#194 MIND THE GAP

While talking about the last blog (about the birds of Scotland) my friend Dave asked when I was going to do one about bridges. I want to thank Dave for making that suggestion. It’s been fun to put this together—looking through trip albums, selecting photos, gathering information, the whole process. With everything that’s been going on, it’s taken longer than it should have, but I’m finally ready to put the post together.

Being a country with over 900 offshore islands, numerous major rivers, and uncountable burns, the countryside is replete with bridges. Some are small and inconsequential, others are majestic and iconic (like the Forth Rail Bridge), but almost all are picturesque and many have interesting histories. I’m choosing to present those photos from our trips which I like the best and I think would be interesting to many of you.

I’ll start the show with a type of bridge that sells the best when I take my photos to Highland games or Scottish festivals.

PACKHORSE BRIDGES

Carrbridge Packhorse Bridge, Carrbridge, Highlands. The bridge across the River Dulnain is one of the most visited attractions in the Cairngorm mountains. Built in 1717, it’s purpose was to allow funeral processions to access Duthil Church when the river was in spate—the bridge became locally know as the “coffin bridge.” The parapets were washed away by floods in 1839.

The current road bridge is behind the packhorse bridge from this view.

The Glenlivet Packhorse Bridge, near the Glenlivet Distillery, Highlands. This bridge is the oldest surviving structure spanning the River Livet. It was originally a three arch bridge, but the southern arch was swept away in floods of 1829.

The Roman Bridge, Glen Lyon, Perthshire. The bridge just below Allt da Ghob waterfall in Scotland’s longest glen is not really Roman at all—the Romans left Britain just after the 4th century—and the bridge was built in the 1600s or 1700s.

The Wee Bridge near Crieff, central Scotland. This bridge is one of hundreds throughout Scotland built to serve the same function, this one is just more accessible than some others.

OTHER SCOTTISH BRIDGES

 

Craigellachie (craig-al-akey) Bridge is a cast iron arch bridge over the River Spey near Aberlour in the heart of whisky and castle country. Designed by Thomas Telford (famous for the Caledonian Canal), this bridge was built between 1812 and 1814 and is a span of 151 feet.

Telford Bridge (1813) spans the River Moriston near Invermoriston village in the west highlands. Designed and constructed by civil engineer Thomas Telford during a busy time in his career.

River Tay Bridge in Dunkeld at the southern edge of the Highlands. The Tay is the longest river in Scotland and is one of the best salmon rivers in the UK. Next to the bridge over the river and into the village is Dunkeld Cathedral, once the capital of Scotland.

Skye Bridge connects the village of Kyle of Lochalsh (the mainland) to Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye (Scotland’s largest island). Before the 1640 foot bridge was built in 1995, the only way to reach Skye was by ferry from Kyle of Lochalsh or Mallaig.

General Wade’s Bridge spans the River Tay at Aberfeldy. It ws built in 1733 by Lt General George Wade as part of the Highland Military Road meant to allow quick English troop movement to control rebellious Scottish Highlanders.

The Bridge to Nowhere, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides. Also known as the Gerry Bridge, this bridge spans a deep gorge overlooking Gerry Beach—one of the loveliest in the Outer Hebrides—and is 50 ft high and 100 feet long. It does lead somewhere—a parking lot.

Glen Ogle extends seven miles from Lochearnhead to Glen Dochart. The Glen Ogle Viaduct, built in 1870, was closed by Scotsrail in 1965. The twelve arch, 139 foot bridge runs along the steep eastern side of Meall Reamher and Scorrch Nuadh.

The Fairy Bridge, Isle of Skye. This bridge by Sligachan on the Isle of Skye is one of many bridges said to be a portal of the wee folk (the fairy folk) who can trick you with magic spells or reward you by granting special wishes. This particular bridge was popularized by writer Sir Walter Scott and is a favorite of clan McLeod whose home castle, Duvevan Castle, is nearby.

A FEW OTHER SCOTTISH BRIDGES

A couple of the fourteen pedestrian bridges across the River Dee between Braemar and Aberdeen.

Footbridge in the Birds of Aberfeldy.

One of the most photographed bridges in Scotland is the bridge over to Eilean Donan Castle, seen in many movies and TV shows.

NEXT: Send me any suggestions, unless you want me to tell you about my favorite short golf courses in Scotland.

193 For the Birds

#193

This blog post has been difficult to get done. I’ve lately had to spend too much time reading Parkinson’s Disease - Guide for the Newly Diagnosed and Living with Parkinson’s Disease, as well as getting used to new drug treatments. The drug, Cardidopa Levodopa, has made a good difference and I’ve not had any major side effects. I’m also starting PT (physical training) this week. All this means I’ve put the blog on the back burner, but I’ve now turned up the heat and have #193 finished.

