# "Interesting places" photos



## MacDoc

The photography thread seems oriented to few interesting pics of a huge variety of subjects and some chit chat about technique etc which is good.
Thought a complimentary thread that was "place" oriented might be useful. Perhaps less technique oriented and more a bit of a vicarious visit 
From car shows to cottage to Cartegena to your cabbage patch garden - let's see some interesting places 

*Some of our Iceland pics from a recent trip.*

Gullfoss / Golden Falls



















and where the word geyser originated. Geysir





































and a moment later










it's neat area as you can jump across the mid Atlantic Ridge and on the left is North America and on the right of the crack is the European plate.



















and it goes on until you are walking in the widening split.










we WILL go back to Iceland before they shut the doors on tourism.


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## yeeeha

MacDoc, nice set of pix!


> go back to Iceland before they shut the doors on tourism.


Can you elaborate on this?


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## MacDoc

answered that on another forum. ask him



> A member of parliament has argued that there are already too many tourists in Iceland, preventing Icelanders from getting seats at cafés and "disturbing" the experience of visiting Gullfoss and Geysir.


The Reykjavik Grapevine - Life, Travel and Entertainment in Iceland / Too Many Tourists, Says MP

They are an old culture and I think far more used to an isolated existence and the 2008 crash was very very painful. There are only 300,000 Icelanders and over a half a million tourists visit each year and climbing every year. They are caught in a need for the tourism and being outnumbered. Some of the west coast North American towns like Skagway have 850 inhabitants and 4 or 5 cruise ships can dock at once which adds 5-7,000 to the population on a given day. It's a stress on EVERYTHING.

The Althing and some of the other sites are still deeply embedded as part of their psyche as opposed to a tour destination.
Think of the importance of some of the indigene sites like Uluru in Australia ( formerly Ayer's Rock ). These people governed from those natural amphitheaters for a thousand years....

The cultures across there including the Scots, Irish, Faroese, Icelanders, Greenlanders and the Nordic nations on the eastern edge all have roots stretching far back in time. The one site on Shetland Islands was inhabited at least 9,000 years and maybe more. The Faroese speak an ancient version of Old Norse that evolved into the modern Faroese.
Lovely places to visit all. But at times one can feel intrusive.
One reason as much as being science geeks we'd love it....we will not go to the Galapagos.


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## Kleles

If you have visited this site, you would have noticed this precarious act.


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## SINC

There are similar places like that:


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## SINC

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone.


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## Macified

Zion Canyon. Heading north from Springdale, UT.


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## Macified

Bryce Canyon, UT.


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## Kleles

Two pics, same place.


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## Kleles

Anyone who visits realizes that Bryce Canyon would be better named Bryce Escarpment. It's all about erosion. Entropy is beautiful here!


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## SINC

Bryce Canyon provides so many angles it's hard to choose what to shoot.


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## screature

All these photos of Bryce Canyon and Zion make me pine for Utah. We lived there for 3 years when I was a kid. It is a spectacularly beautiful place.

Great shots everyone.


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## Kleles

Does absence make the heart grow fonder? I can never get too much of majestic mountains and awesome canyons. Does being an 'Easterner' make me pine for the mountains more than those who live close by?
Here are some Rocky Mountain Highs.


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## MacDoc

I'd really love to ride that area. Just a long hike to get there and with all the other travelling it's hard to slice out the time. GF and I want to do the Yosemite area starting from the Grand Canyon and moving north then west over to Rainer and back down the west coat 1/101 .
We saw a special on the history of the Zion Canyon area including some of the myths surrounding it. Unreal area.
•••

I was posting this up as a series elsewhere ....was a late in the season ride pulled the bike over and shot and shot. Wish I had a better camera at the time. Took about a half hour - there was a brisk wind and it was late in the riding season so sun low in the sky = long sunset period - clouds kept changing so different every few minutes as the wind moved the clouds and the sun got lower.














































I found that third from the last fascinating as the break in the cloud just limned the gaunt treeline.
Then when the sun dropped this lovely pink sky emerged looking very different.

was out again on a late season ride to St. Jacobs in Mennonite country earlier this year and caught this space ship landing 










not much to photo today on a grey December day in Ontario but warm enough to get a ride in after a travel layoff. Can't wait to get back to Aus with new camera. :thumbup: :dance:


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## Kleles

Great spaceship landing. I call these 'sunfire' pictures.


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## MacDoc

wow love that top one - incredible - looks like the moutain is in flames... :clap:


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## screature

Kleles said:


> Great spaceship landing. I call these 'sunfire' pictures.


Nice ones Kleles, I like #1 and #2.


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## Kleles

Thanks, MacDoc and screature


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## MacDoc

We've certainly put Bryce on our bucket list for our tour of the western US coming up perhaps next fall Yosemite is for sure and Mt Rainier which is just enormous. I was stunned looking at it from Seattle. ( great place ). If that sucker every goes off like Mt. St. Hellen's the destruction would be incredible. That's the normal coastal mountain range in front of it so you get a sense of how big Rainer is.


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## Kleles

MacDoc, your picture of Mt. Rainier reminded me of my picture of Mt. Fuji taken through my hotel window in Tokyo. Technically, a poor shot but a great memory peg for us. So many great cities are built in geophysically risky places. But, with modern awareness of risk, where would any city be built?


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## Niteshooter

This might qualify as an interesting place.... my desk at work..... never had one for the first 18 years at the paper then suddenly had all this space to fill so what the heck. Plus it tends to scare people away!


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## eMacMan

*Pikes Peak*

A different view of what is the very definition of a cliché subject.


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## MacDoc

Still nice foreground and background framing and if you hadn't said - who would know


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## Kleles

Niteshooter said:


> This might qualify as an interesting place.... my desk at work..... never had one for the first 18 years at the paper then suddenly had all this space to fill so what the heck. Plus it tends to scare people away!


Who said stuffies are just for kids?!
That's a great collection!


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## SINC

♪ Oh give me a home . . . ♪

Elk Island National Park


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## SINC

Arches National Park, Utah.


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## MacDoc

If I pointed my camera outside I would get an impenetrable wall of grey fog.
Going to be an interesting ride home on the bike. Nice to see there is sun somewhere.


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## tompatrick




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## MacDoc

This was from the Corning Glass Museum in Corning New York - an easy visit for anyone from Southern Ontario and highly recommended.
Corning Museum of Glass

Stunning and humorous chess set - I will post up a few more. Just go see it and the cafeteria is superb - Jude and I have travelled and dined widely and the meal there was simply one of the best we've had anywhere.
Hard to believe. A very impressive organization - down to the smallest details.


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## MacDoc

Nother forum had an Iceland thread going so was good reason to upload a few more.
Some of the panorama's are worth popping up in larger screen.

Enjoyed ourselves - will go back tho I understand the locals are getting a bit tourist weary.

Europe on the right, North American plate on the left...










you can actually hop the rift here










you walk right down the split 










and it's the site of the oldest democratic parliament the Althing as our traditionally dressed guide was telling us here on the site of it. Was held here even well into the 20th century and started in the 9th











THe word geyser originated here....in fact right here










it referred to one specific one but there are several to wander around through.




























http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m269/macdoc/ScreenShot2012-11-26atNov262012102309PM.jpg

Lovely falls on the Golden Loop



















We could see ice fields in the far distance after seeing the falls. You need to spread these out on the screen.










reminded me of a cold Mordor lurking.










a few craters dotted the landscape....quite alien looking











The low ground cover was amazing colours even late in the year ( mid Sept ).

This is just near the Althing - it flows through the split from one side to the other










then spreads out in this lovely panorama on the plain below.










Just adored the colours - wish the sun had been out more.


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## MacDoc

If anyone loves planes the way I do - here are the Smithsonian Aeropspace photos in 4500x3000 - 










the set - still needs some description and remove a few duplicates

Smithsonian Aerospace Photos by macdoc | Photobucket

This would be a very good long weekend trip from the GTA. Run down through Pennsylvania. Hit Washington ( even if you only do the big space at the Airport where these are shot.)
National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
It can be a bit tricky to find so do you home work - it should be obvious but for us it was not.
Downtown Washington traffic is horrendous so up to you if you do the other Aerospace ( the Smithsonians are all clustered and are free ).
But the one are the airport is outside the worst of the traffic problems. Highly recommended as it the Corning and it's cafeteria. 
Then half day to Corning 
Corning Museum of Glass
- great food and some incredible glass and history of....


