Hidcote Manor Garden, Cotswold, UK, 12/9/14

Instead of doing a hike in the Cotswolds with my cousin Margot and her husband John, they took us for a stroll to see Hidcote Manor Gardens.  The land was bought by an American heiress in the late 1800's who promptly passed it on to her son, Lawrence Johnston.  The garden is now managed by the UK National Trust. Hidcote is known for the lavender we are all familiar with and has a white garden that predates the well know white garden of Sissinghurst.

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Hawk Watch Trail, Sandias, NM, 8/16/14

Because we hiked this trail many times, I didn't think of taking the camera. Wthen we got there,  we found that everything was green... Like we had never seen it.  Green New Mexico! I had to document it. So we went back today for a an early morning breakfast hike. (Trail 215, 2 miles one way, elevation 1600 feet.)

Ocean drive, Newport, RI, 7/5/14

Wonderland and Ship Harbor Nature trails, Acadia National Park, 7/1/14

We rode the shuttle to Southwest Harbor to reach Wonderland trailhead that winds for 1/2 a mile through a grove of twisted pines.

And this is what we found... A beach lined with rose bushes!

Smelling the roses...

No high cliffs here. We found cobblestone rocks and granite ledges that made it easy to walk along the shore.

The guidebook mentioned bringing binoculars to watch the wildlife.  We did not have binoculars but we were not disappointed.

Another attraction: tide pools.

Found masses of small clams and and a few baby crabs hiding in the tide pools's seaweed, and just one empty crab shell.

Gorham Mountain, Acadia National Park, ME, 6/30/14

First stop on today's hike: Pelegrin Watch. Rangers were on hand to man the telescopes pointed towards a falcon nest with two 40-day old fletchlings.  Trouble was, fletchlings fly and do not stay put.  I got to see just one by the nest for a brief moment. 

Second stop: Sand Beach, my favorite.  There is only one sandy beach along Acadia's rocky coast and the water is a frigid 50 degrees. Just warm enough to wet one's toes.

Next, we followed the Ocean Path to the Gorham Mountain trailhead. You can see Sand Beach at the horizon.

One more stop before starting our climb: Thunder Hole.  Apparently the waves go wild in this crevice but we, along with a crowd, waited in vain for the show.

Coastline views from higher up.

Almost at the top.  A friendly Canadian from Quebec took our picture.

Top of the mountain. Seagulls were hovering. I saw one flying off with a plastic food wrapper in its mouth... What we do to the earth...

Last side trip: Cadillac Cliffs, a steep, rocky and not well marked spur trail.

One more view ofthe coast: Pom-Pom seaweed balls flotting along the shore.

Bike Ride, Acadia National Park, ME, 6/29/14

We took the Express Bike shuttle from Bar Harbor to Eagle Lake to start our day's bike trip along the Carriage Roads of Acadia National Park. John Rockefeller Jr wanted motor-free roads for horse and carriage rides on Mount Desert Island. Construction lasted from1913 to 1940, including the building of 16 bridges.  The result is 45 miles of carriage roads used today by carriages, horseback riders and hikers.

Our destination for lunch was Jordan Pond House, known for its popovers, a more than 100-year old tradition.

Along the way we passed Eagle Lake, Bubble pond and Jordan Pond, a 10 to 12 mile ride round trip.

And yes, the popovers were delicious!

Sunset at Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park, ME

For our first Arcadia National Park hikes we decided to go watch the sunset atop the highest point in the park.  We arrive early to get some hiking in. Started with Dorr Mountain trail - too steep.  Tried Cadillac North trail - too steep also.  Retraced our steps and tried South Cadillac trail - better but ran out of time.

Acadian style Bates cairn.

Facing Western Bay towards the sunset.