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Doone Braes Hotel |
From Iona we drove back through the Valley of Kilmarten, visiting yet more standing stones and rock tombs, before arriving back in Glasgow. Most of the group flew home from there, but I was very eager to visit the Isle of Lewis and the stone circles of Calanish.Lewis is the most northerly isle on the West coast of Scotland, and is connected by an isthmus to the Isle of Harris, famous for Harris Tweed. The same day, Saturday, that the tour got back to Glasgow, I caught a plane to Stornoway, the only town on Lewis, picked up a rental car, and drove to the Doon Braes Hotel where I had booked a room. Once again, it was stormy and the next day was even worse. The hotel had wonderful food. On Sunday, absolutely nothing is open on Lewis. I drove to the black house village nearby, but I was so tired and the weather so bad that I went back to the hotel and slept the rest of the day. |
Valley of Kilmartin |
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Main Calanish Circle
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I had an appointment the next
day with Margaret and Ron Curtis to show me the circles. Margaret
and Ron have been archeologists there for many years, and are responsible
much of the uncovering of missing stones and circles. They maintain
a small museum, and devote most of their lives to working on developing
knowledge of the stones. Margaret actually took me around for two
days, and her explanations made it clear that the 22 stone circles that
have been identified are all related to each other, and tie together the
whole of the island into one great sacred landscape. We drove all
around the island, and down to Harris. This was a somewhat harrowing
experience, due to my unfamiliarity with driving on the left, the one-lane
roads with pull-outs for passing, and the winding and hilly terrain.
But it was worth it. The beaches and sites on Harris are spectacular.
Beach on Isle of Harris |
Small Circle |
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Hiking on Iona |
And so, home from Scotland, dreaming dreams of windswept moors and ancient civilizations. I gained several pounds from the incredibly delicious Scotch food, especially breakfasts. |
Orkney Landscape |
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The Rig |
I arrived home on September 5. In order to get to a Peace Corps reunion scheduled in Washington D.C. by September 29, I had planned to take off in the RV on September 10. Even that wasn't allowing much time. But I wasn't ready, and 9/11 happened. So I didn't leave until September13. I still wasn't really ready, but I took off across the country that afternoon with my dogs, Lucy and Riley, on US 50. It was an eerie trip, in the wake of the WTC event. After the first weekend the campgrounds were virtually empty, and there was not much traffic on the roads. Driving by the Kansas City airport on Saturday, and seeing it empty and all the planes parked was very strange. The details and adventures of the trip are too long to recount here, but I made it to Virginia on September 19, and spent the weekend in D.C. with those Peace Corps friends who came even though the event was canceled. In, I just couldn't make it to New York for meeting with other friends there. |
Lucy and Riley Watching for Squirrels |
