GILL AND KEN: WOODSTOCK AND THE HELICOPTER

We decided to take a helicopter ride over Woodstock and the surrounding countryside before Gill and Ken left. At the bottom of the post you can see some of the photographs that were taken. Gill and Ken also used our bicycles to explore Woodstock and as you can see Gill found a comfortable spot in the park and decided to have a snooze with the ducks.


Below is the rotunda in Southside Park, which is looking great at the moment. The flowers should last a while longer but autumn is in the air. When we went north to the cottage the leaves were beginning to change so it should not be too long before it happens here.




Before Gill and Ken left we took them to the Charles Dickens pub for lunch. This is Paul's favorite watering hole.



One of the many golf clubs that are in the local area. Great shot from the air.


Above is one of the many farming complexes that are common around Woodstock. The round shape on the extreme left is a liquid manure pit which is emptied onto the fields and makes great fertiliser. Not so long ago a farmer drowned in one like this.


Below is St Michael's, the school which Wayne teaches at and below that is a shot of a housing development which shows the various stages of building which occurs over here. These developments are becoming increasingly popular and are springing up everywhere.


We had a great 10 days which were pretty busy and we hope that Gill and Ken enjoyed themselves. We put them on a plane on Friday for Paris where they are to spend 4 nights before visiting Jo in Singapore. I am now at the end of this series of posts and I am thoroughly sick of the whole process so don't expect anything else for a while. We are back at school on Tuesday so we will be busy. Thank God for this past Canadian summer, we had a wonderful time and we met some unforgettable people.

GILL AND KEN: NIAGARA AND ST JACOB'S

We also took Gill and Ken up to St Jacob's and Elmira which have a large Mennonite community. We saw this choir in Elmira and below are the hitching posts outside one of the Mennonite churches. We also saw dozens of horses and wagons with their occupants who appeared to be out visiting their neighbours or simply enjoying the sunshine.


We visited Niagara Falls for the 3rd time with Gill and Ken and we still have not tired of the spectacle. It was a glorious sunny day when we went this time and though it was good we feel that Niagara in the winter has been the best. Gill and Ken went up the Skylon Tower, saw the Imax film and then went on the Maid of the Mist tour while Wayne and I did the tour behind the Falls. We were somewhat disappointed and would not recommend it as you did not get to see very much. Maybe we were expecting something different.


Above is the Falls from the Skylon Tower. Below is a rare photo when everyone was at their best.


Below is another view with the Maid of the Mist below the Falls. Hard to believe you can actually get that close.

GILL AND KEN:THE COTTAGE

Gill, Wayne's mother and her partner Ken arrived in Woodstock on 18th August after having spent 10 days in Vancouver. We only gave them 1 day to unwind and then we set out for the Popovich cottage which is a 5 hour drive north of Woodstock. The cottage is located on the shore of Fletcher Lake and has all you could wish for. It has 2 bedrooms and a large living room with lots of toys to keep you busy. Above is the lake at sunrise, a beautiful sight and worth getting up for even if Wayne did go back to bed.


We spent our time exploring the lake in the Canadians and also the small tinnie with outboard. The lake is only quite small by Canadian standards but we thought it large enough and very picturesque with trees growing right to the waterline and cottages round the shoreline, some more well hidden than others. Above is a shot of a pitcher plant which only blooms for a short time and we were lucky enough to see it.



Above is the beaver dam which has reportably been there for 100 yrs or more and is still active today. We did not see any beavers though there is lots of evidence of them around the lake. The neighbours across the lake, who can only get in by boat, are not exactly impressed with them as they destroyed about 13 of the maple trees that they had planted.


Ken and Wayne returning from the beaver dam after taking photographs of the area.


Wayne and I outside the cottage holding the Popovich sign if you cannot read it. We had a wonderful and relaxing time and would like to thank Ernie and Elizabeth for their hospitality and generosity.


This is a view of the cottage from the lake after doing a tour in the tinnie to check out the other cottages. They come in all shapes and sizes and are fascinating to say the least. Vacationing at 'the cottage' seems to be part and parcel of the Canadian way of life and we were very grateful to have the opportunity to experience it.


