It’s astonishing how much wildlife there is to see in America, everywhere you look, the outdoors is simply teeming with it. And, it’s all enormous! Every creature from the large to the small was oversized, even down to the flies!
Just some of the highlights; Marmots, Wild Bison, Antelopes, Chipmunks, giant Spiders, Deer, Moose, Butterflies, Mountain Goats and Vultures.
One of the most commented on sights throughout our US road trip was not just the amount, but the sheer size of the RVs flying along every highway. I guess being British we’d notice them a lot more as we simply don’t have vehicles like that where we’re from. For starters they simply wouldn’t fit on the roads. Your average European road is firstly too narrow and secondly, far too busy! I would love to see one of these trying to fit down a narrow country lane in rural Wales! (in fact the pick up trucks alone wouldn’t fit, let alone an RV!) But not only are they enormous, I also observed that when stationary, they also extend out to all sides and angles, making them even more gigantic. And much to our delight, we also spotted many of them towing a 4×4 truck behind them.
It put our tiny tent to absolute shame on the campgrounds; I’d hazard that some of them are considerably bigger per square metre than many residential apartments, especially those found in either ski resorts or large cities. We loved watching these blast through Montana, Idaho and Utah in their thousands, but it really did leave us wondering, just how much space does an average couple need when on holiday??!
I have to admit before coming here I knew virtually nothing about the Great Salt Lake. I’m not sure I even knew it was in the State of Utah. But I can now happily admit that my mind has been blown by this astonishing natural feature, sitting contently in the middle of the vast land mass that is America, so very far from any kind of sea!
I have since discovered that it is 75 miles long and 28 miles wide, the biggest lake in the United States that isn’t part of the Great Lakes range further north. I was confused as to how a body of water this far from the sea could be an actual salt lake, so being the curious English tourists we are, we asked someone! The lake has no outlet other than evaporation, and is fed by 4 major rivers which tumble down to it from the mountains. Just like rivers flowing in to the sea, these carry huge amounts of rocks and minerals containing salt, which remains in the lake when the water evaporates. Due to the sheer quantity of salt arriving in this lake, and the fact that it is so much smaller than the sea, the salinity is vastly higher than that of the sea, 7 X to be precise.
We had to test this out, so after a bit of research we headed for Antelope Island, the biggest of the lake’s 10 islands, for a couple of nights. Utterly stunning would be one of the many ways to describe it here and would still not come close to doing it justice. To access the island you drive across a long, purpose built causeway, with the salt flats rolling away on either side. We came across various tourists pottering round at the visitors’ centre, but predictably enough, as soon as we left to explore the rest of the island we were pretty much on our own. The Bridger Bay campground had arguably one of the best views of any I’ve ever stayed on, and provided 2 of the most relaxing days I’ve ever had; a feeling I very much cherish. There’s something rather magical about swinging in your hammock, reading a book in the sunshine, with wildlife and the gentle lapping of the lake as the only sounds.
So, back to the Salt Lake. For starters the temperature of the water was 28 degrees, not much like the sea in any way (and certainly not in the UK!) It was shallow for a long time so one has to wade out quite a distance to get above knee deep, but yes indeed, once you immerse yourself and take your feet off the bottom you do in fact float in any position you wish to try! It’s difficult to describe, but it’s one father weirdest feelings I’ve ever had. You just float! Imagine sitting in a pool on a lilo, happily floating around, but there’s no lilo. I feel like it is what astronauts must feel like. You can simply barrel roll round and round without even a hint of sinking. You can happily swim along using just your arms, legs just floating out behind you. We couldn’t get enough. Plus, if you scrub your skin whilst in the water, once you’re out and blasted clean with cold water, you feel like you’re skin’s been born again. People pay a lot of money for exfoliating skin treatments that make you feel like that!
I can’t recommend it enough, it’s one of the most unusual and most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had. During our time on this island we’ve also had the opportunity to see close up; bison, antelopes, wild deer, eagles and wild hare. Hard to knock. Antelope Island will be tough to leave behind, but we’ll be back, I’m sure of it!
We hadn’t planned to come this far south on our road trip of the States. Time constraints and commitments in Missoula meant we had intended to go as far as Yellowstone National Park and then loop back up towards Montana. However, when we woke up in Driggs, in the Teton National Park, we were met with dreary, miserable grey rain. To our dismay we checked the weather forecast and discovered that the rain was set to stay over the Tetons and our pocket of Wyoming for the next week. What to do, what to do…?
