Squirrels were everywhere, and knew how to act for the occasion
We did not think they were so cute when they tried to leap into the car with Angela
Deer were another popular source of photographic inspiration
Jen quickly became known as ‘the deer hunter’
John was not entirely sure what ‘heated tents’ really meant as a form of accommodation, and set some low expectation so as not to be disappointed
Turns out his fears were unfounded
There were some many trails to explore, and we did not now whether to hike (american term for walking), bike, drive, run, whatever.
Once we saw this poster we were inspired. Or maybe it was just John who was inspired, not really sure.
Rel set the fashion trend
Angela made sure we knew where to head
Jen just made us wonder if she would stay upright. Thankfully, the bikes had no gears, so that removed one level of complication
Rel took to the bikes like a duck to water
When John joined the girls he saw one of the party heading north, and the other 2 were heading south.
Some quick negotiating, and riding north and south with counter proposals, by John quickly saw everyone together as one.
We then made it to our first viewing point without too much drama.
Mind you, this was only 500m from our start point.
We included some hiking when bikes were not permitted
Found the most awesome scenery
The girls did get their confidence up on the bikes, but had their moments
It was all the more interesting then when John nearly collided with Jen.
John was busy taking photos while riding, Jen was busy taking photos of John rapidly approaching her, John forgot that these bikes have pedal brakes and no hand brakes, and neither know how they did not end up on the ground in a heap. John did cop a nasty blow to his shins from one of Jen’s pedals though. That served as a reminder for his carelessness.
Natural beauty everywhere again
John finally found a place he could park his bike and take a photo of the bike and the scenery together.
The trail was good because you could stop wherever you wanted to admire the scenes, or take photographs, or both.
Those photos demonstrate just how much Johnny looks up to his travelling companions
The girls said they had to stop into the village to post some letters
This ruse was maintained for a short while, where they even bought stamps and posted letters
But then the real reason for this stop at the village became obvious
Along the way, Johnny managed to find the time to trap a rogue bear and deal with it.
Meanwhile, Jen tried to coax it back to life
But at the same time wondered if the coat would fit her
By this stage we had become relaxed about the possibility of bear attacks. One still had be careful, because you never knew when something may happen.
These are just some photos of our bear sightings, and how close we were to real danger
There was the ferocious ‘Rel Bear’
The scary ‘Red Bear’
The silent ’Shop Bear’
This ‘Shop Bear’ was prevelant and had many forms.
And the little known ‘restaurant bear’
Jen and Ange proudly proclaimed that they were in fact ‘tree huggers’
After the village, we continued to marvel at the scenery
Don’t think we’ve seen a bike rack with such an impressive view
Time for a walk through the forest
These sisters were also rock huggers!
Jen decided to show off her supermodel form.
Rel was just starting to feel a little weary
But managed to find a second spark after a quick drink of water
One had to be innovative to find clear shots in amongst the crowd
Johnny always want to see an eagle flying overhead. So Jen kindly pointed out where she thought she spotted quite a large eagle.
It was time to get back on the bikes again.
More amazing sights
Found some more amazing hikes
Before jumping on the bikes for an amazing ride through the valley floor.
The photos indicated some very dark and ominous clouds forming,
so we raced home
The storm build up was impressive. We cancelled our planned drive into the mountains that afternoon.
As the storm continued to gather size, force, and darkness, we were a touch concerned.
We decided to ride the storm out in our tents. We wrote notes to loved ones, hugged as a group and wished each other well int his impending battle for survival.
And all we got was a few drops of rain. oh well…
We decided to celebrate our survival against the odds
Jen continued to demonstrate why she would have done well in Cirque De Soleil.
Then it was time to eat
0 comments:
Post a Comment