-core) crew tried to tackle the West ridge line, Missy and Bailey and I took a more leisurely hike partway around Crater Lake. This is looking back East from the West shore.

Lone Eagle's true form is given away from the West side of the lake. What appears to be the "perfect mountain" from the North is really just the end of another ridge. Lone Eagle's summit isn't even the highest point along the line!

Missy and Bailey waiting on one of the bigger rocks below, I climbed up a bit for a better vantage. From up here, I enjoyed full views of Crater Lake like this.

Another profile of Lone Eagle.

I went partway up this waterfall. Turns out the rest of the crew took this the entire way to the top before doing a bit of glissading down the larger snowfields above.

The ever-present, and ever-beautiful Colorado columbine. We actually saw a few red columbines on the way down. According to Jack, our local expert, the red ones are extremely rare... he had never seen one before this trip! The red ones were much smaller and not fully in bloom, so they weren't as photogenic as the one above.

Northern Ireland

Derry city, Northern Ireland. I was personally expecting some kind of border crossing after our day of driving through Galway, Sligo, and Donegal. Yet, when we got into N. Ireland, the only thing that gave it away were the license plates and traffic signs. It took me a couple minutes to realize that the speed had switched from kph to mph, which meant the people behind me weren't too thrilled. Anyway, Derry city, also known as Londonderry, has long been an English stronghold in the country (since the 1500's). It is an interesting and lively city with an even more interesting history. Its city center is still surrounded by its medieval city walls. Still fully encircling their original perimeter, these represent some of the best preserved city defenses in Europe. Missy and I walked around on top of half the circumference, but had to get down since they access points are locked up at sunset.

One of the 4 gates along the wall. The wall has plenty of placards discussing the history. Bishop's Gate is seen here with its placard and a few tidbits.

Derry has plenty of murals. Many are republican, but this is a unionist one. Derry was one of the hottest of hotspots during "the troubles." Bloody Sunday occurred here, and for a time, there were sections of the city, called Free Derry, which were essentially run by the IRA and definitely not places where English or Unionist citizens were welcome.Derry City Independent hostel...by far the comfiest, welcoming, and clean hostels I have ever stayed in. I don't even know if you can call this a hostel....it was more like staying at a good friends lovely townhouse. It was decked out in various Asian art, furniture, and Buddha statues and had amazing washrooms.

Our double bed room. I wish we could have stayed here for a while...it was a great hostel and a cool city to explore, but we were nearing the end of our trip and still had plenty to see!

The Antrim Coast....a must see stretch and a must do drive. The Antrim Coast road runs around the northeastern coast past picturesque coastline and many amusing attractions, both natural and man made.

The Giant's Causeway...remarkable to see despite having to share it with way too many tourists.

Walk around while at the causeway, especially if the weather is as nice as we had when we were there.

These polygonal basalt columns are the Giant's Causeway. There are an estimated 37,000 of them ranging in height from a few inches to 10's of feet. Hexagons are the most common shape, but they can have as many as 10 sides. Irish legend has it that Finn McCool (actually Fionn Mac Cumhaill in Irish), a warrior from Ulster, fell for a woman giant from Scotland and built the causeway to cross the sea to get to her (the fault line along which the formation lies does indeed resurface on a Scottish island), and another legend tells of Finn building it to go to Scotland to fight another giant. The legend goes on to say that when Finn got to Scotland, he was surprised by the superior size of his Scottish foe. He fled back to Ireland and was pursued by the other giant, but Finn cunningly had his wife build a giant crib in which he hid cuddled up in blankets. When the Scottish giant showed up to fight, he in turn was frightened by the sheer size of Finn's "baby" and fled back to Scotland...good moral to that one eh?!?

According to geologists, the causeway actually formed by a massive subterranean explosion that shot molten basalt up to the surface where it cooled and basically crystallized into these shapes.

We had a beautiful day while we were driving the coast road. It started out overcast, but the sun cleared the clouds away, leaving perfect blue skies and this amazing ocean of turquoise.

The Carrick-a-rede rope bridge...definitely worth checking out. The island is connected to the mainland by an old rope bridge (which is now reinforced by steel cables), which was originally built by fishermen. It was hilarious to see how frightened some people got when it was their turn to cross, I loved it!

Belfast, the capital of N. Ireland. Belfast is a very large city, and Missy and I only spent a few hours here. Overall, I found the cities of Northern Ireland to be much too big and industrialized compared to their equivalents in the Republic. Both Derry and Belfast seemed like they had lots to offer though, and I hope that if I ever get back to either, I will be able to spend a bit more time enjoying them.

There was a continental food fest going on outside of City Hall, seen here. There was plenty of food from all over Europe here, which was really cool. Missy and I ended up going for a bit of French (a potato and cream with ham dish...and absolutely delicious) and a bit of German (bratwurst). This will end my Irish post. Our last full day, Missy and I drove back from Belfast to Dublin via Dundalk and the Bru na Boinne site, with its prehistoric tomb-mounds and passage graves. Overall, I absolutely loved Ireland, and will do my best to return again sometime in the future.