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## MacDoc

Hehe - forgot about this - Muir glacier - the iPad rocks










more here if you are curious

Inside Passage Seattle to Alaska Photos by macdoc | Photobucket


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## MacDoc

This is fun trawling the photos - what a sweet shot of the Barron falls in full flood with a rainbow to go 
This is my Jan to April home in Cairns tropical Australia










lots here if you choose to browse
australia 2012 Photos by macdoc | Photobucket


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## MacDoc

Seattle is gorgeous for a few days to spend. The SciFi museum is superb. Frank Ghery building.



















complete with monorail









space needle










and a bloody great volcano ready to blow it all to smithereens.....










next trip that way will be a road trip including Mount Rainier. Those are sort of normal size coastal mountains in the foreground and then that monster lurks. It usually rains but we were lucky and got 4 clear days while we were there. Lovely city.


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## MacDoc

Further north on the Inside Passage Juneau has an accessible glacier as a recreation area

June is best. I would fly into Alaska - take the 7 or 9 day cruise south - do some of the better shore excursions ( Whitehorse pass for sure and any glaciers. ) Then spend a few days in Seattle and fly home.
This glacier was accessible by foot near Juneau.










to give you some scale - the tongue of the glacier is to the left of the waterfall with the people just below.










with people










There were kayaks available as well.










Here is the full panorama


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## greenyoga

Wow,that's really a great work,nice picture,but i seldom take pictures for i am not good at it.


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## MacDoc

Neither am I but learning.
Decent camera's are amazingly lower cost these days. 
Hang in there


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## SINC

Yellowstone River, May 2009:


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## SINC

Custer National Cemetery, Hardin, Montana.


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## WestWeb

A memorable evening in False Bay on Lasqueti Island(near to Vancouver Island). Taken from Shore with an iPhone:









This one is from my boat while anchored in Henry bay on Denman Island(also near to Vancouver Island... No idea what camera I had back then) looking towards Constitution hill(the bump in the sun): which, is just below the Mt Washington ski resort(on Vancouver Island). Tree Island is the bump to the right of the foreground:









I love all of your photos btw! 
:clap:


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## SINC

Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah


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## Kleles

Early evening, Rollins Pond, NY state park.


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## MacDoc

These are areas I'm riding my motorcycle to in Tropical Australia. Cairns is on the North East coast where that monster cyclone Yasi went through last year. Some of the photos are marginal due to the extreme range. More to be informative. Some tho are a treat 

This lovely female Cairns Birdwing posed for me outside the backdoor. It's the size of my hand ( larger actually )








GF can often get them to sit contentedly on her hand.

Most of the year Cairns is heaven - with the trade winds keeping temps down to low 30s and never into single digits even int he coldest part of the year.
There is a band of 100 million ( yep you read that right ) year old rain forest in the coastal range which makes for the fantastic twisties.
Then up top is a tableland that you really might think you were in Ontario dairy country... winding roads and dairy cattle. The small secondary roads are well paved and fun.









I drove up the toughest of the 4 range roads around 7 am this morning. The Gillies and really enjoyed it ( 200 turns in 19 km )- was tired at the end of the day and not so enjoyable going down on knobbies.
But this is the scenery at the top

















I took the road above through the winding hills to a national park which is part of Lake Tinaroo 
Even the dead trees are useful platforms for epiphytes which almost look like foliage.

















I moved into the rain forest away from the farms and the forest is very rich in flowers and birds.

































This is the noisiest rain forest I've been in. Even with the helmet on the noise would sometimes drown out the sound of the KLR.

Caught a couple of gaudy rainbow lorikeets having a morning quickie ( right at the edge of the zoom ).
















They can be a pest as they are really loud and can flock in the hundreds.

Stopped in the little vale shown above and just waited 5 minutes with the engine off.

















Lake Tinaroo is a huge artificial lake flooded in the 50s to provide power, recreation and steady source of water.









It's a mix of open savannah and rain forest. Many dead logs and shallow bays provide diverse recreation - world record barramundi ( think 40 KG, flesh like a pickerel and attitude like a muskie. ) that can even be had in shallow water.
This was the first day I took my fishing gear with me. Was not all that serious about fishing - just wanted to see if the collapsible rod was useful...it was "okay".

The savannah and forest mix is loaded with birds as is the lake itself. This is a masked lapwing - they are big and not in the least shy. Took this from the bike from 10' with the motor running....was completely focused on his food.










These mudhens are gorgeous and don't deserve the dull name. Also not bothered by getting close.









I just about ran off the road last year went sulphur crested cockatoo cruised about a meter off my helmet and yelled.......the are seriously loud and a crew of them even more so.

This is at long range - they can be skittish and certainly let you know when they are annoyed.









There are some pics of them further back from last year.

Huge birds - bigger wingspan than a raven.

















Gorgeous birds and really lets you know you're not in Kansas anymore









Still working on my waterbirds. Think the bigger guy is a darter ( think loon tho not so large ) and no idea on the ducks.








The darter was just landing so had a big bow wave.

Not sure- just looks like an egret wading - was at the edge of the zoom









Such a neat mixed environment with this sprawling fresh water lake, savannah and rain forest.









no idea what they are but loved the flying









Caught this sunbird feeding it's baby inside the porch of the cafe as I was heading home.










The cafe owner was being cute with the batter.









Lovely day - tired and hot when I got home and had to fight the KLR down the Gillies - front tire is softish and a knobby...oh joy.


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## screature

MacDoc said:


> Seattle is gorgeous for a few days to spend. The SciFi museum is superb. Frank Ghery building....


Nice views MacDoc.


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## screature

SINC said:


> Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah


Wow SINC. I think this may be one of my favourites of yours.

Well done. :clap:


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## screature

Kleles said:


> Early evening, Rollins Pond, NY state park.


Nice. But it could definitely use some levelling... the "unhorizontal" horizon is distracting to me.


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## screature

MacDoc said:


> These are areas I'm riding my motorcycle to in Tropical Australia...


My favourites are1, 6 and 7. Wonderful trip.


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## Kleles

screature said:


> Nice. But it could definitely use some levelling... the "unhorizontal" horizon is distracting to me.



Don't you think it gives it a 'paddling down hill' sort of look?


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## screature

Kleles said:


> Don't you think it gives it a 'paddling down hill' sort of look?


:lmao: But it is a lake not a river no?


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## Kleles

screature said:


> :lmao: But it is a lake not a river no?


Quite right!


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## MacDoc

Quiet day inside but a little "red in tooth and claw" drama in the making.....

Butterfly trapped inside










hungry gecko thinking things over



















hmmmmm maybe I need to grow some.

Butterfly flew out the door
Gecko retreated to hunt something smaller. 
Quite amusing. 

Lx7 did okay tho light was difficult shooting into it.


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## screature

Kleles said:


> Quite right!


Ahhh... that's better.


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## MacDoc

Rode up to the Daintree yesterday - put on about 300km on the KLR - fell asleep on the beach on the way home - luckily tide was on the way out and woke up mostly still in the shade.

I did not spend a lot of time shooting as this ride was to check out if it was okay for buddy here with a Burgman 650 to ride up to Cape Tribulation - should be okay - there is one bridge that IS worse than it looks









but the rest should be fine. Lots of slow tight twists and dodgy pavement...fun speed bumps for the KLR  which just ate them up.

Started early and the air was clear and cool.









Same beach looking north where I was heading.









Of course this would gladden the heart of the SS crew - rather less eventful on a KLR with knobbies and a slightly under inflated front. 









rode through a couple of small rain showers and got soaked but that's the drill here - you just dry off. One reason you see a lot of squid riders....helmet, shirt, shorts and shoes here - get wet, dry off. I ride that way down to swimming - have to watch the sun tho - left a little patch of my wrist exposed on a longish ride and had a good burn on it.

Used the KLR as a clothes line while I had coffee and lunch at the only cafe there right on the beach









Tho at high tide there IS little beach.

It's one of the areas in the world the rain forest meets the sea.










I asked the girl about crocs and she said oh sure - there will be lots out there cruising with the high tide.....lhmmmm
Gave this sign a bit more attention after that - 









she said


> the creek just behind her place was a good place to see them












how big??


> Oh there's a couple of 3 and 4 meter ones!!!!!












So next ride up I'll aim to be there at low tide and I might take one of the wildlife cruises as well.

Hartleys Crocodile Adventures - Cairns crocodile and wildlife park, crocodile cruises, animal displays and wildlife shows

I talked to the girl on the ferry taking my ticket and she said they often see crocs and right where the ferry lands.
This little cutie might be lunch for a couple big salties that weigh about the same.









