Campobello Island :: Sunset

Thursday, September 20th - - Another very nice day was coming to an end. I was driving around Campobello Island looking for a good spot from which to view the sunset. The weather had been as close to perfect as you can get for this time of year and clouds had developed in the western sky, foretelling of the rain that was forecast for tomorrow.





Do you see that streak of color on the left? I had seen something like that a few days before but had not been in a place where I could stop to photograph it. Today I was able to pull safely off the side of the road... It wasn't a rainbow since it wasn't raining and it certainly wasn't in the shape of a traditional rainbow. The streak of color remained in the sky for about 10 minutes then gradually faded away.



And the sunset? Oh, yes. It was magnificent. As an old man I spoke with the next morning put it "The sky just went ballistic!" He was so right. And the photos don't really do it justice.

















I couldn't resist taking a panoramic shot, which included the moon (that little white streak in the upper left-hand corner). You're gonna have to double-click the image to view a larger version.





I moved to a location a little further along the road for a slightly different viewpoint. A few minutes later the color had disappeared from the sky.



My one day on Campobello Island was
almost over. The next day (Friday, September 21st) I would travel
west, back to Belfast, where I would spend 3 days with my cousin
Anita (my dad and her mother were brother and sister) and her husband
Tom. We got caught up on everything since my
previous visit 3 years ago. We talked about so many things during
our time together, reminiscing about our younger days and discussing
various family members (both living and dead). Yes, it was a very
good visit. Thank you, Tom and Anita! I treasure the time we had
together.

NFS Chainlube: Rain or Shine

2,000 miles. That's about how long it took for my chain to need lubricating again after I applied this stuff earlier in the summer. I should specify that all of those miles were done in "4 seasons in a day" Northern Ireland, a good percentage of them in overshoe-worthy rain over gritty, filthy, crumply chipseal farm roads.




In the past several years I have used a number of chain lubricants, pretty much the usual suspects you'll see in bike shops. Most of them have worked splendidly in good weather, and anywhere from decently to poorly in bad weather and gritty road conditions. What makes the NFS Chainlube stand out for me, is that it truly excels at the latter. Not only does it take longer to wear off in the rain, but it somehow attracts less grit and sand than the Other Brands I've used.




I should note that I am generally not big on bicycle chain maintenance. I don't go by any kind of schedule and only oil my chain when it starts making noise. In stretches of good weather, it can be a long time before a chain needs re-lubricating. The trouble is my penchant for cycling in bad weather. There have been times I've ridden in conditions where my chain has needed maintenance after a single sub-100K ride. That has not happened since I switched to the NFS Chainlube. This product goes on light, and fairly little of it is needed. This, in combination with how long it lasts, makes a $15 bottle go a long way.




NixFricShunChainlube (NFS for short)is a product brought to you by the framebuilder-oriented cycling forum Velocipede Salon and it comes with a backstory. It's a fine story, but I won't focus on it here, because I feel it muddies the point. Point being, that this chainlube does not need a story, cause, or hip affiliation to help sell it. Though initially I bought this product to support Velocipede Salon, once I used it I became a convert. Then I bought a couple more bottles to give as gifts, and the cyclists I've given them to have become converts as well. Rain or shine, with an emphasis on the former, for me this stuff has gone the extra mile.

Glowing Clouds over McFarland Lake

After making the "Celestial Fantasy" photo I continued driving up the Arrowhead Trail until I arrived at the swimming beach on McFarland Lake, which is one of the best places in Cook County (in my opinion) to watch the northern lights. This beach has a great view to the north and the lake is often very calm at night, which means you can get great reflections of the lights in the water. Unfortunately when I arrived at the lake the sky was still completely covered with clouds. I hung around here for almost two hours hoping the sky would clear, but it never did. Several times, however, the cloud cover got thin enough that the glow from the lights could be seen even through the clouds. This particular photo is from one of those times when the clouds were thinner. It is my favorite photo made during my time at the lake waiting for the sky to clear.

Close up of Quail

here is another shot of the quail that I pulled in closer. You can see part of a residental section of Rio Rancho, NM behind him.

Where the Buffalo Roam...

Sure, they are “domesticated” Buffalo, being raised on a ranch, but they still roam...

Their manners and actions reminded me of once, a long time ago, when I stopped to photograph some cows back in Indiana. Apparently cows and buffalo are both curious creatures; they kept coming closer and closer.

