Campfire

[BarbaraRose]

Sheila, that was actually Cheryl who asked about those two places. I drove around Earthquake Lake and stopped at the Visitors Center there. Very interesting but tragic story. That was also a dam and lake caused by a slide, that was caused by an earthquake. It is just a few miles west of West Yellowstone.

[Acadianmom]

Someone remind me not to buy 25 pounds of shrimp again. I have been up to my elbows in shrimp for the last 3 hours. I finally got them headed and bagged. Cleaned part of them so they would be ready to cook. My back is killing me from standing at the sink for so long. I left some in the refrigerator to cook tomorrow but don't know if I feel like eating shrimp. lol

Tonight my monitor is going dark across the top. I don't guess there is some way to make it lighter. I don't know how to adjust a monitor.

Martha

[snowball]

sorry Barbie
will be leaving for Utah tomorrow...
it's hotter down there but they do have A/C makes it a lot nicer
should be doing something like either gather stuff or wash up the cup and pan and a few other
things hate leaving dirty dishes...
for some reason my computer was being so slow turned it off and back on seems much better
sheila

[Bethers]

Martha, I can't imagine cleaning all that shrimp. But I'm laughing at the picture of you doing it. But I'd love to take some off your hands if you really don't see yourself eating them. (I doubt I could have eaten any today had I done that cleaning, so I really understand, and I do so love good shrimp.)

[BirdbyBird]

I cheat with shrimp. I have learned to buy the bagged frozen, precooked, deveined shrimp from Krogers. I then just add what I need to salads "mostly" but occasionally to pasta, and put the rest back into to the freezer until the next time. I eat shrimp more often than I used to. It is one of my preferred protein sources!

[snowball]

been putting down shelve liner and putting stuff back into the cupboards not done but done... tomorrow son in law is going to do the floor then Monday or Tuesday will finish... hopefully my son will be moving on those two days and needs help as well.. so we will see had planned on going home on Weds. but might wait a couple of days may get an appointment for Shadow to be groomed so that may delay my return home...
have a funeral to go to tomorrow morning she was a neat lady and will be missed
that was a lot of shrimp... not sure I could have faced eating it then either
before I was expecting my second I had for some reason gotten a big bag of onion's why I don't know... but like 25 lbs... so chopped and froze then then came morning sickness just to smell an onion and to open the freezer would do me in... don't think I ever froze onion's again
sheila

[BirdbyBird]

I am tired tonight but enjoying the thoughts of a quiet campfire and am quietly satisfied with my accomplishments of the last couple of days. After over a year or so of collecting information and wisps of dreams I finally made a commitment. It took me deciding what I didn't want to get me to trust my guts and just go for the adventure of it all. I am now scheduled for a trip to Scotland. I will fly out of Cincinnati on October 1 and return on Thursday the 17th. After looking at available sponsored tours the past month or so I was reminded of what Liz and I liked and disliked about our adventures in Ireland and also knew that I didn't want to spend the money on some of the very nice but much more expensive small group tours. At least not this time. That pushed me to reconsider all the things I enjoy about traveling around the states on my own exploring, maybe not seeing everything but enjoying what I see.

Thanks to Liz for helping me get across the pond that first time. Thanks to BJ and Louise who both have always encouraged travel. Thanks to JudyJB who long ago took time to share her love of Scotland and what she has learned over both her trips. Thanks to my son who years ago told me to just make reservations and do it, where ever or whatever it was I might want to go. (He who traveled around GB while studying in Edinburgh while still in college.) Thanks to my daughter who also just doesn't even consider what I night not be able to do and has me do things anyway. Thanks to a co-worker from the scoring center that has shared all her information for New Zealand from the trip that she planned on her own several years ago. Oh, and thanks to my mortal 69 year old body that reminds me that my current ability to move is not guaranteed forever but is a temporary gift no matter how much weight I managed to leave behind.

So I can't afford to go for 6 weeks but I figure that this can be my exploratory trip to see just how many mistakes I can make and learn some more. I already figured out that I think that I can deal with a couple of "shared bathroom" B&Bs. I found it amusing to notice that "toilet paper" was listed right there along with FreeWiFi and reminisced about a time long past that I would have found lodging in the youth hostel for $20 dollars a night acceptable. I also found it interesting reading the reviews from people who are happy to find a great deal and then say but the historic old building doesn't have an elevator! Sigh.