Stopped at my fav ice cream spot on the way back - she grows the oddest trees and bushes there - each is labelled and you can only get the particular flavour mix she chooses. Nice life. Several small tour buses in twice a day.

Wattleseed is delic



















There is no power grid north of the Daintree and it was and is a hot spot for the hippies and back to the earth types.


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## DDKD726

We ended up hiking here at Sawtooth campground close to Barstow, CA last week. Awesome place to climb and hang out


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## MacDoc

Trying to see if I can handle 6-7 days touring down to Brisbane and points south. Was trying to get in 700k today as a test run.
Best laid plans - did get 550k in lovely start to the morning - low lying fog tho everything I tried to look through also fogged up



















- 7-8 hours with numerous breaks including a delightful and totally accidental air show at Mission Beach where I happened to park 














































really need the throttle control as neck was sore all day. Bike ran like a champ - even nudged up over 150 on a couple of passes. Not so great on gas tho.

Stopped for lunch where hurricane Yazi came ashore in Cardwell - they are still rebuilding more than a year later





















> According to Tropical Cyclone Advice Number 24 at 11:54pm AEST (13:54 UTC), the large destructive core had commenced to cross the coast between Innisfail and Cardwell with a central pressure of 930 hectopascals and maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h. Maximum 3-second gusts are estimated at 285 km/h, with these likely to affect an area spanning from Ingham to Cairns according to the Threat Map [5] for a period of 3–4 hours. The eye crossed the coastline at Mission Beach just before 12:00am AEST (14:00 UTC) and passed over Tully soon after.
> The commentary on this data indicates that "models are quite consistent with the forecast motion" and adds "with the expectation of being a large and intense system, cyclone intensity may be maintained further inland than normal." The cyclone was expected to be a Category 3 system near Georgetown, 450 km inland as well as affecting the Mining town of Mount Isa. The storm caused an estimated US$3.6 billion in damage, making it the costliest tropical cyclone to hit Australia on record



last year the rain forest in the area was just plain wrecked....no other word ....this year you can see the damage still but lots of new growth.


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## Kleles

Montreal Botanical Gardens: Butterflies Go Free Exhibit.


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## eMacMan

Love the butterfly shots:clap:


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## Kleles

eMacMan said:


> Love the butterfly shots:clap:


Thanks. I had to sort through dozens of butterfly shots to pick just these four. Many of the insects are not indigenous, so it was a real 'eye-opener' for me.


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## MacDoc

Yeah that top one I think is around here - looks somewhat like the Ulysses which float through the tress here tho there are many electric blue butterflies - turns out the Ulysses has a swallowtail.....they are very large. Great shots.
The last two are moths.

This is the Cairns Birdwing - all over here - very large.


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## Kleles

MacDoc said:


> The last two are moths.
> 
> [/IMG]


Yes, there were many different types of moths, most of them in a darkened area of the display. I didn't see any flying around, but they were perched on tree trunks, walls, etc., and not always evident at first glance. The butterflies were flying around, quite active, and also perched on people, flowers, sliced fruit on sticks and trays. The iridescent colouring of some of them, like the Cairns was amazing.


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## MacDoc

happened to be sitting in the right place - good Snap shot 










up close and personal










These were the dancing salties that went awol



















They are amazing animals - they can go a year without eating.









Crocs can go a year without food.
this is of course based on body mass - the bigger the croc the longer it can go without food.They also never stop growing ....the two big crocs here ( and the one on Green Island nearby is the world's largest in captivity ) have run out of replacement teeth. In the wild they would die as that is the limit for them but in captivity no one knows how long they will continue to live.

These are big dangerous animals...this is the head of the local pond....there are two other smaller males and 18 females.
No one argues with this guy and you can see how very easily he could take a human.










these herons are fearless and will take baby gators as fast as they crawl from the nest. This one was robbing the chicken bits


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## MacDoc

Couple more shots from the croc farm....some of these birds are captive and some ( like the sea eagle and the heron are wild ). The heron was swiping bits from the croc nearby

Both of these are captive but lots of them in wild and I have a few shots but nice to get up close.










somebody is having a bad day.....he followed my black riding pants along the fence line hissing and bristling and pecking through the fence. Then bridled at his mate










Would never get this close to a black necked stork in the wild - really shows off his feathers.


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## MacDoc

My main mcycle blog has been flaky and I'm cross posting to here so I don't lose the posts.

*The tea run.*

Got off to a bit of a late start ….Bruce has to come an hour south just to get to my place in Cairns so he had to deal with heavy traffic coming south. So took a picture of our little eco home with the murderous driveway while waiting.









Lots of practice with ST1100 at low speeds and an error of mine right at the start ( left right turn confusion ) had us doing a u turn on on the arterial road and pull into fast moving and continuous traffic with very few breaks….bit of a nail biter to get the ST1100 rolling - just those first few seconds then it lights off. 

Got going the correct direction then we had to fight our way out the other side to the south with every light geared to the incoming rush. 
Course he brushed it off as he is used to traffic in Melbourne and the Burgman is soooo easy to ride in stop and start.

Finally on the long run to the Palmerston Highway which winds up the coastal range in gentler sweepers than the other range roads ..hit some rain just at the turn up to the Tablelands so put on rain gear and motored up tho very little after that first bit.

This is where we were heading ( pic from last year )









area with gorgeous scenery - the only tropical dairyland in the world and except for the palm trees that pop up - it might be a rolling part of Ontario farm country.



















but there are lovely little glens here and there










One thing I'd always wondered about as I drove by the occasional tea plantation was how the leaves got picked…the fields look so neat.
My lucky day …the Nerada Tea Company was in harvesting mode.










there finally was the mystery machine snipping off the tender tops.









Driver nicely perched ….








just rolling the money in.










We turned off one of my fav roads….taken last year but same winding road we took to Mugalli Dairy for the tea break today. Bruce hadn't gotten his morning tea fix yet and of course with the stop at Nerada Tea Company ..he was a man on a mission.

Love roads like this









except when the tour buses show up. I met three last year that spanned the entire road but the KLR was easy to put into the verge. Was NOT looking to do that with the ST1100 but fortunately met only a smallish van that pulled over for us.

So we get to Mungalli just as the rain begins….









Park the bikes rather haphazardly and Bruce scoots in and we order Devonshire tea which comes with of course, Nerada Tea in a big pot, fresh scones and a double dose of clotted crea from the dairy and rain forest jam. Yum.
It's raining, lots of tea and munchies….another riding couple show up and time passes quite pleasantly. Rain clears off, put our gear on……and……hmmm no start on the Burgman.
In his rush for his morning tea break Bruce had left the key on and of course the lights as a result. Now normally this would not be a big deal but…it's a 5 year old original battery and just not up to the task.

Middle of nowhere….no cell service….RACQ to the rescue ( road service ). Used the phone at the dairy and called up the troops. Meanwhile he prepped the bike for jumping…









I wandered a bit and took some photos. Not the most elegant of work clothes but it's a very cool dairy and does a huge amount of business in the Cairns area. Serious amount of product and totally organic.










Found a battery in Mareeba that was available so planned to go directly there since at this point it was pouring. ( it always rains in this area this time of year )….it's the Misty Mountain part of the coastal range and earns its reputation. A couple people a year disappear into the 300 km of walking trails never to be found.

Hour tea break and two hours for the truck to get there cut our ride time but there are worse places to wait and the bike started right up










Rolled home a bit late but dry run down the tight Kuranda range after getting soaked coming to Mareeba. The Kuranda road was good practice on the ST1100 - can't wait to get the front brakes done tho…..was annoying all day. 
Just beat the rain home….it's been pouring since. A good day. :clap:


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## Kleles

Another interesting place ...


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## MacDoc

by contrast at the antipodes where summer is still in full swing....

Took a break from riding visiting family in Brisbane and perhaps a spot to base on for touring.