So close that I could have reached out and touched them...
Momma was very protective of her calf.
Photos taken in south-central Montana on July 22, ..

Oh, Dark of Night

A couple of nights ago the dogs decided they had to take a midnight stroll under the moon, actually it was about 3 am. After a few minutes I went to the door to call them in as I won't leave them outside while I am sleeping. As mostly happens they wait until I doze off then bark for me to come let them in.



Having 4 cats in the house I know better than to do more than crack the door so the dogs can come in without a cat getting out. Cats out at night have no chance due to the large coyote population we have which is another reason I don't like to leave the dogs out at night.

Usually the cats are good and don't even try to get out if it is dark out. But this night Wiley, our 'wild child black cat' decided to slip under our shepherd cross, Ziva, as she was coming in. And he was off!

So was I. I knew if I ever let him get away I would never see him again what with coyotes yelping over in the arroyo about a half mile away.

I had on a thin nightgown, thin robe, and floppy slippers. And we live on a sand dune. So as soon as I ran out there was sand flipping up into my slippers. The only good the slippers were doing was to keep me from stepping on a sticker. Or some kind of creepy night bug wondering across the driveway. Wiley ran under the Chevy truck, then under the old car, and then over to and under the horse trailer. I ran to the trailer and knelt down to peak under it. I saw two big yellow eyes glaring at me. Wiley is a black cat so only his eyes showed up. "Here, Wiley. Come here, you devil." I kept calling and almost cussing him as he would move around under the trailer and I went round and round it trying to grab him before he could take off for the far places around our property. The trailer is about 3 feet from the fence where the ponies are so I quickly had two ponies coming over to see if they could join the funny game being played in the middle of the night. I think they probably thought it was great to have some entertainment as nothing much happens to get their attention at night. Once Wiley almost made it to the fence but ran into a black pony nose and returned to the trailer.

Not only did I have the ponies watching my antics to catch the cat but the dogs were doing their best to help by chasing him back under the trailer just as I would reach to grab him. And then I noticed there were about 3 cars driving by. At 3 in the morning? We don't hardly get any traffic at that time but we did that night. I don't know that the people in the cars actually saw me but I was sure they did and were about to call the men with the funny jacket that fastens in the back - the one for crazy people.

I guess Wiley decided the game had gone on long enough as he came barely within reach and I got my fingers in his fur at the back of his neck. "Got ya, Cat." He was firmly in my arms and we headed for the house. The amusing sight of the crazy women chasing a black cat in the dark was over.



The next evening we were eating supper on the sun room that over looks the back yard. It was only about 5:30 and still very light. We saw a coyote walk up to the back fence and smell the small hole in the fence that we cut for the quail to use as they don't like to fly over the fence to get to the water we keep out for them. Of course Wiley uses the same hole to get to the several acres of native desert land that is behind us where he hunts for rats, mice, lizards. We do let the cat out some in the day other wise he gets cranky and goes from door to door meowing pitifully while jumping on the other cats picking fights. We were glad he was in the house at the time the coyote came by and he didn't get out again until late the next day even though he did a lot of complaining.











Here are the 3 photos I got of the coyote. First one is by one of our apple trees with the coyote at the fence. If you look close you can see it's nose below the tree leaves. The next photo he turned and looked away from the tree. And the last photo is of him walking along the fence. Sorry, no good photo of it's face.

Pueblo Montano Trailhead

There is a small park at the Pueblo Montano Trailhead that I went to this past week. I had been meaning to go for about a year or so and no one wanted to go with me so I went by myself. I found that a firefighter had made these wonderful chainsaw sculptures out the dead cottonwood tree trunks that were left from a fire that went throught this area in ... I had to take lots of photos of the sculptures and now I want to share them. I hope everyone appreciates this artwork as I do. My thanks to the artest for for doing the scuptures.

Another critical look at Ice tools and Umbilicals

Ally Swinton climbing. Photo courtesy of Dave Searle




I get the, "which ice tool and whichumbilical," question at least a couple of timesa week.



My 2 cent on the subject.



It is ridiculous, silly really. As in dumb, dumb and dumber.



Not the question or those asking, but the guys building this stuff.



Like crampons there needs to be a norm in the industry. Best system yet I have seen? An incidentally themost fail proof system to date?



Petzl Nomic (or Ergo) with a Blue Ice Boa leash. And I have climbed on most everything available. From 30+ year old home made umbilicals to the first Grivel clip on versions to the latest versions from Grivel and BD.