As befitting my preoccupation this post is simple—a group of photos of birds we’ve seen on our trips to Scotland. I’m not a bird watcher (or twitcher as they are called in the UK), so my notes on the birds are simple as well. These are just photos of birds that I find interesting. If you notice any errors in my identification, please send a note of correction. I’ve left out crows and ravens, most of the gulls, and many small songbirds, but I hope the rest make for pleasant viewing. On a technical note, most of the photos have been taken with a Nikon D500 using a Tamron 18-400mm lens.

WATERFOWL

Barnacle Geese from Scandinavia (Spitzbergen) will winter in the south of Scotland and those from Greenland will winter in the north. Flocks may have thousands of individuals.

Barnacle Geese near Nairn in October

Mute Swans are the Queen’s birds with the Queen’s Right of Ownership since the 12th century.

Nesting Swan at Blair Castle Gardens

Swan in Kilbrannan Sound on the west coast of Isle Arran

Grebes or Divers come in many varieties and are closely related to flamingos.

Cormorants have very short wings for diving and the highest flight cost (energy) of any flying bird. Often confused with grebes.

Cormorants from Shiskine GC, Isle Arraan

Gannets have large breeding colonies on Bass Rock in the east and Ailsa Craig in the west.

Gannet from the ferry to Skye

FARMLAND AND WOODLAND

Pheasants in Scotland are mostly of the Mongolian ringneck-type and seem quite suicidal in the fall as they run at your car on the small Scottish roads.

Red Grouse or Moorcocks are marked by their red comb and found mostly on heath or moorland. The most famous of the species is The Famous Grouse (whisky distillery) which used to be caledl Glenturret Single Malt Whisky.

Red grouse in Glen Quaich

Capercaille is the largest grouse (turkey-sized). The few reintroduced breeding pairs are much watched over by conservation groups such as the RSPB (Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds).

Stuffed Capercaille at Balmoral Castle, the Queen's Home

Live Capercaille in a Wildlife Refuge, Kingussie

Oystercatchers (also a wader) are very common on seaside and inland golf courses.

Nesting Oystercatcher on a Golf Course

Curlew (wader) can be found in large numbers in the winter on the Orkney Islands where I spotted this one at the Standing Stones of Stenness.

Grey Heron (wader) seen at the Falls of Feugh on the River Dee west of Aberdeen.

SONG BIRDS

Robins and other small birds. Robin Redbreasts are quite common, but they are a version of Eurasian Robin, smaller and not closely related to the American Robin.

Blue Tit in Aviemore

Chaffinch on Hedge

Cuckoos are elusive and are heard far more than seen. They are related to the Roadrunner of the American southwest. While some lay eggs in other bird’s nests, most raise their own young. This is the only Cuckoo we saw in 34 trips to Scotland and we saw it on Carrbridge GC in the Cairngorm National Park.

BIRDS OF PREY (in order of size)

Kestrel is the only bird of prey that spends time hovering. They are widespread through rural and urban areas and are related to the falcon family.

At Burntisland GC, Fife

Red Kites, mentioned in both Chaucer’s “Knight’s Tale” and Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” by the 20th century only a few breeding pairs remained in all the UK. Kites were reintroduced successfully in Scotland in the late 1980s.

Goshawk, a forest hunter, were hunted themselves almost to extinction. Now there are about 100 breeding pairs in Scotland. We saw this one in Branklyn Gardens in Perth.

Osprey winter in Africa and are being successfully reintroduced in several areas of Scotland. We saw this Osprey near the RSPB reserve on Loch Garten in the Highlands. We’re used to seeing them in the northwest, but a sighting of an Osprey in Scotland is quite special.

NEXT: Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. 

 

#192 Oregon Coast Trip

Anne and I finally got to do a little traveling, a very short trip on the Oregon coast. I did remember to set myself a photographic goal: try to get five photos each of the three days of the trip that are good enough—quality or story content—to share on a blog post.

Day One. We packed the Forester and were on the road by 9:30 AM. The weather was overcast and cool, but good for traveling down the I-5 and then to Junction City and the Poodle Creek cutoff to Florence (a route we had used many times when we lived in Brookings).

Our first stop was at the freeway rest stop (like a layby) just before Albany. We pulled into the facility and had to park near an individual having a dramatically punctuated discussion with himself. He was loudly argumentative and obviously high or mentally/emotionally challenged or both. From the car I took a picture, the first of the trip, but I don’t believe I should share the photo—perhaps if I were a photojournalist doing a story I might feel differently. Lots of weirdness in the world. Stop two was at Fiddler’s Green Golf Shop between Junction City and Eugene. We love to browse this shop and usually find an item or two to add to our golf supplies. On this trip, besides balls to lose, I bought a new PING putter because you can never have enough putters. It was a pleasant hour drive from Fiddler’s Green to Old Town Florence and coffee and a sweet at River Roasters. 

