Newfoundland: Stunning Green Gardens

Green Gardens

Gros Morne National Park, NL

June 18, 2013

Spoiler alert, this is one of the many rewards you will receive when hiking the excellent Green Gardens trail in Gros Morne National Park.

This shot marked the point where we turned around and headed back up the several hundred stairs that stood between us and our car.  I would love to attempt the complete loop of this trail, but maybe when I'm up to fording Wallace brook....in June.

Newfoundland: Green Gardens

Green Gardens Trail

Gros Morne National Park

June 18, 2013

Green Gardens: yet another stunning trail to hike while in Gros Morne.  

This one involves many, MANY stairs to traverse.  You head down the stairs towards the coast.  Unfortunately, what goes down...must go up.  Pacing yourself on the reverse/uphill trek is recommended.

The portion of the trail that winds along the coast is the pay off.  There are several backcountry camping spots along the coast which I'd love to check out on another visit.

Sheep can be seen grazing along this trail on the many meadows/fields.  The landscape almost reminded me of the Scottish Highlands in parts.  A highlight of our visit, for sure.

Scotland: The Cuillins

Glen Sligachan

Sligachan, Scotland

June 22, 2012

In the heart of Scotland's Isle of Skye (or just plain 'Skye', as the locals call it) lies The Cuillins, one of 40 national scenic areas in Scotland.  I hope you can understand why from this shot.  Stunning.

We hiked up the Glen for a couple hours, towards the hill you can see on the left in the distance.  That peak is named Marsco, it is part of the Red Hills/Red Cuillins.  The Red Hills are mostly composed of granite, compared to the Black Cuillins (you can see the base of them on the right hand of the shot) which are mostly basalt and gabbro.

This area of Scotland is a popular destination for ramblers, hikers and climbers.  If you are up for a challenge, you can complete the Black Cuillin Traverse. This takes you from Glenbrittle in the West, to Sligachan in the East. 

It's no wonder that Skye was used in the opening sequence of Prometheus, its landscape has an otherworldy feel.  

It was an amazing hike up the glen, I wish we could've ventured further.  If you happen to find yourself in Sligachan.  Stop, go for a ramble and recuperate in the Sligachan's excellent pub afterwards.

Iceland: Hurrah for Hveragerði!

Hveragerði, Iceland

June 29, 2012

Just another gorgeous day in June, in the hot spring hills above Hveragerði.

You can see a small cloud of steam on the left.  It was puffing out stinky, sulfur/rotten egg smells the entire time we were there.  The amazing terrain and vistas more than made up for the smell(s). ^_^

Love where you live

Upper Kingsburg, NS

Oct. 19, 2012

Love the bands of colour, light and shadows in this one.  I shouldn't need to remind myself to walk down the road and soak in this vista, but I do.  

Iceland: Hveragerði hot springs

Hveragerði, Iceland

June 29, 2012

Who are these masked marauders? Don't worry, they're not viking invaders, just a large group of tourists on a horseback tour of the excellent hot springs of Hveragerði!

The hot springs are an easy hike into the nearby hills. I'd recommend going on a guided tour on your first excursion, mostly so you know where to go (and step) and where to avoid. Take a wrong turn and you could find yourself scalded in the geothermal heated waters!

Our destination was not far from where this photo was taken. You can see the steam rising from the nearby geothermal stream. Upstream from this location, a glacial fed stream and a geothermal stream meet and flow downhill. As our guide suggested, if you find the temperature too hot, simply wander downstream until the water temperature cools to your liking. He estimated the water temp. at 42 C, pretty toasty! 

The area of Hveragerði was one of the first areas in Iceland to harness geothermal heat. Settlers built their homes nearby (and sometimes above) geothermal heated waters. I'm sure the appeal of using naturally heated water for warming their homes, washing, baking and cooking was hard to resist. There are many greenhouses in the area, which harness the natural abundance of heat, the first of which date back to 1929.

Visiting this area was one of the highlights of my trip to Iceland. If you find yourself in Iceland, do yourself a favour and check it out!

Edinburgh: East Princes Street Gardens

East Princes Street Gardens

Edinburgh, Scotland

June 18, 2012

After wandering the Royal Mile for a spell, we made our way to the East Princes Street Gardens to rest our feet.  As we entered the gardens from the south-east corner, we were greeted with this splendid vista.  Without hesitation, I stopped, whipped out my trusty S95 and took this shot.  

The Balmoral Hotel can be seen in the distance in the center of the image.  As you can see, It was a sunny and splendid day!  We spent an enjoyable afternoon at the National Gallery of Scotland.  Turns out the gallery (and many other public museums) are free, funded by council tax.  Go figger.

Somewhere between Glasgow & Edinburgh

I wish I knew exactly where this farm was located...best guess it is closer to Glasgow than it is to Edinburgh.

I shot this through the window of our train as we hurtled down the tracks toward Edinburgh.  As you can see, this day was a wee bit 'o' all right.

Home and Shrubbery: Forsythia & Flowering Quince

Spotted on the Mason's Beach Rd, just outside of Lunenburg.  Loving all the flowering quince bushes that are starting to bloom!

Just some fall foliage

I am not sure why I overlooked this photo from this past Fall, I like the mix of lush greens with the first sign of colourful leaves. Before we know it, there will be so much green out there!

Down the moss laden path

A shot from late 2011, captured at one of my favourite places on earth: Gaff Point.

Valley blur

I had the pleasure of being the passenger on the drive from Annapolis Royal to Halifax this past Sunday.

I was shooting photos out of the window and lucked out with this low shutter speed shot. ^_^

Mess of mountain ash berries

Trying to capture as many shots of mountain ash as I can before the foliage whithers, enjoy.

Mmmmore marvelous mountain ash

I'm trying to shoot as many pics of the mountain ash trees in my neighbourhood before the nice green foliage fades, enjoy!

Magnificent Mountain Ash!

These gorgeous shrubs, some the size of trees, are currently laden with gorgeous red berries. Stop and soak in the vibrant complimentary colours if you spot a good specimen.

I'll be posting more shots of mountain ash in the following weeks, stay tuned!

The view out the front door

A typical scene out the front door in the burg of kings...neoprene drying on the deck, amazing skyscape, and the sun!

Hope ya'll get to enjoy the gorgeous day out there!!!

Valleyview lookoff

The view from the lookoff at Valleyview provincial park (just north of Bridgetown).
Shot July 3rd, what a weekend!!!

Minivan nestled 'neath the leaves

The complimentary colours of this derelict minivan caught my eye...

A symphony of colour!

I was overwhelmed by all the colour this weekend. Glorious magnolia, forsythia and cherry blossoms everywhere! Farmers' fields were so green, I could imagine that I was in Ireland..

This shot was taken last week, under overcast skies, not quite as electric as the sights this past weekend, but a pleasant dash of colour nonetheless.

Mmmmmossy!

Spotted on the Peter Point trail at Keji earlier in the month.