Post No.5 — Looking back 40 years to 22 January 1981
We had been split into teams of three for each day’s cooking and dishwashing duties so I was first-up for this on day one, working with an American married couple, Pat & Jeannie. The effect seemed to me somewhat like going into a stranger’s kitchen and getting in between a couple who knew how each other worked, and simply getting in their way! {:-)
Post No. 4 — Looking back forty-years to 21 January 1981
During my intended six months in Africa, I had planned to join two truck-based groups of fellow overlanders because that was the only realistic way to cover the huge distances I hoped to do. And to this end, I spent my first night in Egypt in a very modest (read ‘extremely basic’) hotel in Cairo, ready to meet some fellow vagrants the following day.
Post No. 3 — Looking back forty-years to 20 January 1981
The ferry across the Mediterranean from Greece to Egypt took just under 36 hours and we arrived shortly after daybreak.
Post No. 2 — Looking back forty-years to 19 January 1981
My planned six-month backpacking trip through Africa, back in 1981, had one small disadvantage: At 107 pounds (48.5kg) the backpack itself was a challenge! (An insight into what it contained may be seen in my previous post — see the foot of this page.)
I was young and fit, so carrying it wasn’t really the problem — although I certainly wasn’t planning on running any marathons with it — the actual challenge was with baggage limitations on aeroplanes. The cost, plus a necessary extra bag to split the load, was out of the question.
It was clear from the outset that my plans had to allow for getting to and from Africa without flying, and given that my initial destination had to be Cairo, this would be no easy feat.
The answer proved to be crossing the English Channel to Ostend by ferry, catching the Tauern Express train from there to Munich, take a brief break to see the city, catch the Hellas Express train from Munich to Athens, and again take a brief break to see the city.
Post No. 1 — Looking back forty-years to 18 January 1981
From the age of perhaps six or seven, I was besotted with wildlife television programmes — all in black & white back then in the early 1960s — by the likes of Armand and Michaela Denis, ‘Look,’ by Sir Peter Scott, and ‘Animal Magic,’ by Johnny Morris.
Our first visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens at Boothbay was most certainly worth the effort. The location is about an hour north of Portland, ME, and three hours north of Boston, MA.
This isn’t an article/text blog so hopefully I’m just going to let my photographs speak for themselves:
The ‘Bleu Aimable’ tulip
The ‘Angelique’ tulip
‘Rote Glocke’ Pasque Flower
‘Rote Glocke’ Pasque Flower
‘Pink Chintz’ Wild Thyme
‘Pink Chintz’ Wild Thyme among ‘Angelina’ Stonecrop
And last but not least some wonderful ferns
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The walk back down from Kaaterskill Falls to the road was one of those occasions when verse by my favourite Welsh poet sprang readily to mind:
What is this life if, full of care,W.H. Davies
As for the “streams full of stars,” I looked and wondered whether this particular one also held any Brook Trout. I have a delightful little 3-weight, 7’6″ fly rod that I could be easily be tempted to go back with, to that gorge.
And then, of course, there are all the larger creeks and rivers in the Catskill Mountains. They might need longer 4- or even 5-weight rods. I wonder how many Americans know that the Catskills were actually the first place fly fishing was ever done in the U.S.A. These mountains are certainly classed as the home of such in America.
The Red Trilliums (see above) were, of course, a wonderful bonus. So many spring wildflowers are white or pale-coloured but not these ones!
We also saw a few small birds flitting about on the far bank of the creek and some long-lens photographs showed these to be Louisiana Waterthrush – a little gem in a lovely setting.
So yes, the path up to the Kaaterskill Falls is steep and a bit rough in parts but it is not much more than quarter of a mile so, as long as you take your time, a lot of people could manage it. And as I hope my words and photos have shown, it is very worthwhile!
Eddie
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