Lake Powell was so much more of an “experience” than I ever imagined it could be. Landscapes that were other-worldly, and time with friends that will live in my memories for a long time to come! We lucked out (big-time) with great weather for an early November houseboat trip, and enjoyed clear skies, warm air, and calm waters the entire week. Having started our trip at the southern end of the lake (in Paige AZ) via 50 foot houseboat, we managed to make our way all the way up toward Rainbow Bridge National Monument over the course of a few days. The actual approach to the national monument via water was nail-bitingly narrow in many places, and our trusty captain, Steph navigated it like she had lived on this boat all of her life.  I managed to capture a two minute time lapse of the ride:  

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Snippets from our adventure, as we ran the San Juan river in Utah, a trip to celebrate our friend Mary Whited’s birthday. One of the more unique moments: a special visit by a very friendly wild turkey during one of our lunch breaks on the beach below Honaker!   And I can’t resist including this clip of the birthday girl running Government Rapid! A post shared by Kristel Hayes (@kristelhayes) on Nov 13, 2016 at 4:16pm PST

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On par with our usual tradition of planning a little adventure before the Outdoor Retailer show, we hit the road to see a few of the many places in Utah we still had yet to explore. This trip, we found dinosaur tracks and ancient petroglyphs at Parowan Gap, and had a fun day trip through Cedar Breaks National Monument. We had heard that Cedar Breaks was like a “mini Bryce Canyon”, and as soon as we hit Chessemen Ridge Overlook, the resemblance was obvious. After taking in that spectacular view, we headed up the road for a quick hike along Alpine Pond trail, where I spent (probably way too much) time watching the bees keep busy on the various flowers along the trail. Our hike was shortened by the sound of thunder in the distance, and were grateful to be cozy & safe in our car when a massive hail storm blew over us!

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After our big day on Orkney Island, we decided to get out to set foot on the most northerly point in Mainland Britain, the peninsula of Dunnet Head (another nesting ground for Puffins, but we weren’t lucky enough to see any this particular day). En route, we also happened on some beautiful dunes on Dunnet Bay that we couldn’t resist exploring as well. The landscapes in this northern part of Scotland are strikingly different than those anywhere else. More vast, more open, and more rugged, yet still extremely fragile, in what’s technically a part of the subarctic region. Finishing up our last full day in the highlands we headed back to Thurso. I was struck by how light the skies still were as late as 11pm, and sat in my B&B window snapping photos of a man playing ball on the beach. In the low-ish light I was able to capture the man (standing a bit more still) but not the dog (in a constant sprint). This was our last stop of our Scotland adventure this time, but a part of Scotland I know I will come back to someday for a much longer stay. See the rest of my highlights from this whirlwind adventure in the Highlands of Scotland: Part 1 of 6: Edinburgh Part 2 of 6: Oban Part 3 of 6: Isle of Staffa (& Puffins!) Part 4 of 6: Isle of Iona Part 5 of 6: Orkney Island Part 6 of 6: Dunnet Head

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Our primary reason for visiting Oban this trip was that it was the departure point for a tour to visit the Isles of Mull, Staffa, and Iona. I was so excited for this day because it would be my first ever chance to see Puffins up close, but turned out to be so much more than that. We booked the Three Isles “Early Bird” Excursion with Staffa Tours, and were on our way at the wee hour of 7:30 for the ferry to Mull. Once on Mull, we took a coach across the island, which took about an hour, with fun narration along the way by our driver to help us learn more about the island & its culture. From the coach, there weren’t really any great photo opportunities, but the real treat was waiting at the end the next leg of this tour: the 45 min boat ride out to the Isle of Staffa. It was a foggy day, but as we approached Staffa, the fog seemed to part, revealing a view of the massive Fingal’s Cave directly ahead. Upon landing, for those of us who wanted to see Puffins, we were instructed to climb a steep staircase (just steps from the boat) then to walk along the top of the ridge until we saw the marker indicating we were at the viewing point. From there, we were told, the Puffins should simply start to appear. We did … and they did! I got to see so many Puffins (close up, thanks to my zoom lens), that it actually brought tears to my eyes. After tearing ourselves away from the Puffins, we ventured back toward the boat landing and past it along the basalt shoreline to get a close up look at Fingals Cave. This massive “hole” in the side of the island, with the ocean  waves crashing deep inside, was even more impressive up close. Feeling thoroughly awe-struck, we met our boat for the next leg of the tour: a stop on the Isle of Iona. See the rest of my highlights from this whirlwind adventure in the Highlands of Scotland: Part 1 of 6: Edinburgh Part 2 of 6: Oban Part 3 of 6: Isle of Staffa (& Puffins!) Part 4 of 6: Isle of Iona Part 5 of 6: Orkney Island Part 6 of 6: Dunnet Head

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