Here is why I think the Nomic/ Boa comboshould and could be the norm if the manufactures would simply *think* about the process for a minute. Huge disserviceto us not to IMO.



Hole in handle and full strength? Easy to do in any axe during production. Check

Eliminates any issues with dropped/disconnected biners. Check

Easy and quick on and off the tools. Seconds in fact.Check

As strong andas simple as you want to make the nylon. Check

Cheap to manufacture.Check



Grivel made the first commerical umbilicals I am aware of. At some point early onthey offered a wire gate biner with a really stiff gate as the attachment method. Wire gate biners will not reliably stay attached to a fixed clip in point on a tool Theywill eventually unlatch and lever off. Common occurance now.



Grivel solved the problem quickly by addinga locking screw gate biner instead of the wire gate.

BD simplycopied the earlier and faulty Grivel system. Prone to failure from day one. Stiffening the wire gate is not the answer. Just a band aid actually.



I know of one fatal fall ice climbing last season whereumbilicals were in use. I've been told that on inspection after the fall one tool had disconnected entirely from the tool and bothgates on the umbilicals were on the wrong side of the biner gate opening.



One has to wonder if a more reliableattachmentsystemmight haveresulted in a shorter,more controlledinitial fall, with less tramaticresults.



The current commercial umbilicals are not designedto hold a leader fall. But everyone knows that is how they are being used. And have been now for decades. Insurance for the leader to avoid apotential fall and security so a tool isn't dropped.



Easy to solve this problem on any tool with a little redesign of the shaft. Easy to up the strength on the umbilicals by ditching the "biner" of any sort and building from a better and stronger webbing. There is a lot of room for improvement here with both the tool attachment point and the umbilicals themselves.



I've climbed on almost every modern tool. And on every commercial umbilical since the early preproduction and production modelsfrom both Grivel and Black Diamond.With the resulting minor failures as the umbilicals snapped off mid route on many of those combos. It is just happen stance that I like the Nomic and have used he Blue Ice Boa leash. I didn't plan this. It was a first time ice climber (thanks Jim) that showed me a better and cleaner way to lash up the Nomic with a BOA leash. Not the techniqueI was originally using



But there are lots of ways to do this and several decadesofhistory behind it:



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//03/boa-leash-by-blue-ice.html



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//01/ice-tool-umbilicals-repost.html



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//01/umbilicalssomething-to-think-about-and.html



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//02/curious-case-of-commercial-umbilical.html



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//04/bd-testswarning-on-umbilicals.html



http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB3/tethers-t59130.html



Then there is the "Best" way.



This is not an endorsement of "just" the Nomic or "just" the Boa leash. It is only a statement onan "easy fix". This is the umbilical style that will works well on that particular style attachment point. It is so simple. Why isn't everyone doing it?













the initial loop in the umbilical leash and a full strength hole milled through thehandle of a Nomic







Webbing flattened and threaded through hole, very easy







Same picture different angle, seconds are all that is required here







Pull the loop through and spread it







Turn the loop back and circle the handle just below the hole







Pull the long side of the leash snug...you are done. This tool is set up for a right hand to keep the webbing bulk to a minimum







"Right hand" toolagain, showing the "smooth" side of the Umbilical that the palm of your hand would go in.







This shows the "bulk" side of the tool. Not all that bulky, really.












Easy on and off in just seconds even after being fully weighted.


Blue Ice Boa leash is currently sold out world wide. Check your dealer's shelf in the EU.

None in North America at the moment.



Seriously, Icouldn't make this stuff up! (Thanks Charlie)

Check out the video below:



http://www.youtube.com/embed/pYr1DVtWujM

Gunks Routes: Falled on Account of Strain (Pitch 1 5.9), Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (Pitch 2 5.8)

(Photo: Pointing where I think the route goes on Falled on Account of Strain, pitch two (5.10b).)



Another late-season climbing day, another chance to push the limits.



I had big ideas as Adrian and I headed to the Gunks. I knew Adrian wanted to lead WASP (5.9), which I led earlier this year. WASP sits down at the Slime Wall, near the far end of the Trapps. I've spent very little time down there, so there were a bunch of climbs I was interested in checking out. One of the top climbs on my list was Falled on Account of Strain. The first pitch, which ends at a set of bolts, is rated 5.9. The second pitch goes at 5.10b through an incredible set of gigantic, tiered roofs.