Anne at River Roasters

After a relaxed 45 minute break we walked down toward the docks and Anne’s favorite stop in town, All About Olives. There she spent almost as much on olives as I did on a PING putter—I do exaggerate…a little.

This plaque at the gazebo in Old Town Florence commemorates The Oregon Dune Mushers Mail Run, a trip by dog team over dunes, through rivers and streams, over quick sand flats for 72 miles in two days. I was one of the original mushers who ran the trail. I participated in the Mail Run for the first five years before my speech team activities got in the way.

We next drove out to the South Jetty for photos in the dunes. We managed to get a couple of decent photo stops, but the lighting was very flat. We killed a little time trying to get a few good images.

Grebe or Cormorant?

I think this is some kind of pussy willow which grows wild in the wetlands between the dunes.

It was now time to check in to the Landmark Inn, a block off Hwy 101 and only a few blocks from Old Town. Our unit was nice, a one bedroom with kitchenette (only missing an oven) and a dinette on the ground floor. The parking there is slightly tricky, but fine with the Forester (last visit we had a full size pickup). We took a short rest and then went back to Old Town for dinner at The Waterfront Depot. We didn’t have table reservations, but did get two seats at the end of the bar. The bartender was our waiter and put on a good show mixing drinks. Dinner wasn’t cheap (nothing on the coast is), but the meal was outstanding and well worth the price. Anne and I shared yummy calamari strips as an appetizer and I had the best seafood alfredo I’ve ever had. Even with my Glenfarclas 10 year old single malt, 

My Evening Tipple

we didn’t break the bank. We tried to pay for part of our trip at the Three Rivers Casino, but a couple of hours was enough to give up all we wanted. Time to go to our home for the next two nights.

Day Two. Late start this morning, both of us were tired from a travel day (out of practice). We got out to breakfast at the Little Brown Hen by almost 10:00. Always busy, always good. There are so many delicious breakfast choices it makes deciding difficult. I ordered two eggs, a side of bacon, and a plate-sized blueberry pancake. 

Several people (customers as well as waitstaff) commented or asked about the way I ate the pancake from the middle out. Even Anne had never noticed I do that. When I explained that starting in the middle keeps the syrup corralled, whereas starting the edge risks slopping syrup off the edge of the plate, I even got one “brilliant!”

After breakfast we drove down to the North Jetty where we’d never explored. We found some interesting forest paths and good river views. 

Too much photoshop?

Visited with a friendly local in the back of his pickup in the North Jetty parking lot.

The best photo opportunities came when we got closer to the dunes near the river mouth. 

Dunes of North Jetty

War of the Worlds anyone?

I’m glad we saw the North Jetty area, but the South has more photo potential. From North Jetty we drove back to the casino where Anne had a little luck and I ended up as slot fodder. Lattes and work time at the coffee shop took care of the rest of the afternoon. 

For dinner we went back to Old Town to the 1285 Restobar, a favorite of ours for good food and excellent service. I again had seafood alfredo which was delicious, but not quite as good as at Waterfront the night before. Give one 10/10 and the other 9.5/10. We went back to the motel and struggled to stay up until about 9:30. We are definitely out of traveling practice—it really wore us out.

Day Three. The trip home. We got a more efficient start today; up and packed and ready to check out by 9:05. Breakfast was again at Little Brown Hen—it’s the best spot in town and nothing else is very close. I had bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. Treat of the morning was the special homemade jams, blackberry and strawberry, which I used on the toast. Simple, delicious.

On our way out of town we stopped for gas at the local Fred Meyers. The whole trip in the Forester took one tank of petrol—good with current prices over $4 a gallon. We had planned on photographing at two locations on the way home. First was Haceta Head and Lighthouse. 

Hecta Head stands out in black and white.

I got good shots of a crow and the lighthouse from the Hwy 101 cliffside pullout. 

Hereto Beach

We walked out on the Haceta Beach for more photos before stoppong at our second spot, Seal Beach. Part of the walkway with views at Seal Beach was closed for repairs, but we still got some good views from where we could still walk.

The rocks at Seal Beach are more dramatic in monochrome. For those who know some Oregon coast geography, the small pinpoint of white at the upper right is Yaquina Head Lighhouse north of Newport. For those who don't know the geography, the dot is still the lighthouse.

In Newport we went to Starbucks for a latte break. Then, because we were making good time, we drove out to the Yaquina Head for photos of the lighthouse and resting sea lions. Our last planned stop of the trip was in Lincoln City at the Robert’s Bookshop. It’s my favorite used bookstore and I found a couple of photo books on the West and Southwest. 

But who's counting.

They make good editions to my collection. Anne bought a couple of books as well. 

The rest of the drive home was uneventful, In fact, the whole trip had been uneventful, but even though it may seem boring we both had had fun and felt safe. Now, Covid restrictions are opening up, but there’s a new variant to contend with. We’ll see what travel is next for us.