Lovely beach on a Sunday afternoon










been popular for a while










even a very cool bike enjoying the waterfront cruise on Brighton Beach










The main event










motoring along



















turn point










seagull ignoring the amateurs










much fun by all


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## MacDoc

Been buried with work and not a lot of sleep as a result given the time shift. Staff short did not help. 
Finally was getting sooooooo restless went up Copperlode road a very quiet and lovely 12 km of slow twisties up to Lake Morris which is the drinking water source for Cairns. No boating or swimming or fishing as a result but very popular veg out spot and also work out for bicyclists and runners with the quiet and steep climbs with wonderful views over the ocean. ( bunch of pics earlier so I will not repeat. )

Mainly wanted a break and actually fell asleep reading a couple of times once I settled. Midday so not much bird activity. Finally got chased out by a noisy mower....the ranger apologized for the noise but said had to be done due to rain coming.
Slightly interesting, slightly annoying chit chat with Aussie tourist - had to be polite and he was a nice guy ....I was just too fried.

Finally got a bit of rest and wandered with the camera. The little bird activity was at distance. Great spot










was decent bird life at the island a good ways over yonder.....screwed on the long lens and was much surprised how much detail I cold pick out at that distance
could see the nest

then realized the resident sea eagle was perched there - pretty soft at extreme range.










Used the long lens for some quasi-macro shots....sort of fun.










The grounds are nicely planted.....there is free tea and coffee and great place to have a picnic.



















vegetation is amazing










Each leaf is a meter and they can grow to twice that.


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## MacDoc

Had a longish ride today in glorious weather...this is a mix of the wildlife and scenery. I finally got to swim at the lovely Millaa Milla Falls. Her toes were curling and not from excitement....it was chilly










fearless leader playing Tarzan - I found it hard to swim to the falls against the current....bloody rocks were hard on the feet too tho not sharp...just hurt to walk on. Riding buddy conveniently forgot his swim trunks so took the shot. :roll: 










The day was just phenomenal ....21 degrees, dry air...and sun. There is usually some rain in the Misty Mountain area but not today. 

Stopped at a Cafe near by after the swim.










It is truly stunning setting on the Tableland above the Misty Mountain coast range. I left these almost full size if you want to get a real idea of the sweep and richness


















The local milkers were discussing the strangers on the motorcycles..that disturbed their midday nap. Made me laugh.










arguably the tastiest meat pie and smushed peas yet from one of their brothers 










and best steak sandwich ANYWHERE!!!...home made bread too! Bruce's eyes bugged out and he iPhoned it over to his wife...."no supper for you was her comment."










350 km loop through glorious twisty roads...was just a great day to be out on a motorcycle. We stopped for coffee at Skybury about an hour from home just as they were closing.

Unknown and lovely bird ( help please ) was taking a flying bath - I think there were several. Once the aerial show stopped one came and perched on the railing near us.
*( Blue faced honey eater I've since learned )*










The flying bath action was hard to catch - they'd splash down in full flight - sorry for the fuzzy photo but the long lens driver was not up to the action










and then power back out to a local tree near the pool.
Regroup and then head back across to the larger gums across the way with a another touch and go on the little pond. You can see a stray feather.









Landing in the gums...AF just could not handle the action..I'm hoping the Tamron middle lens might do better in situations like this.










Stunning bird and had I not been tired might have had some incredible shots...but just used the point and shoot and hoped the AF would sort out from the foliage...I should have manually focused on the pond surface instead....oh well - nother learning lesson.
There is very good wifi at Skybury and I'll go up in the morning and stay a while. There is always something going on over tegh edge of the railing.

Guinea hens heading from a drink at the pond.

Mother and joey feeding as the light dropped and the air was cooler.



















Tired puppy - 9 hours on the touring bike but I do need the saddle time. We have Scala Rider comm devices now and it really made the time enjoyable to chat.


----------



## MacDoc

Tough choices...

Thought my little bit of heaven in Montague South Africa was just about the sweetest place to work from.





































But I think I have to give the nod to Skybury outside Mareeba here in Queensland Australia.

Similar climates. Wifi is better here. More expensive but lunch on the deck and scones, clotted cream and TWO superb latte's for $8.50 all in tips the scales I think.










a Pied Butcherbird singing his heart out helps the atmosphere. Many birds, kangaroos in the lawn below....


----------



## pm-r

Nice, and no sign of any #^$$^**# snow or damp fog or wet rain or.... Seems to be quite an ideal spot.


----------



## MacDoc

Either one I';; take over slushy S ontario winters.

That bird is a Pied Butcherbird I've since been informed.
Western Cape is about the same price to get there but much cheaper to live.

Mind you S Africa was waaaaaaay cheaper place to sstay.

No kangaroos tho 









and they are cute 'cept when they want to cross the road you are on...had one along the edge the other day.

Couple of unknown birds up at Skybury.



















Easy ride back on the ST - put the rain jacket on part way home but the range road was dry. Did not get quite enough sleep last night so did not take the long way around.

Planning a longer trip in April to make up for the missing touring...do a 1 or 2 night loop to Undara which look to be interesting geology tho a bit touristy - still it's half way.


----------



## MacDoc

Riding partner's partner has opened a high end cakery at the Sunday market and we volunteered as official tasters 




























Back to riding tomorrow after a mostly family long weekend.....more pig out this noon at one of our fav restaurants under the trees in Cairns. Guess it's a salad for me after yesterday's rich nosh.


----------



## MacDoc

Crazy good weather for the wet season ....worrying to farmers - wonderful for me 

Fast smooth run across from Barrine to the Rex and even navigated Atherton without any double loops on the roundabouts
Was busy in the towns as first day after the 4 day weekend and also first day of school break here.
But motored along the highway comfie and smooth at 120-130 most of the way to meetup at Mossman - 120 km straight run with a couple of towns.
One cool thing just caught a glimpse of.
Whole flock of kites was circling and diving just above the road in my lane - clearly a fresh road kill caught a glimpse of blood and fur as a I dodged kites.....BUT
Just as I came up to - I realized there was a size large reptile feeding on it....caught in in profile, big head, big teeth and body that I could see maybe a meter...Now this was right on top of a small bridge over a creek.

Shook my head since it looked so weird but at the speed I was going no time to turn around and it would have been long gone.
There is a big lizard here called a goanna that it might have been but it looked wrong. Was for sure not a fresh water croc - snout was wrong..looked like a small saltie....but up on the Tablelands??!!!
The creek was near the Mareeba Wetlands - big freshwater marsh/lake where we are going birdwatching next weekend.
So looked up saltie/Mareeba Wetlands and sure enough - the big lodge in the area had a newsletter reporting a salt water croc in a local creek.....news enough to put in the monthly flyer.
Was a cool thing to see.

Motored on to the Rex ..pretty bike - pretty view eh?



















Gorgeous day 









Met up at Mossman and took another run with riding partner up to Daintree Village - both of us boogied a bit on the twisties - noshed on tea and scones and headed back just at sunset again a sweet ride with no wind and perfect temperature.

Left Bruce at Port Douglas and headed in the 30 km of twisties on the way home when this odd sky caught my eye. 
The Vanishing Point.










took a shot looking north up the coast










Nice to riding at night again....been too long. 
350 k and very relaxed - just a good day and varied. Started at 9.30 am - home at 7.30 pm with lots of breaks...interesting roads and a fine bike to enjoy it all.


----------



## MacDoc

*Beware the Green Moss*......Glen (cop and riding buddy ) warned me about green moss last year and to date I'd been careful
Innocent looking stuff eh - well that red scuff at the end represents my front wheel taking off for parts unknown
So dumped the front end on the skating pond aka green moss....Dean if you are reading this....yes I needed a new front tire.
Still - you can see from the tracks on the other photo we crossed it coming up hill....different story downhill










We did have a good ride and reason I was heading downhill in mossland was the neatest part of as you can see further below.

Geat day - Ken did more of the photos as I had quite a few from last year on a sunny day....the gums were spectacular.
Since he's being polite I'll try and relate what happened after this photo

So off at what Ken figured about 15 kph -









down, a bit bruised and sore, a new hole int he riding pants ( the armor worked ) and apparently not too much worse for wear.

See that tree in the background? hauled myself up with a little help and wandered down and leaned against it feeling a little woozy. Felt okay when I first went down as the grin will attest. That shot is after Ken picked the bike off me and moved it off the slippy part.

and then.....

Ken says afterwards "I went stiff and toppled over like a tree". 
I'm sure he was thinking about his epirb at that point.

I woke up a bit down the bank no worse than I was but just a tad confused. Finally surfaced and after a bit of taking it easy and Ken getting the front back aligned rode it out with less than perfect use of my right hand and shoulder. It's still sore but useable now....drugs are good. 

I've always had this "reset" about 3-5 min after any 'injury' that kicks in the response. Many do as that's why the nurses make you wait after giving blood - there is some technical name but your blood pressure drops. I'm good for up to that point and then out if I'm not lying down.
I knew that but had never had it kick in falling off a bike. Must have been a fright for him.

