“Mountains and Cascade” — A stream cascades down from a mountain valley in far northern Scotland.
Most of our May visit to Scotland consisted of a big loop from Inverness out to the Isle of Skye, north (often on the NC500 route), eastward along the North Sea coast, and then down the eastern coast to return to Inverness. This took us through lots of highlands country, but on this day, as we drove across the north towards John O’Groats, the mountains were receding more and more into the distance. Driving east and looking south (the North Sea was to our left) we saw this spectacular ridge.
“Below Applecross Pass” — The road from Applecross Pass winds through a deep canyon toward Kishorn and Ardarroch.
We were surprised by this spectacular canyon soon after we began our return drive towards Ullapool from Applecross, on the western Scottish coast. The road climbed steadily from Applecross, passed through barren alpine country, and offered great views to the west toward Skye and other islands. The road leveled off near the high point as it arrived at the pass.
“Loch Slapin” — Loch Slapin, near the village of Torrin, on the road to Elgol, Scotland.
One surprising thing about the Isle of Skye and other parts of northwest Scotland is that mountainous landscape can be barely above sea level. I think it is a combination of the northern latitude and the rocky geology that gives us alpine summits rising directly from the coast. So I was constantly surprised and sometimes confused when we would drive though hills, past peaks, then come around a bend and see an ocean inlet like Loch Slapin.
“Shoreline Rocks, Offshore Islands” — Two small islands in faint sunshine, shoreline rocks, Big Sur Coast.
It was a quiet moment at the Pacific Ocean shoreline on the upper Big Sur coast. It would not last, of course, as the area is overrun by visitors during the warmer months. I go very early in the morning to beat the crowds, and I had a couple of good hours before the Monterey and Carmel tourists finished breakfast and drove down the coast. (If you want to see the Big Sur coast in relative solitude, try a winter weekday morning.)