As insane as it might sound, I was thinking I would lead the second pitch. I'd seen pictures of the route; the roofs pulled at me like a magnet. The thought of climbing them had me slobbering with Pavlovian anticipation.



But first we did WASP, and I have to say I wasn't exactly feeling super strong. Following pitch one I found the early moves surprisingly difficult. I caught myself thinking I wasn't sure how I'd feel leading the route, and then remembered that I'd led it a few months ago! I had thought I might try to lead the 5.9 variation climb Stubai to You as our second pitch, but when we got up to the GT Ledge I decided, given that I felt a little tentative, to check out Sticky Gate Direct (5.7) instead. (It was good! A very nice pitch, better than pitch two of WASP.)



Back on the ground, we walked over to Falled on Account of Strain and had a look. I thought we should go for it. Adrian was totally up for the first pitch, and since it ends at bolts we could easily bail from there. I figured I could venture out to look at the roofs and come back if it seemed too hairy. Also Dick Williams suggests as an alternative the second pitch of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, which goes through the roofs at an easier 5.8 grade. Dick gives Tomorrow x 3 no stars, but I guessed it would still be an interesting alternative, and maybe from the shared rap station we could lower ourselves over Falled and try the crux if it was too scary on lead.





(Photo: Early in the 5.9 pitch one of Falled on Account of Strain.)



We got set up beneath Falled and before getting started I wandered into the woods to take a quick leak. As I stood there amongst the trees I jokingly called over to Adrian "you're on belay, climb when ready!"



"Are you going to belay me," he replied, "or are you just going to stand there with your dick in your hand?"



Maybe you just had to be there, but this became a source of much hilarity for us. "Or are you just going to stand there with your dick in your hand" can be usefully adapted to fit into just about any climbing conversation.



For example:



"So go ahead and give me the rack, whenever you're done standing there with your dick in your hand."



Or:



"I just took this amazing photo of you, while I was holding the rope AND standing here with my dick in my hand."



And so on.



I guess you had to be there.



Anyway, pitch one of Falled on Acoount of Strain turned out to be a very worthwhile climb in its own right. Dick rates it at 5.9 but Swain calls it a 5.9+ and I think Swain has it right. The first moves are 5.6-ish but unprotected, up the face to the left of a thin seam. Once you get some pro in, about 15 feet up, you move to the right and into the crux, thin moves between spaced horizontals. The first of these moves puts your feet even with your last protective gear. Your next pro comes in a blind placement over your head at the next horizontal. Adrian is much taller than me and he had to do a pull up to examine the gear and fix it before making the next moves. Following him, I found that I had to step up fully into the move to examine the gear and get it out. I had to struggle a bit with the piece and I almost popped off while trying to remove it.



Dealing with this one difficult placement is my only real concern about eventually leading this pitch. Afterwards the climbing and the gear get easier to handle.





(Photo: Almost done with pitch one of Falled on Account of Strain. The tiered roofs await, overhead. The pitch one crux comes between the two horizontals visible in the lower right corner of the photograph.)



When I joined Adrian at the belay he asked me if I was really up for leading pitch two. Looking out at the roofs I thought it seemed simple enough to wander over and check them out. I was sure I could get gear in the first tier of the roof system. So long as I could get pro at each tier, I figured, I could keep moving up. There would be no shame in taking a hang, as long as the gear was good and the falls were clean.



And so I ventured forth, promising not to make any moves I couldn't reverse until I was sure about continuing.





(Photo: The point of no return. To continue, or not?)



I traversed easily to the first overhang. There was good gear. I believed I was at the right spot at which to pull up and over to the next tier. There was a lot of chalk even further right, but it seemed to me this was errant chalk, sucker chalk.



I pulled up enough to see if I could get gear at the next tier. I couldn't see any potential placements. This was a major bummer.



What about further right? I ventured over to the sucker chalk and looked up there. But I didn't see any gear over there either.



I wandered back to where I thought the route really went and kept looking it over. I felt a rush of emotions and excitement. I had a decision to make.



Option A: I could commit to the next tier, knowing I would have to move up AGAIN to the final tier before finding any pro. There had to be gear up there, or this thing wouldn't be rated PG, right? But if I committed to this course I doubted I could climb back down and if I popped off it would be a real fall.



Option B: I could give up and traverse back to the anchor.



I hope this doesn't sound too grandiose, but I felt I stood at a sort of crossroads.