So stay off the moss, keep your tires fresh....take a little break if you do go down
the hardcore FNQ know all that. 
For Canadian riders that do come off.....even a mild low sider....take some time before you hop back on. 15 20 minutes should do it.
••••

Anyways - on with the trip report.

The reason we turned back?? That sucker is huge - likely 400 years old. It's really hard with the wide angle lens to give you a sense of the size.










i'm glad Ken walked it to get some scale ...this is 20 metres up the hill off the road










having a fine easy ride up to that point










then this - the lens ( as with the bridge from hell ) minimizes this barrier.....it's as tall as we were across the road and on another day we might have wrestled the bikes over the first few limbs and UNDER the next big on - it was that massive.










Peaceful slow ride in mix of rain, mist and sun to that point.

Rainy start at Smithfield at 7am









Some lovely misty rain forest...those gums are fantastic on a clear day - white against a blue sky and red soil. I have many from last year on the same track 



















Ken coming up after taking some shots










Crazy tree



















a day in the forest.... and I have to ride to Cardwell in a few hours on the ST....body abuse indeed.


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## MacDoc

I'm tempted later this week to come in from the other end and look at that tree and get some proper photos of what was on the road or at least see them deal with it.

Ken considered taking the bikes UNDER the second trunk - it was about 4' clearance. The wide angle lens does not do justice to how high that mound of crashed tree actually is. Ken is almost invisible against it.










some other takes










and this is just awesome - you can get the sense from Ken's body language










sent him this one for his scrap book....the grin even comes through the full face










I'll let him tell the tale of these stingers and an unwary tourist at the Daintree....my gf the nurse at the base hospital recalls it. She took an urgent potty break in the rain forest from a tourist bus - being a natural girl she grabbed the nearest suitable wipe.
Screams brought the driver and an emergency call brought the helicoper


----------



## MacDoc

Got a bit more description of the wash out from fellow rider as both thumbs feel a bit strained and shoulder getting better but still sore.



> Hi David, bike was in third gear when i tried to find neutral for you.
> 
> You were not braking but looked like you were trying to steer right slightly to exit the death zone, i could see it happening before it happened.
> 
> Speed was pretty slow, maybe 20k tops, i was in first gear, can't hit 2nd until 30kph, very high gearing.
> 
> As your front wheel washed off to the right your rear tyre stayed on track but at about a 45degree angle your peg dug in and the resulting stop transferred into a whiplash effect and you shoulder slammed the ground very hard, much faster than your bike speed from where i was watching.
> 
> .


stay off the green stuff...sigh...

wet even too much for the 4WD - they came back the route Jude and I took inland on the Cooktown run.



> We have been up at Bloomfield for a couple of days fishing, got flooded in with all of the rivers rising behind us overnight so we drove the 400k route via lions den to get home last night.
> 
> CREB track is too deep even for my car to cross


This is the highest I've seen it - this crossing is a few miles outside Daintree Village and a nice ride to get to. Was lower last year but still not crossable.










this is the falls on the Bloomfield River - ken says he's seen it even higher.










The kind of crossing that gets people in trouble even in 4x4 let alone bikes. Ken's comment



> The Bloomfield crossing at low tide, very high velocity, crossing it would have been a waste of time because all of the other rivers were 2 metres deep, yes I've been stuck at all of them. The green water pushes cars off, the white water is easy because it has no force.












Kezza told me about it last year....he did go across but barely made it ( was lower ) - no photos as I was back 20 KM having lunch. Above my pay grade


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## MacDoc

Getting to end of this years riding in Australia....heading home at the beginning of the week.
Been keeping the distances short to not stress my shoulder as 30 hours of travel will be a pain no matter what.

Said goodbye to dirt riding partner Ken....his living room/dining room table is worse than mine. 



He's just 20 km north of Cairns. There are small communities along the ocean and I certainly have not visited them all and I'll be hitting a few over the weekend. Have to put the bikes at their storage place....will likely do the ST1100 tomorrow as no long rides planned.  Was just getting to know it.

This was a nice ride yesterday on the ST up north of Mossman
Idyllic hardly covers it - looking north up the coast towards the Daintree. Rarely see the Pacific so calm....it was almost glass a bit earlier.



Cliffs along the Captain Cook Highway ...always under construction to prevent slides ( never succeeds ).



Looking back south towards Cairns



Pulled off an interesting side road that wandered through the cane fields towards the rain forest..



such a gorgeous day....not too hot tho you would not want to spend time in that sun very long



Welcome swallows were having a ball pigging out on insects over the cane fields.



Hundreds in the air - dozens taking a break from the buffet


Moving up the feeding chain this kingfisher was lurking near Bamboo Creek.



One more step up the kites cruised behind the mowing tractor for small critters killed or flushed out



The sky was INSANELY blue..



one of the more relaxing rides poking around the side roads then a straight run back down the twisties on the ST to home.


----------



## MacDoc

Poked around some of the beaches on the way back from fetching fishing rod from Ken yesterday. Had a light lunch at Holloway Bay. Just a lovely setting



right on the ocean front and interesting seating made from old growth logs repurposed.



Popular swim area



But travellers in the time of year might find the cautions daunting. The enclosed netted area is actually outlining a stinger net to prevent the jellies from getting in. That said bits of the tentacles can get through and send you to hospital. Stinger suits are available for swimming and for reef diving. One reason I want to come in the dry season when these issues are not present.



Lifeguard it there - most often in regard to stinger issues tho it can get rough. Young girl last month was sent to hospital in a lot of pain with a stinger fragment that got her even tho she was inside the net. 



Sun is very strong and Aus has a very high rate of skin cancer so certainly no beach bunnies very often on these stretches tho that changes as the season goes on and the stingers go away and it gets cooler.


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## MacDoc

*Capetown 2011*

I think this will be easier that posting up the whole Capetown sequence.

I was fortunate that I flew in after many days of rain and had a lovely day along the waterfront

*Here is the slide show.*

Capetown 2011 Slideshow by macdoc | Photobucket

a couple of highlights - the city was prepping for the World Cup and if you get a chance to see the documentary on building that stadium ...it's incredible. What a setting.



a vibrant and fun waterfront



yet it is a working waterfront with dry docks right in town.



Stay tuned I have a size large video uploading that will give you a sense of the waterfront activity. Nice to be back in the land of high speed internet. 

Click to play


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## garf1108

MacDoc - thanks for making me homesick. I did all my under and postgraduate studying in Cape Town.

Cheers


----------



## tdu

These are a few shots I took in Killarney. It's such a beautiful spot. I thought I'd pick 3 that show 3 completely different terrains within miles of each other.


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## tdu

Here's a few from Tobermory, one of my favourite places and luckily not far from me>


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## eMacMan

Had to look up Tobermorey. Looks like a fascinating place.


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## tdu

eMacMan said:


> Had to look up Tobermorey. Looks like a fascinating place.


I go once a summer and check out different areas each time, and still haven't seen a fraction of what's there.


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## MacDoc

Lovely spot and can be a day trip from the GTA but mind the fog. Nice to take a boat trip out and see the flowerpot 
Water is very clear so it's a popular diving spot and decent fish eateries.
Basically just go straight up HWY 10 or HWY 6 to the end

Get up top on a nice day and enjoy - can be windy tho.





Wave action makes the flower pot



Water is crystal



Very worthwhile trip and there are some other decent parks up that way.


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## pm-r

eMacMan said:


> Had to look up Tobermorey. Looks like a fascinating place.


Hmmm...???? I'll have to try again as my search with Google Maps just showed me a place that appeared to be in the middle of some desert.


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## SINC

pm-r said:


> Hmmm...???? I'll have to try again as my search with Google Maps just showed me a place that appeared to be in the middle of some desert.


Check out the Tobermory Chamber of Commerce site, it is full of information including its location. 

Tobermory Welcomes You


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## pm-r

Thanks SINC, it seems that Google Maps was taking me to the wrong continent!!!


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## tdu

Tobermory has such a diverse landscape. What's cool is that it's a Penninsula and on the other shoreline, which is a 10 minute drive, there is a massive sandy beach.

While you are there, you can also take a ride on the ferry across to Manitoulin Island. The Cup and Saucer hiking trail on the island is one of my favourite trails I have hiked. It has a few shoot off trails that are really challenging:


Tobermory and Manitoulin 2012 - 20 by torndownunits, on Flickr














Last time we stayed there we stayed at a B&B, and the owner gave us a map to some caves she mapped herself. So that's what's on tap for this summer when we head up.