Lark has felt neglected the past two days. She will be so happy to spend some quality time with me tomorrow getting a bath for this weekend and her trip to the UKC show with Josef. But tonight my brain is resting. It can start making packing lists later. At least traveling in October I know not to worry about packing short sleeves and shorts.

Tina

[Bethers]

Tina, that is so exciting. I can't wait... Literally lol. I'll be traveling with you vicariously.

[JudyJB]

Exciting, exciting, exciting! I wish I could go with you. I do love Scotland and want to go back there someday.

First tip: Here is my blog from my UK trip: http://humongousukadventure.blogspot.com/2018/05/ Start looking at the end of May.

Second tip: I assume you are flying into Edinburgh, so head down the main drag (aka Royal Mile) and look for a Carphone Warehouse. https://www.carphonewarehouse.com/ You can buy a UK SIM card for your cell phone and have cheap cell service, and more importantly, data service so you can use maps and such when you get lost. I bought one good for a month and can't remember how many data Gigs and tons of local UK calls for 15 GBP. Much cheaper than using your US phone. Mine also had unlimited texting anywhere, so I could text home to the US. Just go in and tell them what you need. Having maps and such on your cell phone will save you lots of wandering around. You can call taxis, call hotels, and ask for directions and a ton of things. You want a pay-as-you-go SIM card.

Third Tip: In the UK, us old folks are known as "concessions" so look for concession prices on entrance fees!!

Fourth tip: Use the official tourist site, https://www.visitscotland.com/. There are lots of inexpensive bed and breakfasts, which are better than a hostel and you will have your own bathroom. Nearly all will have free internet, so you can keep on posting here.

Fifth tip: Pack a washcloth. They don't provide them so I had to buy one at Boots, the UK version of CVS and Walgreens rolled into one. And try Pret a Manger for fantastic organic takeout with very fresh ingredients. For example, a ham sandwich has slices of baked ham, not the lunchmeat ham. Ditto for a chicken sandwich having big chunks of chicken breast. Lovely fresh-squeezed OJ in the morning also.

Are you renting a car? I know you will only be there two weeks, but it is worth it for maybe a week to get out into the countryside. If you can handle an RV with a pile of dogs in the back, you can drive on the wrong side of the road!

And if you really want an adventure and to impress your grandkids, you can take the Hogswort's Express, aka Jacobite Steam Train out of Mallaig. If you arrive to the station early, they will let you sit in the train engine and pretend you are driving it. (Engine is different, but passenger cars are exactly the same as they were in the movies.)

[Shirlv]

Tina, I am excited for your trip too. With Judy’s excellent hints you are all set. You do remember she said with the SIM card you can post on this website.

[BirdbyBird]

Thanks for the information on the SIM card. I was going to still have to do research on that but had remembered you mentioning it. All my trip will be in Scotland and I will spend multiple days in some areas like Glencoe, Isle of Skye and Inverness. The eastern side of Scotland will get more of a drive through as I make a loop back to Stirling and then the airport It was funny you mentioned Glasgow because the one sweet trip planer (who gave me several tips but asked me not to tell after I told her that I had decided to just make my own way) mentioned the city and said something to the effect that it wasn't the most exciting place to spend time..... I have already made my reservations mostly at small B&Bs. Other than spending a few days in Edinburgh, without a car as you suggested, I am staying outside of any large towns. I remembered to check about "free parking". I notice one place near Aberdeen that when you read carefully mentioned parking on the side streets. I figured that I could do better. After looking at some of the B&Bs you have pictures of I know that my accommodations will not be as resplendent. I was all about "nice enough" and the reviews that referred to the small size of the rooms didn't worry me if the price was reasonable and there was some mention of cleanliness. I also know the value of a free breakfast.

Traveling around in a smaller RV and knowing others that do with even less lets me prioritize what I want to spend my money on. Some places appear to have more "presence" than others. As I mentioned in my post, this trip is a learning curve. I think I have a diverse landing spots and I will know more what I prefer by the time I am through. The distances seem so close together by milage on a map but only with experience will I know if I should have planned more or less time to explore and hike in some of the areas. Wandering by myself I have a history of uneven lingering...... And yes, I took your advice on getting a small car with an automatic transmission. Having learned on and then driven manuals thirty years I almost convinced myself that I "could" tackle it but then realized that the shifting was on the left. So I spent the extra money and will concentrate on staying on the left and getting out of the way of others on narrow roads. And as you suggested I will pick it up at the airport on my way out of Edinburgh.