A small island not far from the cottage, at dawn. The lake was as still as a millpond and somewhat surreal.



Ken returning from one of his solo explorations of the lake. He was much more energetic than the rest of us who were quite happy to sit on the dock and read a book and relax at the end of the day. He did stay still long enough for us to get this photo of all of us on the dock.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

Lee and Andrei came down to camp with us for the weekend. We stayed in a very small RV park and we had the tent area to ourselves. We found that the price of food and particularly alcohol was so much cheaper than Canada. Lee bought the bottle of 50% proof Southern Comfort, pictured on the table above, for $20.



We did not have much idea about the area, apart from the great motorcycle ride, until we spoke to some permanent campers at the park. They recommended kayaking on the Tuckaseegee River which has Grade 1 and 2 rapids which are very friendly for beginners and families with young children. The whole area is a very popular place for rafting and kayaking and the picture of the bus above is of just one of the dozens that go up and down the rivers.


The Tuckaseegee River was very tame compared to the Nanatahala River which we did the next day. It has grade 3 and 4 rapids and the pace is fairly constant. Wayne, Lee and Andrei took single, inflatable kayaks and had a wonderful time. Most people went down in rafts which also looked like fun.


The young boy above had not kayaked before and got stuck in this hole near the end. That should give you some idea how forgiving these inflatable kayaks are. Andrei had never kayaked before but he took to it like a duck to water and was very keen to do the bigger river on the second day.


While there we also ate out and realised just how large US meals can be. We had breakfast at a diner and had grits for the first time. They are made from corn and if you put lots of butter and/or sugar with them they could be palatable, however, none of us liked them.


Above is a photo of Lee and Andrei on the Tuckaseegee River and below is one of Wayne and I on the same river. It was extremely relaxing and easy paddling. Another beautiful day weatherwise as well.


We found that our time in the States was made so much better by the people. Many of the permanent residents in the park, ie those who leave a trailer there year round, invited us to share their fire and came to join us at night for drinks and chats. They were interested to learn all about Australia and our culture. Below is a group photo of us with some of them. Bob and Joan were the first to befriend us and when they returned to Florida they emailed to see that we arrived home safely.


Another food that we encountered while we were there that we had never tasted before was boiled peanuts. We all sampled them but I think it is an acquired taste as it is extremely different from roasted peanuts. We had a great weekend and left from Greensboro on Monday 8th August to drive home to Woodstock.

TAIL OF THE DRAGON

After spending a relaxing week with Lee and Andrei, Wayne and I drove west to a place called Maggie Valley which is at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We hired a Harley Davidson Electroglide for 24 hrs so that we could ride the Tail of the Dragon, which is one of the top motorcycle rides in the world. All up the ride has 318 curves in 11 miles so it isn't very long. It is also almost impossible to speed safely or legally, however, some riders just don't seem to get it as there are many fatalities and the State troopers like the one in the car below book as many as they want. The ride itself is actually in Tennessee so we got to visit there as well.


Wayne of course had to get his photo beside this Tennessee State Trooper's car. When we saw him he was having a break but assured us that he didn't have any trouble catching speeding motorcyclists.


We spent about 8 hrs on the bike altogether and had a wonderful day. The weather was perfect and the mountain roads very scenic. We finished the ride by doing a small section of the Blueridge Parkway. What we both found surprising was that we actually liked riding the Harley, my seat as pillion passenger was like an armchair.

NORTH CAROLINA

We arrived in North Carolina on 31-7-08 after a very eventful last day. The car began to make strange noises and we eventually limped into Jackson, Ohio and managed to get to a CAA garage. The uni joint had gone, in fact the drive shaft dropped onto the floor of the workshop as the mechanic was driving it and they thought it was a great joke. One guy said 'Well I guess we know what is wrong with it now.' We were directed to a local diner where we had our first southern breakfast and met the owners and their son Kyle. He is 20 yrs old and doing engineering at Uni and he offered to show us around the city and surrounds while the car was being mended. Talk about southern hospitality. We were only delayed by a few hours and arrived in Greensboro about 6pm.


We both met Louisa, Andrei's sister for the first time and I met Sylvia for the first time as well. We shared some meals together and the picture above is of Sylvia and Louisa in the small courtyard attached to Lee and Andrei's condo. We ate outside most nights as the weather was so hot and steamy, reminded us of home.