After much deliberation and calendar checking we decided to head south, to Salt Lake City. We weren’t sure if it was a wise move, it was a long way off track and would add around 700 miles to our trip but considering fuel is practically free here (compared to Europe!) and Salt Lake is somewhere we’d always wanted to see, how bad a decision could it be??
And what a brilliant decision it turned out to be!
The sun has shone from the minute we arrived and yesterday we hiked up on of the biggest peaks in the area; Deseret Peak. Over 10,000 ft high and an 8 mile round trip, no mean feat in 33 degree heat! The hike itself is beautiful, and we were even lucky enough to spot a doe trotting along the meadow en route! At the summit you are treated to an unbelievable 360 panorama of the Salt Lake and the Salt flats (where the land speed record was set). In one direction is Utah and over the other mountain range lies Nevada. The scenery is simply stunning and the lake is so vast it’s very hard to believe you’re not looking at the sea.
More to come on the Salt Lake itself. What a diverse country this is, and we’ve only seen a tiny fraction. I think I could spend forever travelling round America. If only work, life, time and money didn’t get in the way…!
Here are some of the photos from the top.
I’m on holiday in the States at the minute with very little access to the internet, but I had to jump on and include one of the highlights of our road trip so far – a Baseball game! Being Brits we have no idea of the rules of baseball, let alone having ever seen a game live, so whilst in Montana it was a must to go and catch the Missoula Ospreys playing at home. We picked up the rules fairly quickly (with the help of some fans behind us!) and had a fantastic evening soaking up the atmosphere of a true American sport. What a great night. So far we’ve travelled from Alberta, Canada, through Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. This country is awesome! Much more to come!
So last weekend I completed the Cross du Mont Blanc; a 23km race up and down the mountain trails of Chamonix, and I loved it! I’ve never done anything like that before and I was fairly apprehensive about how I would find it, but at the same time very excited to be involved in a big event with people from all over the World. It was nothing like the scale of the huge marathons with tens of thousands of competitors, but 1500 runners on single mountain trails only wide enough for 1 person feels like enough!
I’ve never been a runner, never will be I don’t think! But I’ve discovered I much prefer trail running to classic road running. I love the varied nature of it, the ups, downs and the beautiful views, rather than the repetitive pounding. I’ve been training a lot over the last few months and always run with headphones in, lost in my own thoughts and those of the podcasts I listen to. I love the tranquility, the solitude and just simply being in nature. But despite this I have to say I got totally caught up in the buzz of the race and absolutely loved the whole atmosphere! From the exciting, mass start, the crowd cheering, the cowbells being rung throughout and just the sheer positivity and support of everyone from start to finish. It’s brilliant. I don’t think I’m going to become a regular racer, but I’ll definitely do another and I recommend it to all as an experience at least once!
Last year, in perhaps a moment of madness, I decided to enter myself in to the Mont Blanc half marathon. 23km long, with over 1000m of vertical ascent, around the mountain trails of Chamonix. Whether this was a wise move or not will be revealed next week…! So I’ve been training, and earlier in the week I thought it would be a good idea to run the whole course, mainly to see whether I could actually do it! Of course I took my camera, as this, early summer, is a truly beautiful time of the year. In almost 4 hours I saw maybe 10 people, and had the chance to spot things that I just wouldn’t have seen if I hadn’t been on foot. Lovely!
In the excitement of travelling, back-packing and globe-trotting these days, the desire for more is ever apparent; to go further away, to experience a different culture, to go somewhere no-one has ever been before, to achieve a goal… With the ease of travel and low cost flights, a camping trip to North Wales just no longer seems to satisfy that travel bug. People want to go further, better, hotter.
In all this, I think there are tiny places on Earth which have been forgotten, cast out as places that are ‘no point’, ‘too close to home’, and in my humble opinion, Northern Ireland is one such place; a totally underrated corner of the globe. I can’t begin to imagine how many Brits have never set foot on the Emerald Isle (other than perhaps for a stag do…) despite living only a 30 minute flight away, certainly very few of my friends have. Because why pay for a flight to Ireland when you can pay the same for a flight to Spain? I can see the logic, but Ireland has so much to offer, and it is such a beautiful country.
My family are all from the North, so despite having spent various holidays in the Republic, I naturally have more memories and knowledge of Northern Ireland. Nowadays I don’t go there anywhere near as often as I used to as a child, but a recent visit to see family reminded me of what a fantastic place it is. It’s certainly changed a great deal in the last 20 years, but much of the beauty remains, and the people of N.Ireland are what can only be described as a delight. But despite my desire for everyone to love it as much as me, I couldn’t help but feel just a tinge of sadness to see that some of my favourite childhood haunts have now become just another stop for those doing the tour of Europe. But no, I can’t complain, Ireland needs tourism just like anywhere else; it’s what keeps a lot of these heritage sites open and maintained.