Such an amazing area.


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## MacDoc

speaking of interesting places



not mine but .....:clap::clap::lmao:


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## MacDoc

My backyard is interesting in spring 



Sleepy robin was keeping his eye on me after fluffing a preening.

Some simple pleasures of spring in my backyard


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## MacDoc

Wow too nice - loads of bikes, bicycles and runners at the Forks even relatively early in the day. 24 degrees in early May is crazy for Ontario and we've had days of it.
Retro day for 40-50 year old Honda's - makes me feel ancient. Just a superb day for motorcycling



that's a Honda 150 dream - 1965 - two years before my Honda 305 Hawk that I road in university.



Honda 450 - big brother of my Hawk - great machine. Always wanted on then tho really wanted the 750 four that arrived a bit later.



Second day out at York Soaring - good time to start getting your licence...lots of fun - not too much money compared to any other flying.



Some student getting an early start on the season


17 meter sailplane look at the bend on those wings - never flown one of those 





up up and away


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## pm-r

I can't get those shots to open or show when clicked and I just get an almost blank window, ie:

ScreenShot2013-05-05atMay5201313059PM_zpsdc78c983.jpg Photo by macdoc | Photobucket

How come??


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## tdu

MacDoc said:


> Wow too nice - loads of bikes, bicycles and runners at the Forks even relatively early in the day. 24 degrees in early May is crazy for Ontario and we've had days of it.
> Retro day for 40-50 year old Honda's - makes me feel ancient. Just a superb day for motorcycling
> 
> 
> 
> that's a Honda 150 dream - 1965 - two years before my Honda 305 Hawk that I road in university.
> 
> 
> 
> Honda 450 - big brother of my Hawk - great machine. Always wanted on then tho really wanted the 750 four that arrived a bit later.
> 
> 
> 
> Second day out at York Soaring - good time to start getting your licence...lots of fun - not too much money compared to any other flying.
> 
> 
> 
> Some student getting an early start on the season
> 
> 
> 17 meter sailplane look at the bend on those wings - never flown one of those
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> up up and away


I grew up in Caledon Village, and I used to hike from there to Belfountain. I haven't been to York Soaring, but always wanted to try it out.


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## MacDoc

Intro ride is $140 with a tow to 3,000 ft and about a 1/2 hour. Let me know as I can let you know about the type of day you should look for ( best is the day after a rain storm or thunderstorm with clear air and fluffy white clouds - get there at 10 and book for 1 pm


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## tdu

MacDoc said:


> Intro ride is $140 with a tow to 3,000 ft and about a 1/2 hour. Let me know as I can let you know about the type of day you should look for ( best is the day after a rain storm or thunderstorm with clear air and fluffy white clouds - get there at 10 and book for 1 pm


Thanks. I am in Orangeville now, so not far away. I have been considering taking my girlfriend to do this for her birthday in August. Is that a good time of year?


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## MacDoc

Anytime of year is fine - I've even soared on Jan 1 but it's hard for a specific day as there is a lot of luck involved.
I'd skip the specific day and then pick one that is good.

One day or two days after a Tstorm.

There is also a soaring forecast the day of .

YORK SOARING ASSOCIATION

Frank's Thermal Forecast - Welcome

This is the kind of sky you are looking for.










That is a cloud street with lift under that entire strip of cloud - great flying.

Wind from the NW not too strong and just after a rain

17 meter coming in on a nice day


----------



## MacDoc

*Summer in Port Dover....oh wait ....it's May 7th!!??*

:yikes:

Perch break - expensive these days 




Palms look good



da beach





brave sods


braver sods


24 and just fine. 

Nice ride to Welland and then down to Dunnville and Cayuga along RIver Road and then Selkirk along the lakefront.

It was actually too warm at the lakefront speeds.

We split at 6



and I headed down to Dover..Robert had a 6 pm.

Scalas were useful but he really needs to get his volume sorted. I could hear the wind noise inside his helmet from the Burgman.

Still on the retro Honda kick



and some odd vehicles to respect.



damn thing could boogie too.


----------



## Kleles

Cesky Krumlov from the Castle Tower


----------



## Kleles

Wenceslas Square, Prague


----------



## pm-r

Kleles said:


> Cesky Krumlov from the Castle Tower


Hmmm... That shot reminds me of some of those model railroad shots I've seen, but without any trains or train tracks showing.


----------



## MacDoc

That might be a fun shot to apply "miniatures" to ...can that be done post processing?


----------



## Kleles

The picture of Cesky Krumlov was taken from yon tower. This town could be the inspiration for any fairytale. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.


----------



## Kleles

There are many stodgy statues in Budapest, but this one of Liszt Ferenc (Franz Liszt) dramatically reflects this most accomplished pianist and composer.


----------



## Kleles

I thought bagpipes were exclusive to Scotland. Here is a Hungarian Folk Music ensemble with bagpipes, and instruments that are played by turning a crank and manipulating a fingerboard.


----------



## MacDoc

Segovia Spain - I did have the Lx1 with me but did not bring the long lens to my regret tho was for birding purposes .
Got a postcard shot of the town and cathedral from the top of the castle that Disney's Fairytale Kingdom was modeled on










Lot of history in this burg. This is the castle I trekked to the top of to get the shot above....that is a steep and narrow tower but worth the view



but nothing in the history compares to this....2000 years old ....would you walk under it?



knowing not a single stone is mortared in place!!!!



the city doesn't seem to mind.



Hellsih bit of enigineering and construction and was used until mid 20th century.










more images of Segovia and nearby Ildefonso where we had our AirBNB

https://picasaweb.google.com/113408714888195024530/SegoviaSpainMay2013?authuser=0&feat=directlink


----------



## Joker Eh

tdu said:


> Tobermory has such a diverse landscape. What's cool is that it's a Penninsula and on the other shoreline, which is a 10 minute drive, there is a massive sandy beach.
> 
> While you are there, you can also take a ride on the ferry across to Manitoulin Island. The Cup and Saucer hiking trail on the island is one of my favourite trails I have hiked. It has a few shoot off trails that are really challenging:
> 
> Such an amazing area.


I love Tobermory. That is where I proposed to my fiancee last summer. I have been up many times but don't know where this massive sandy beach is. Could you point to me on a map where it is and how to get to it? I would love to make a trip up this summer. My soon to be better half would a enjoy a beach instead of me making her hike and climb rocks.


----------



## tdu

Joker Eh said:


> I love Tobermory. That is where I proposed to my fiancee last summer. I have been up many times but don't know where this massive sandy beach is. Could you point to me on a map where it is and how to get to it? I would love to make a trip up this summer. My soon to be better half would a enjoy a beach instead of me making her hike and climb rocks.



Yep no problem. 

Take a look here: Singing Sands Beach - Explore The Bruce - Bruce County

There is also a great beach out on Manitoulan Island as well. I can't remember what's called. There is some great hiking on the island as well, especially the Cup & Saucer trail. We took the ferry out in the morning last time we were there, did the trail and the beach, then came home at night. The sunrise on the ferry was great.


----------



## Joker Eh

tdu said:


> Yep no problem.
> 
> Take a look here: Singing Sands Beach - Explore The Bruce - Bruce County
> 
> There is also a great beach out on Manitoulan Island as well. I can't remember what's called. There is some great hiking on the island as well, especially the Cup & Saucer trail. We took the ferry out in the morning last time we were there, did the trail and the beach, then came home at night. The sunrise on the ferry was great.


Awesome. Thanks.


----------



## John Papas

Greece 2013 since it's almost summer!


----------



## pm-r

. deleted post.


----------



## MacDoc

Wandering around the wilds of Pennsylvania with the kid this weekend.

Our arrival was rather dripping - Kenz was cold - not as much protection as the Burgman - it was chilly near Lake Erie. Glad to see a Timmies outpost to warm up and have a bagel. ( it's a Canuck thang )



Finally got to the Millstream Inn with a late shower after not a bad ride for the last part of the trip down. There was a big tree down over the road - shades of Tropical Queensland - guys with chain saws made quick work - must have come down just a few minutes ahead of our arrival as only a dozen cars or so ahead of us....been raining pretty hard - some of the rocky cliff parts had quite a bit of sharp stones and one large pumpkin sized boulder had bounced across the road and hit the guard rail on the other side. Some slaloming including a stray 2x4

Sun was on and off - the first part of 44 ( famous mcycle road - 60 miles of fun ) was pretty rough surface out of Coudersport - some stones from patches and on an off dry and wet so could not really push it.
Got much better later.
My shoulder was sore from the ride - throttle control sucked.
Local yokel made a fuss after he stopped in the middle of the highway gawking at some garage sale. Should have a good road rage video of that later. If I sent it to the local cops he be up for a reckless charge or worse.