The photo at the top of this post is of 4 of Lee's neighbours who were playing football on the greenway behind the condo and were so proud to have their picture taken.


This is a photo of Kyle and I outside his parents' house. They are very busy people as they own the diner, a trucking company, acres of land and a sawmill. As well as attending Uni Kyle also drives trucks and works the land. He seemed much older than his 20 yrs.


The area around Greensboro is very lush and fertile and at one time was the centre of the tobacco industry. While there are still quite a number of working farms many have been abandoned. This is one of the old tobacco drying sheds that we came across on one of our trips. It is still surprising to see so many people still smoking and even more so to go into a restaurant and find that people are still able to smoke in designated ares.


We took a trip out to a local State Park called Pilot Mountain to get some exercise, see the local area and enjoy a picnic lunch. While we were there we happened across a couple of people who had been riding and after speaking to them they offered Wayne a ride on this Tennessee Walking horse. He didn't ride far but it was quite an experience as they have a most unusual walking gait which is very comfortable.


We crossed a river to an island and walked around it before having lunch. Not a great deal to see as it was quite heavily vegetated. Andrei managed to find some poison ivy and came up in welts. We did not actually see it so we still do not know what it looks like.

Below is a group photo at the condo.

MT RUSHMORE

After leaving Wyoming we travelled into South Dakota towards Mt Rushmore. On the way we passed through Newcastle where we had a picnic lunch. We didn't really know much about Mt Rushmore but as it was on our way we decided to visit and were pleased that we did.


The monument at Mt Rushmore started as an idea to draw sightseers. In 1923 state historian Doane Robinson suggested carving giant statues in South Dakota's Black Hills. He wanted the statues to stand at the gateway to the west where the Black Hills rise from the plains as a prelude to the Rockies. Many people were opposed to the idea of interfering with a natural feature, however, the backers of the memorial persisted and sculptor Gutzon Borglum was commissioned to start the work. Calvin Coolidge dedicated the memorial in 1927, commencing 14 years of work. We were surprised that it had been started so long ago.


The four presidents represent those who brought America from colonial times into the 20th century. Most prominant is George Washington, commander of the Revolutionary Army and first US President. Next was Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, third President, and mastermind of the Louisiana Purchase.


To the far right was the 16th President Abraham Lincoln, whose leadership restored the Union and ended slavery on US soil. The last was 26th President Theodore Roosevelt, who promoted construction of the Panama Canal and ignited progressive causes such as conservation and economic reform. There you have it, just who the Presidents are and why they were chosen. This was a very impressive monument and the museum attached also offers some interesting insights. The icecreams you can buy in the visitor centre are also delicious.

WYOMING AND BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER

After leaving Yellowstone we drove through Wyoming and passed through some spectacular country on the Chief Joseph Scenic Drive which took us to Cody. The countryside is amazing with open rangeland, buttes, canyons, forests and rivers. Every bit as we had imagined cowboy country to be. Below you can see a photo of the route that the highway takes, snaking its way up a mountainside which was originally the pass which the Indians took while fleeing from the US army.


After arriving in Cody, named for Buffalo Bill Cody, we decided that it was worth stopping for longer than we intended as it is home to The Buffalo Bill Historical Center. This center actually has 5 museums in the one complex. A Firearms museum which is the largest in the world, a Western art gallery, a Plains Indian museum, a Natural History museum and of course the Buffalo Bill museum. The center was very well done and fascinating, our only regret being that we did not have as much time there as we would have liked.


Above is the route that the highway takes and below is the entrance to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.



Below is part of the Firearms collection at the museum. I was not as interested as Wayne was, nonetheless it was still worth seeing. That was the beauty of the Center as it had 5 museums and you could pick and choose and spend more time in those you were interested in.


Below is part of the extensive Western Art collection which I didn't think I would really like until I saw this collection as it is both beautiful and unique. We kept thinking how we would like to take something home but at the rate we are going we will need a container.


Exhibit at the Plains Indian museum. This was also very educational but not necessarily new to us as we have read a great deal about this era and people.