Let me know if you think of things that might be illuminating. I haven't made a list of the possible ways to spend my time in each area I just know from the initial research and all the activities mentioned from the "tour" sites that I will need to make choices to my own whims. I am leaving that more focus research for another week and stepping away and will let my brain do some that unconscious shifting through information that it can do so well on its own and see what I get.

Yes, I am excited! I am hoping that I don't freeze completely and that the heater in the car works......

[havingfunnow]

You are going to have the BEST time!!

[JudyJB]

My favorite budget chain hotel in the UK is Premier Inn. Don't hesitate to check these out because in small towns they are less expensive than some B&Bs. I found several in Glasgow for less than $60. Another budget chain is Travelodge. Both of these chains are cheap and safe, but clean and modern.

Premier Inn's super-budget hotels are called HUB. I stayed in one in London and loved it--teeny tiny, but a very nice bed and HD TV, but good bathroom with shower in the room. Here is one in Edinburgh. https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels ... LBC_EDIROS

Also, some places not to miss:

- Edinburgh Castle
- Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh - Have lunch or a piece of Victoria Sponge cake in the cafe!
- Sterling Castle just west of Edinburgh

I'll think of more. Also, as ASIMARCO once pointed out, be sure to look up at ceiling and down at floors. You can really get a better idea of the construction and age of buildings from ceilings and floors. Really. IN one museum at Avebury in England, the most impressive thing there was the central post that held the place up--2' across and several hundred years old.

Also, the UK has fantastic take-out food. By this I mean prepared sandwiches, snacks, fresh fruit cups, puddings, cakes, etc in convenience stores. They are always fresh and very good. Also, if you need a bathroom, try Starbucks, McDonalds, BurgerKing, or department stores like Marks and Spencer.

[snowball]

how exciting... we will expect lots of pictures if not during after your return to states side
you will have to enjoy it for many of us..
sheila

[JudyJB]

Near Glencoe are the Three Sisters mountains. The Harry Potter movies outdoor scenes were filmed near here--very beautiful. Also, if you head west on the A82 and then north to Fort Williams, then right onto C1162 to Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland, and you can take a cable car to the top.

Also, if you are going to take the ferry to Skye, you are probably going to drive west along the A830 to Mallaig. Halfway there, make sure you stop at the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct. It is that very historic curved bridge from the Harry Potter movies, and when it was built over 100 years ago, was a miracle of engineering. Lots of people stop and wait for the Jacobite steam train to pass over the bridge. There is a car park right off the highway.

Highways in the UK are numbered in a sort of code. A one-digit highway is a freeway, like the A9. They are easy to drive on because you just follow the car in front of you. A two-digit highway like the A82 has a lot of traffic and trucks and is not my favorite. Watch out for the sharp curbs along the edge where we would put a shoulder--no shoulders in the UK. Three-digits roads are very nice--paved and two-lane, but not as much traffic and much more pleasant. And I love the four-digit roads because they are narrow but very unbusy. Some are even one-lane. If a car comes from the opposite direction, one of you just politely pulls over and lets the other car pass. Do watch out for wandering sheep, however.

Also, the Scots and Brits are very casual about parking. In the US, if you are driving on the right, you park on the right. In the UK, if you are driving on the left, you park on the left or the right, depending on your mood and where the empty spot is! So, if you are driving on the left, and see a spot on the right, you dash across traffic and take the spot. This results in cars parking every which way. Some will be nose-to-nose and others will be tail-to-tail. No matter. However, a double-yellow line on the curb side of the road means no parking there. You are also not allowed to park on sidewalks. The problem is this "casual" attitude. Check out my parking photos on this page of my blog. http://humongousukadventure.blogspot.co ... mpden.html

I can't guarantee this being true in every town, but I stopped at the Chipping Camden visitor center and asked how often the parking enforcement office patrolled. I was told they only saw him about once a week, hence the casual parking attitude. I constantly saw cars parked on the sidewalk and on double-yellow lines, but I think they really only care if you block someone.