Renovo is rust belt USA - but people all over - with the exception of the above - are usually very friendly.


Hotel eatery aptly named but fav for mcyclists - decent food


a tad on the Deer Hunter end of things



but kinda nice inside



and bright airy place to eat...hey they even made rootbeer floats.



Loaded up on Dr. Pepper and some munchies for the room which has fridge and microwave.

All in all a good day - hope for decent weather the next two.
For some reason my PA trips end up going home in the wet.

Gone pick one of these tomorrow....that last one goes some places I've not been....160 mile loop in the morning with mixed terrain might be nice.

The Tiadaghton & Worlds-End Tour | Pennsylvania Motorcycle Roads and Rides | MotorcycleRoads.com


----------



## winwintoo

Kleles said:


> I thought bagpipes were exclusive to Scotland. Here is a Hungarian Folk Music ensemble with bagpipes, and instruments that are played by turning a crank and manipulating a fingerboard.


My family is Hungarian so I knew that bagpipes were there as well as in Scotland. But did you know that the Church of Scotland has a significant presence in Hungary?

I wonder what the connection is?


----------



## Kleles

Rocks on Wells Beach, Maine


----------



## Kleles

Perkins Cove, once again


----------



## SINC

Hillside trickle, Zion National Park, Utah.


----------



## JCCanuck

Joker Eh said:


> Awesome. Thanks.


Being going up to the Bruce the last 30 thirty years. Darn near sea-kayaked the whole peninsula shorelines and Islands on day trips. Use to road cycle a lot up there Hwy 6 and all the county roads and even cycled from Tobermory to Toronto a few times in my single days. Singing sand use to be great till the water level went way down. Have no idea what the water level is like now. If you like non-sandy swimming, Half Way Dump on Georgian Bay side is a natural park which has a nice short hiking trail to a nice pebbled beach with deep water and boulders in the water. Swimming up there is great if you like cold water which I do and it is clear as glass. Haven't been up there is a few years and miss the Bruce Peninsula a lot.


----------



## MacDoc

Well Pennsylvania turned out to be more interesting than I could have used.....communing with nature for 11 hours while I waited for the two truck to find me. ( dispatcher error that compounded over time )
Lucky it was a lovely day.

The directions were given over the phone to dispatch - tried to get them to email me but nada and the one call back that might of saved time I missed as no signal - I had to keep wandering a bit as the signal wavered.
It was a lovely day - bugs but nothing biting and did a bit of macro photos with the long lens



















This is the first time I've done spring in this area - other rides were fall and the long daylight was welcome especially yesterday. Fireflies galore after dark and dozens of deer on the tow home.

Near or far there is always something to shoot with that lens.

If it had gone smoothly no issue but middle of nowhere, dead bike and failing battery was not fun when they could not find me

this of course is ******* country big time










taking squid to a whole new level

and just up the road from my breakdown spot….target practice...









did I hear banjos in the distance?? ( this was 8 pm and getting a tad worried since the call for the tow occurred at 11 am. )
Of course the driver then goes on about the bear over population....

Kenz looking Darth Vader










I like the move to external fitting armour rather than armored jackets.
I wear knee armor as well tho not that sophisticated and thinking of fitted armour like he has so jacket can be optional tho my mesh is very cool even in high temps and with a liner can go down to 45 or so and be comfy - even lower if I add a rain layer on the outside.
He started out on dirt and so this type of outfit comes naturally. He said he was hitting close to 200 kph yesterday on a couple of his hooligan runs. Big grin on his face…..no traffic - almost non existent cops and fabulous roads.
We got our com system working yesterday so could chat….were having ton of fun on the road I got the flat. ( 144 SOUTH of Renovo or towards Wykoff Run which we never got to ;( ) which is a real shame as he would have loved it.

Kenz had just gone on ahead as he rides far faster than I do these days when I felt the rear end get squirmy
Pulled off - looked okay but checked the tire pressure sensor ….9 lb….oops - then looked and could see the carcass had split.
We had done some rough pavement the day before and could hear it chewing the tread.

Lovely area to ride tho - not bad for a snap on the fly - my little prime lens - this camera is not as easy to handle while riding as my old one - but throttle lock works okay for them. This HWY 120 runs all along the river for a long ways near Renovo - great pavement - just a few falling rocks to dodge in some areas after a rain.










we sure caught the weather right - this was sandwiched between two very rainy days - today being one of them.



















There were many trout fishermen along the rivers.










Many of the nicest roads parallel the mountain streams for a long way.

Today tho :angry7: -- quite glad to hole up for a rest....would not be fun riding home.












despite all my weather protection.



















and kid would have been drowned rat...










despite the turtle riding pillion.

One day to go.

and it all turned out fine - everything smooth with dealer and trip north- even took the long way along the Niagara River and having no wait at the border was great.

Got home to a client that had an even MORE interesting weekend....



He stepped off the dock by accident and dunked himself and his iPhone 5 - fried it.

Bit rattled he knocked a drink on his MacBook Air where his iPhone 5 data was backed up ..( we'll get it back but the Air might be fried ).

Back out on the boat...no GPS which he was using the iPhone for ....hit a submerged rock and took out his lower end....

A very expensive long weekend for him. We ARE dependent on the toys eh.

My adventure pales in comparison.


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## Kleles

Sunset at Ogunquit. The cloud colours are reflected by the wet sand at high tide.


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## MacDoc

While on the beach theme -
Captain Cook Highway early morning


Brighton Beach near Brisbane Aus









and Mission Beach









with my fav shot of the adventurers almost facing straight down a 100' off the beach


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## natali449

wow! awesome place....
If you have to editing your own video online just visit on nybmedia.com.. it's a good place for video production

nybmedia.com


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## besteffects

Amazing location.


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## MacDoc

WIth 5 days of superb weather forecast ...and I'm only two hours by slab to the north I'm playing hooky 

Good ( tho chilly ) ride today to get to State College PA and staying in cheap and nice digs.

Finally got warm - down at State College - cool and cheap motel Nittany Budget Motel - 64 tax in with breakfast, great internet and very nice room - bike is right outside the window  600 easy KM with some fun in the middle 44 and some other roads from Letchworth thanks to the TomTom.

Then a newly paved 892 after a fill up at Pauls, across to Wykoff as icing on the cake then some pretty sweeps and slab to State College.  Good day thos chilly

I AM heading further South to the Blue Ridge Parkway

•••

Left TO around 6 am in light rain but it cleared.
Chilly but dry ride to the border- forgot to activate my Nexus card - the short stop was useful - sun was just coming up as I cleared the border.










Now HERE is a photo of something you can rarely see...that's a clear Toronto skyline from across the lake photographed all the way from Lewiston...

Click on it to blow it up










Rolled through small towns along 104 - Ridge Road - nice but won't do it again. Whats with the Yanks and their flags....this thing is ginormous - those are hydro pole and street light - hard to believe how big that sucker was..










FIlled up but did not go in - likely a mistake as I was pretty chilled and out of layers ( well had one left ) and was only 90 km from Letchworth and a second breakfast so toughed it out. It really never got above 13 all the way until I hit the Interstate on the way to State College tho is got a tad warmer going down from Coudersport.

Was happy to see the Letchworth Inn - warmth and food and top notch coffee....old time charm and prices.....










Top drawer dining for great prices










in an amazing setting









Under $10 and you get $8 of that back when you present the park ticket










this was a very welcome break










lovely scenery 









Finally saw some blue sky tho stayed cold. Colours are just starting - this caught my eye



















It's my new route to PA - not much longer....much more civilized


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## garf1108

Looks an interesting place to visit.
Thanks MacDoc


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## MacDoc

*Day two Skyline Drive/ Blue Ridge Parkwy*

Pics here start at 18 as you've seen the others - 

https://picasaweb.google.com/113408714888195024530/PASept22?authuser=0&feat=directlink

couple of highlights - Blue Ridge Parkway living up to it's name


















they are always lurking - there was a whole small herd the other side of the wall











got down to 10 and I'd had enough cold after 50 miles so warmed up in a sunny spot










this was the furthest South I went - the Parkway goes on for another 500 miles or so.

opted for warmth - 21 when I got down in the valley and much welcome decent food after too many McDs.


















lovely little spot - great small town but expensive which is one reason I opted to head north


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## MacDoc

*What to see in the west*

Not by bike this time, 3 week road trip with the GF but good practice run for next June when I WILL go cross country on the Burgman.....kid in tow or not. 