I was straddling a line dividing my climbing past and my hoped-for climbing future. A past mired in moderates, and a future involving the real deal. A past of mucking about on ledges, and a future filled with improbable environments and thrilling situations. A past of standing around with my dick in my hand, and a future of bold action.



The atmosphere beneath the overhang was incredible. I wanted to go for it, but I wasn't quite sure I was ready. It had been a great year. Maybe this climb was meant for next year?



Adrian called over to give his opinion.



"You want me to support you, right?"



"No, dude, tell me what you really think."



"It looks crazy to me."



That was all I needed to hear. I decided to traverse back to the anchor and climb Tomorrow x 3 instead.





(Photo: Getting into the 5.8 roof on Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.)



I'm glad we went ahead and did Tomorrow x 3, because the roof was fun. It is not a cakewalk by any means. The holds are very good, but once you are in the roof you traverse out to the left (with good pro) and it is very strenuous, a little burly, I think, for 5.8.



I later learned that Swain calls this a 5.10 roof, so I could claim this as my second 5.10 Gunks lead... but let's get real. There's no way this is a 5.10. Maybe 5.8+ or 5.9-.



Once you get above the roof, the remaining climbing up and right to the Falled anchor is very dirty/bushy, and not very pleasant. And the fixed station for Falled as of this writing is crap. There is a big old angle piton (rusty but probably fine), three nested rusty pitons (impossible to evaluate), and two equalized nuts in a horizontal, at least one of which has a cable that is almost rusted out. All of it is tied together with ancient, faded, stiff cord and webbing.



I refused to use this anchor. If you go up there, bring some cord/webbing and maybe some nuts to shore up the station. We ended up bushwhacking through filthy territory to the GT Ledge and then we rapped off the Sticky Gate tree, which will get you down with a single 70 meter or with 60 meter doubles.



Adrian later asked me why I am so attracted to these roof problems. I gave him the cold, logical reason: I'm looking for good holds and clean falls. Face climbs of the same grade tend to involve more difficult sequences and more fiddly gear. He responded quite reasonably that he prefers the face climbs because you can stop and think before the crux, whereas with the roofs you know the clock is always ticking. He felt more secure on the 5.9+ face of Falled, for example, than he did in the 5.8 roof on Tomorrow x 3, because on Falled he knew he could chew over the moves as long as he liked before making the commitment.



This is of course a matter of personal preference, with no right answer. What I failed to add to my side of the argument, but what still tips the balance for me, is that the roofs are awesome. To me there's no thrill like getting over a big roof. I guess that's just what makes me a Gunks guy. Looking at the roof photos above, I find it hard to imagine feeling any other way.

Hoya Vine

And here, finely, is a half way decent photo of one of my hoya vines flowering. I have been trying each time it blooms to get a good photo and this is the best yet but still not as good as some I have seen online. There are hundreds of these kind of vines but all have simular flowers even though the leaves might be different. This leaf is long with white spots. And some have flowers that are very from a pale white to this dark pink. This one has a lot of sweet sent to it. In fact I find the sent so powerful that I don't like it, and frequently have to cut the flowers off and throw them out. This one hasn't been as bad this time. As they dry they shed their flowers all over the floor under them which can be a problem, too. But I love the hoya vine as it is so easy to grow and care for. I treat mine very simular to a cactus as they take only a little more water than a cactus but do like good light.

Monticello Swans

Swan Park looked truly magical with the trees covered in hoar frost!



This weekend I met up with my friend Roger in Elk River and we headed over to Monticello, MN to see and photograph a somewhat unusual animal gathering. Much like the Eagles that I photographed in Homer, Alaska a few years ago, there is a gathering of Trumpeter Swans along the Mississippi River in Monticello each winter. In Alaska, the eagles were fed for many years by "The Eagle Lady" Jean Keene, who tossed several hundred pounds of fish scraps to the Eagles each day. In Monticello there is a woman known as "The Swan Lady" who tosses food out to the swans each day, only in this case its corn and not fish scraps.



Above: Sheila's neighbor has constructed this photo deck, which can be used (for a fee) by photographers and bird watchers. It gives you a closer view of the birds, and gets you closer to eye-level with the birds on the water. All proceeds go to help Sheila pay for corn for the Swans.