If you’re planning a visit to Northern Ireland, I can’t recommend the North East coast more highly, the drive from Belfast up the coast towards Coleraine is difficult to beat; an open road of spectacular rugged coastline all the way. Plus, passing through villages named Cushendall, Cushendun and Balleygalley doesn’t sound like too much of a chore does it?! Sights not to be missed are the incredible Giants’ Causeway, and the Carrick-a-reed rope bridge, once upon a time simply open farmland for you to wander around on, yet not anymore, so pick your time wisely. The Bushmills distillery is also in the vicinity if you’re a whiskey fan, although again, full of tourists. And this is only the tiniest pocket of the island. There is so much to explore, and so many wonderful, friendly people to meet. As an introduction to what to expect from Ireland, I must point you towards Round Ireland with a Fridge, by Tony Hawks. Comfortably the funniest book I’ve ever read and which will make even the hardest hearts fall in love with this fantastic country.
Enough said, Northern Ireland is a wonderful place, stop by if you can!
France is a wonderful country. It has beaches, mountains, rugged coastlines, fantastic climbing, amazing cycling, brilliant skiing, hot weather, snow, quaint countrysides… the list could go on and on! It doesn’t surprise me at all that it’s known as one of the World’s top holiday destinations.
Taking advantage of a long weekend, that wasn’t a bank holiday weekend (!) we decided on a spur of the moment trip down to the magical land of Provence. Only 3 1/2 hours drive, pretty much guaranteed sunshine, and the prospect of a few days camping, climbing, swimming, and reading books in the sunshine was mighty appealing! The month of May is the time to go, especially if you plan to do any kind of sporting activities, as from June onwards it becomes unbearably hot if you aren’t in close proximity to water at all times! Right now the temperatures are hovering around 28-30 degrees, perfect for a bit of daytime swimming and evening climbing in the cooler temperatures. We sought out some wild swimming in nearby rivers and found some shady crags to climb at, a perfect mini-break!
I can’t ask more from life than waking up to the sounds of birds singing their morning chorus, a nearby cockerel crowing his heart out, the cows gently clanging their bells, and the church bell chiming. Simple pleasures, and long may they last…
Did you know that the average person spends 4 years of their life looking down at their cellphone? 4 years?? That’s a massive chunk of a life, how utterly terrifying. I recently came across a very thought-provoking youtube video, interestingly I was sent it as part of teaching literature, perhaps with the hope that teachers would pass on these messages to the future generations before it’s too late.
Personally I’ve always had a problem with the ever increasing and worryingly sharp rise in technology, the inability of people today to go out for dinner with their friends without having to check their phone every 2 minutes, or even worse, those who have their phone sitting on the table during dinner so that it can obnoxiously ring or beep in the middle of a conversation. Do we need to be in constant contact with the World? Would it be so terrible if for 2 hours your phone was in your bag on silent so that it didn’t disturb your evening with friends?
So very sadly, these behaviours are no longer seen as rude, it’s now normal to sit with your phone on the table, quite acceptable to pull it out to take a photo of your dinner, or to search for something on google, or to simply have a quick check on Facebook. How is this acceptable? Not so long ago it wasn’t seen as polite to have your elbows on the table during dinner, yet now it’s completely fine to cut someone off mid-conversation to flick through your phone?
Just some of the ideas coming from this simple yet very thought-provoking short video: Ironic how these ‘touch screens’ can make us actually lose touch. Zuckerberg should rename his empire an ‘Anti’ Social network, as rather than connecting people, it leads to less and less face-to-face contact. In a world full of i-Phones, i-pads and i-macs, so many ‘i’s but no ‘we’ or ‘us’. Technology has made us more selfish and separate than ever. Most striking to me was the observation that we sit at home on our computers measuring our self worth by the numbers of followers and likes. On your death bed when you are looking back and reflecting on your life, are you really going to worry and fret that you didn’t quite reach a million followers? Is your biggest regret going to be that not enough people ‘liked’ the video or picture you uploaded? None of this matters, none of it. It doesn’t matter how many Facebook friends you have, it matters how many actual friends you have. Who will rush to help you when everything goes wrong? Not your 2000 ‘followers’, but your real friends, the ones who know your likes and dislikes, who know what makes you happy, who make the effort to stay in touch and who you’ve seen face-to-face in the last year.
‘Ignoring those who actually love us it seems we’d rather write an angry post than talk to someone who might actually hug us’
Sharon Wray Writing 