The big parks opened yesterday except Yellowstone.

These are all on the route when we leave The Grand Canyon.

*Arches National Park (Utah, open October 11-20)

Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah, open October 11-20)

Canyonlands National Park (Utah, open October 11-20)

Capitol Reef National Park (Utah, open October 11-20)

Cedar Breaks National Monument (Utah, open October 11-20)

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Utah, open October 11-20)

Natural Bridges National Monument (Utah, open October 11-20)

Zion National Park (Utah, open October 11-20)*

We have about 3 days from the Grand Canyon to Yellowstone -* suggestions, must sees welcome.*

Will post up pics here for inspiration


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## eMacMan

Some great hiking in Zion and Capital Reef, but since the trip itself is about 2 days you don't have time for more than the routine fly-bys. Craters of the Moon in Southern Idaho is also worth a short detour.


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## Kleles

We spent about 10 days on a similar trip: Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, Arches, Canyonlands, Big Rock Candy Mountain, Bryce (which is really an escarpment, not a canyon), and Zion. It was a great trip, lots to see, but in each park we only saw a bit, we did not adventure much. Trying to see all that in just 3 days leaves little time to explore.


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## MacDoc

We're just highlighting.

I hiked the Grand Canyon down and back in a day - hardest physical thing I have ever done - that was many decades ago.

If you had to choose a day for each - including the Arches which GF wants - what other two?

Camoflage










Incredibly different from the eastern version.

••••

Nice neighborhood.


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## Kleles

MacDoc said:


> We're just highlighting.
> 
> I hiked the Grand Canyon down and back in a day - hardest physical thing I have ever done - that was many decades ago.
> 
> If you had to choose a day for each - including the Arches which GF wants - what other two?


My two choices would be Zion and Bryce. They are both beautiful, but very different. Route 9 between the two parks is an adventure - not to be missed, if possible.


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## MacDoc

Looking at this...

http://goo.gl/maps/yYTNu

We're on the Canyon Rim so will have breakfast and spend a bit of time here then drive towards Zion and Bryce and stay near there tomorrow night.

Do those two parks and then go towards Arches.

Yellowstone is still closed.










North Canyon with EcoStar | Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters

doing a quick eco-Star tour at noon - good viz


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## Kleles

MacDoc said:


> Looking at this...
> 
> http://goo.gl/maps/yYTNu
> 
> We're on the Canyon Rim so will have breakfast and spend a bit of time here then drive towards Zion and Bryce and stay near there tomorrow night.
> 
> Do those two parks and then go towards Arches.


Arches is generally NE of Bryce, but the roads follow valleys and are circuitous. The village near the entrance to Zion, Springdale UT, has many places to stay. There are few places near Bryce canyon. We stayed at Ruby's (good, but not great), so it might be best to reserve in advance.


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## pm-r

MacDoc said:


> Looking at this...
> 
> http://goo.gl/maps/yYTNu
> 
> We're on the Canyon Rim so will have breakfast and spend a bit of time here then drive towards Zion and Bryce and stay near there tomorrow night.
> 
> Do those two parks and then go towards Arches.
> 
> Yellowstone is still closed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> North Canyon with EcoStar | Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters
> 
> doing a quick eco-Star tour at noon - good viz



Well, some areas are still open:

Yellowstone Country Is Open (Even if the Park is Closed) - Kevin's Travel Journal


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## MacDoc

Thanks.
Lucked out and had a chopper to ourselves and a chatty pilot.
We'll keep this one.


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## pm-r

Nice. Glad to hear you got a nice flight and a good pilot and a real keeper.

I've never travelled in those parts but had a chance to see the Grand Canyon and areas at sunset during a flight to Phoenix, which was just awesome and a sight to remember. Also a keeper.


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## MacDoc

Cut that pretty fine - one day away - going to do Arches today then decide

Yellowstone National Park waiting for green light, will reopen within hours | KXLF.com | Butte, Montana

Zion was a lovely drive with excellent break for food at the Southern end of the park.

Fascinated by the colours.










along the RIver Walk










Cheeky and size large raven at Bryce which we caught just a sunset - we drove to the top a chilly 9,100' elevation with some early snow about and worked our way back down as the sunset approached - loads of deer everywhere and some pronghorns as well.



















GF tolerated her aching knee to get down amongst the hoodoos










almost overwhelmed with photos - serious editing session due.

This will give a sense of scale of the hoodoos - teeny people


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## MacDoc

GF is enjoying the better camera finally. 
She snagged this on fly at 80 mph in low light coming away from Arches National Park.










SHe was doing most of the shooting at Arches as I was tired.










You can get a sense of scale against the people










feels like you should tiptoe in case it falls




























Brave pair this time of year


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## MacDoc

Odd shot - not enhanced..the sky made Mount St. Helens look as if there were lava rivers.










devastation in the foreground still evident 33 years later.


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## pm-r

Nice photos but you sure seem to get around fast.

One day, shots from Arches National Park in eastern Utah and then shots from Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington just a few days later.

That's quite a distance to cover.


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## MacDoc

There is actually quite a bit in between - all of Yellowstone where we were there for 2.5 days. Have not processed all the pics from that
Bryce, Zion and Arches are both drive throughs tho we had a lovely lunch at Zion



















We did boogie across i90 after a lovely morning in Yellowstone and covered around 900 km that day - it was over 660km on i90 with no turn offs. 130 the whole way eats up KM fast.

Then Mount Rainier via a lovely twisting road through the mountains









You cannot get close to the top of Ranier - and we were REALLLY fortunate that it was not cloud shrouded as it usually is this time of year.
The cloud moved in as we moved towards the coast.

and then caught St. Hellens just as the sun was going down.
We ran the slab down to Astoria on the coast.

We loafed along the Oregon Coast on 101 in the fog  - not much we could see.
We had a fabulous lunch at the Pelican Brew Pub. Highlight of that stretch given no viz.

This is what it looks like with no fog.









exited along a stunning river road up from the coast HWY 38 and 138 
then slabbed a few hundred more..... so Napa valley for lunch tomorrow.


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## Kleles

*Canadian Riches*

I'm always surprised when I hear about Canadians' world travels which does not include the glorious Rocky Mountains. As an easterner, I'm not there often, but I when I am in the Rockies I'm always taken with the grandeur and beauty.


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## MacDoc

Lovely shots - especially the reflections.

••

This was the take home shot from our accidental Yosemite visit ( expensive one at $350 a night ). The scale of half- dome is simply astonishing
You can zoom in some here and see the park community way below dwarfed by the valley walls.

https://picasaweb.google.com/113408714888195024530/GrandCanyon2013#5938912212866920706

No wonder it is such a tourist magnet.
Been there decades ago but never got up to this view at Glacier Point


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## eMacMan

Kleles said:


> I'm always surprised when I hear about Canadians' world travels which does not include the glorious Rocky Mountains. As an easterner, I'm not there often, but I when I am in the Rockies I'm always taken with the grandeur and beauty.


Before it became so crowded Johnson's Canyon was easily my favourite hike. 

BTW When hiking Johnson's, one should make the effort to continue on to the Paint Pots.


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## Kleles

eMacMan said:


> Before it became so crowded Johnson's Canyon was easily my favourite hike.
> 
> BTW When hiking Johnson's, one should make the effort to continue on to the Paint Pots.


October is a great month to explore the Rockies - relatively few tourists and cool temperatures. We were very lucky with the weather and we did not have rain.

Our 'hiking' party included my 4 year old granddaughter and we had limited time. One day, we'll get up to the Paint Pots.


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## MacDoc

Drove the boring central valley route to San Fran and then shifted over to the 101 which was also boring but the road between the two delightful. Spent the day on the Bay and now headed to Napa.

This one exceeded even the 14mm wide angle










days of yore - struggling against the outgoing tide










The Exploratorium was fun even on the outside..










and seriously cute for Halloween.



















and I really like this photo - odd composition works for me


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## MacDoc

Muirs Wood

Shall we share John Muir's fascination since we are on a tree kick





































GF did well...


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## MacDoc

Our last day on the coast on Highway 1


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