The day we visited "Swan Park" along the banks of the Mississippi in Monticello, every tree in sight was covered in beautiful hoar frost. The previous night had produced some thick fog which froze to all the trees, creating a white winter wonderland! There are a couple of reasons why Swans (and Geese and Ducks) congregate here in the winter. One reason is the power plant that is just a little ways upstream... outflow from the power plant keeps the river water warm and ice-free all winter. The other reason is the food. Several years ago Sheila "The Swan Lady" started handing out some corn to the ducks that wintered on the river. After a while some Swans started to show up. Fast forward several years later and the Swans now congregate in very large numbers on this stretch of river. The day we visited the river there were easily several hundred Swans, as well as a fair amount of Canada Geese and various ducks.





Swan Park is a very small city park nestled in between two home sites on the banks of the Mississippi. From the parking area on the opposite side of the street from the park, you can easily hear the Swans as soon as you get out of your car. As you walk towards the park and get closer the river, the sound quickly becomes deafening. We spent about an hour and a half photographing the birds and by the time we left I swear my ears were ringing!

To see a video clip of the Swans, click here: http://www.travisnovitsky.com/Video-Clips/Misc-Videos/4207197_KrddQ





As the birds wait in preparation for their daily feeding, several small groups fly in one after the other from down the river. This makes for some great flight shot opportunities, as they usually fly right past you then circle around before landing on the river.





One of my favorite things to do when photographing birds in flight is to experiment with slower shutter speeds in an attempt to create artsy blurs of the birds. This takes some practice, though. Too long of a shutter speed and the bird won't be recognizable. Not slow enough of a shutter speed, and the photo will look just like an accidental "out of focus" shot. When you can get the right mix of the perfect shutter speed combined with a well-timed panning motion of the camera to match the flight pattern of the bird, the results can be magical.

If you're looking for a fun way to spend a winter's day, head over to Monticello to see the Swans. It is certainly one of those experiences that will be with you forever!

Last Leg of The Journey

Mom and I sit together for one last cup of coffee and remember our times together here in Greece with this family who have so generously given us their time and opened up their hearts and home to us. George trys so hard to convey his thoughts to us pondering over each word he speaks. One morning comes to mind. When we first arrived he was not feeling well, and on the third morning he tells me of a problem he has been having. "One of my organs is upsetting me." I sat in stunned silence waiting for which organ it could possibly be. He goes on to say, his stomach is upset . I breath a sigh of relief.
Another day we talk about the driving of people of a "Big age." Of course we will not mention any one in particular at this time.
Chrissa is all things to all people. If you even mention an item or place you would like to have or see, she will say, "It is nothing." She runs for everyone.
On the big market day they close off the streets, and vendors are everywhere.
They sell clothing- which they throw on tables in huge mounds, and one must paw through it to acquire the item wanted-house wares, fish, nuts, and fruits.)
Chrissa went to the market 3 times with 3 different people. She buys us two enormous bags of fresh oregano. We will try to get thru customs with this and hope we are not thrown in jail for its resemblance to marijuana.
She does banking needs, jewlery stores, optical etc. etc. etc. Her mother, who lives below requires a lot of attention as well so it isn't just us that she does for.
(We would like to take her home with us.) We will miss that fresh bread each morning, and the tomatoes will be just a fond memory. On our best day for tomatoes in America they don't hold a candle to the worst tomato from Chrissa's tomato man.
We will now spend the rest of this day packing and trying to put their home back the way we found it. Ellie will prepare one more sumptious meal for us and then it will be time for the long trip home. Our personal taxi driver, Panos, will arrive around 4:00 to take us to the airport. Our first leg of the trip will take us to London, where we will spend the night at an airport Hotel. Onward to home sweet home. We have had a terrific time but there truly is no place like home.
Thaaat's all folks.
We Three

Smeeton Westerby and Fleckney (Saddington) Tunnel

Almost 4 miles.

Started from Bridge 72 on GU Canal.







Along tow-path on right of canal, on top of tunnel, across Saddington - Kibworth Road, down to the tow-path on the left as far as the next bridge,











leave the canal through a hand gate, turn left and left again across the bridge, walk up through Mill Field Wood,







across two fields, across Saddington - Kibworth Road, along Mill Lane into Smeeton W. Footpath between hedges, then through horses' field to the church. Over the road and along the path through the allotments.











Across road and through the ginnel (large alsatian barking in garden). Followed the path past the houses and up to the canal. Along towpath to the bridge.





Weather fine, warm but dull. The sun made a feeble effort to shine, but not for long. Dry underfoot.







Now to find an extra four miles or so for a group of us to do together!

I did this walk from Smeeton with Harry on July 17 .