Today we were supposed to go on a boat cruise to the islands of Mull, Iona, and Staffa, but it was cancelled yesterday afternoon. Today was windy, cold and rainy, so cancelling was not a bad idea. The bay was full of whitecaps and farther out looked quite rough, too. So we slept late, dawdled over showers, and only left the flat when it was time to go eat lunch. Helen wasn't feeling well, so she and Faye went to the soup shop while Sara and I headed to the waterfront for seafood at the fish shack. It was a good choice on our part as I ate prawn cocktail and Sara had a smoked salmon sandwich and 4 fresh oysters. Afterwards we met Helen and Faye at a coffee shop for dessert and COFFEE. Later ... read more

We were up early this morning, off to see the castles. It was drizzling rain, but, hey, this is Scotland. That's what rain jackets are for. Onto the bus for the trip to Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the royal family still stays when they are in Edinburgh. Lots of rooms, lots of tapestries, lots of furniture, even though they consider it small and cozy. They even Megan Markle's wedding dress on display. But you can't take pictures inside the palace. The palace was constructed on top of and next to the ruins of the old Holyrood Abbey, parts of which still stand. We thought we would take the bus from there to the Edinburgh Castle, but the Royal Mile closes to vehicle traffic on the first Sunday of every month. So, we walked up (and I ... read more

First of all, I call this trip "Mothers and Daughters Respite in Scotland" because I am travelling with my daughter, Sara, her friend, Helen, and Helen's mother, Faye. We all need a respite from something, whether it is family trials, work problems, health difficulties, or something else. So this trip is a respite, a relief, as well as an opportunity to cross a few things off our respective bucket lists. So we started this day quite early, up by 3:30 am and at the airport by 5:30 for a 7:10 flight to Philadelphia. Unfortunately we were stuck with a 12 hour layover in the city of brotherly love. So, we decided, this was our time for a little history lesson. Upon deplaning, we got an Uber to take us into the old city, starting at Constitution ... read more

Tuesday, 5 September, 2017 From Dubois we drove southeast through the Wind River Valley; through hills and meadows, some filled with sage, others cultivated, irrigated and green with alfalfa. This is hay and cattle country, though horses are plentiful, too, and we spotted quite a few pronghorn antelope. We followed the Chief Washakie Trail to Lander. Then we paralleled the Oregon, Mormon and California Trails, as well as the Overland Stage Route and the Original Pony Express. We crossed the Continental Divide again at South Pass, elevation 7600+ feet. Seeing these hills, valleys and mountains makes you realize just how tough those early settlers were. After stopping for a few groceries in Rock Springs, we drove south to Firehole Canyon campground in Flaming Gorge NRA. We do love this campground. Wed, 6 Sept. We have decided ... read more

Friday, 1 September - Sunday, 3 September, 2017 As we drove south from Yellowstone to Grand Teton NP, there was more road construction south of West Thumb. We were lucky again and didn't have any long waits to get through very long sections of 1 lane road. We were much relieved to get a campsite at Grand Teton and were surprised to find we also had a cell phone signal. We were able to use the internet at the Laundromat to catch up on blogs and emails. The weather is lovely, but the smoke in the air again mars the beauty somewhat. The park was very crowded, but that is to be expected on the last holiday weekend of the summer. We love the mountains and the lakes and the contrasts between them. We went up ... read more