![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
We made plans to be out of the house by 10 am. I figured it would be more like 10:30. I was ready to go by 9:30, but Larry didn't wake up until 10. He seemed pleased that he had "slept like a brick." I had already eaten a little bit of breakfast (the B&B host had left some snacks and food for us), but the cafe at the bottom of the hill had opened by then, so I went down and got a sandwich. It took longer than expected, but when I came back, he was still in the shower.
We intended to go to see The Old Man of Storr, a pinnacle of rock in a part of the Trotternish Ridge called The Storr. We finally left and drove to Portree, the biggest town on Skye, and halfway between home and the Storr. By this time, Larry was hungry for lunch, so I dropped him off at a cafe and went off to find air for the tire with the slow leak.
I came back and parked near the harbor and walked around there a while. That was nice because though I'd been on Skye before, I hadn't seen this town, only drove through it.
After a while I went to the cafe and found him halfway through a sandwich. It had taken a while before he'd been served - it's a very busy place in the summer.
So I wandered around some more. Found a pharmacy where I bought a razor (the one thing I forgot to bring from home). Wandered around some more. Found some flower petals to press in a book to bring home for photos. Then he showed up.
I finally dropped him off at the start of the trail at The Storr at 2:10. If we'd left at 10 and gone straight there, we would have been on the trail three hours earlier. I went to pay for parking, and get my stuff together, and then I saw him walking toward the restrooms. Fifteen minutes after we first arrived, I saw him heading back up and went to join him. I tried walking with him for a few minutes, but I just couldn't, and went on ahead.
It was a mile and a half, and very steep for part of it. I went up, and then went off trail for photos. Then went back to the trail and continued up. Then I went around behind The Old Man. I didn't spend too much time looking around the valley there, but I did climb up the back of The Old Man. There's an area which is kind of his shoulder, so I went up there and took a couple of photos looking out. Then I went back down and continued around him to get back to the trail. I went down and met Larry halfway. He said he intended to keep going, so I told him he should go until he sees the eye of The Old Man because that's when you can tell how he got the name.
I left him and went back down the hill to the car. The previous day at the Quiraing, I made a mistake in that I didn't drink a lot of water before I left. This time I drank a lot of water, but I didn't eat a snack as I'd intended. It turned out that I should have brought my water and snacks along. I was dead when I got back down. It was fairly warm, with the temp in the low 70's. Also, I must mention that if we had left home at 10 am like I'd intended, we would have been on the trail at lunchtime, and that would have gone badly. So there's that, at least.
I drove into town for supper. It took a while for a parking place to open up. First restaurant was a half hour wait. Next two were closed. The one I went in seemed perfect - venison burger. But the server informed me they only do meals in courses. Fortunately I could choose two (instead of three) and dessert is a course, so I got a brownie too. Unfortunately, a two course meal costs about $50, not including drinks. I was going to say that I figured I wouldn't get my money's worth choosing dessert, but that turned out to be the best part. Warm brownie with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Then I went back to the park to find Larry. There weren't many people still there. I set off up the hill. There are two trails in a loop, and I chose the wrong one. Larry got back to the car ten minutes before I did. He had gone all the way to the top of the trail. I was actually proud of him. Even if it did take him five hours.
So we went back into town and found a pub. He had dinner and I had a beer. The pub was crowded, and they had live music. I was falling asleep, so I opted to go outside and wait from him in the square. And that was our day - Portree and The Old Man of Storr.
We intended to go to see The Old Man of Storr, a pinnacle of rock in a part of the Trotternish Ridge called The Storr. We finally left and drove to Portree, the biggest town on Skye, and halfway between home and the Storr. By this time, Larry was hungry for lunch, so I dropped him off at a cafe and went off to find air for the tire with the slow leak.
I came back and parked near the harbor and walked around there a while. That was nice because though I'd been on Skye before, I hadn't seen this town, only drove through it.
After a while I went to the cafe and found him halfway through a sandwich. It had taken a while before he'd been served - it's a very busy place in the summer.
So I wandered around some more. Found a pharmacy where I bought a razor (the one thing I forgot to bring from home). Wandered around some more. Found some flower petals to press in a book to bring home for photos. Then he showed up.
I finally dropped him off at the start of the trail at The Storr at 2:10. If we'd left at 10 and gone straight there, we would have been on the trail three hours earlier. I went to pay for parking, and get my stuff together, and then I saw him walking toward the restrooms. Fifteen minutes after we first arrived, I saw him heading back up and went to join him. I tried walking with him for a few minutes, but I just couldn't, and went on ahead.
It was a mile and a half, and very steep for part of it. I went up, and then went off trail for photos. Then went back to the trail and continued up. Then I went around behind The Old Man. I didn't spend too much time looking around the valley there, but I did climb up the back of The Old Man. There's an area which is kind of his shoulder, so I went up there and took a couple of photos looking out. Then I went back down and continued around him to get back to the trail. I went down and met Larry halfway. He said he intended to keep going, so I told him he should go until he sees the eye of The Old Man because that's when you can tell how he got the name.
I left him and went back down the hill to the car. The previous day at the Quiraing, I made a mistake in that I didn't drink a lot of water before I left. This time I drank a lot of water, but I didn't eat a snack as I'd intended. It turned out that I should have brought my water and snacks along. I was dead when I got back down. It was fairly warm, with the temp in the low 70's. Also, I must mention that if we had left home at 10 am like I'd intended, we would have been on the trail at lunchtime, and that would have gone badly. So there's that, at least.
I drove into town for supper. It took a while for a parking place to open up. First restaurant was a half hour wait. Next two were closed. The one I went in seemed perfect - venison burger. But the server informed me they only do meals in courses. Fortunately I could choose two (instead of three) and dessert is a course, so I got a brownie too. Unfortunately, a two course meal costs about $50, not including drinks. I was going to say that I figured I wouldn't get my money's worth choosing dessert, but that turned out to be the best part. Warm brownie with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Then I went back to the park to find Larry. There weren't many people still there. I set off up the hill. There are two trails in a loop, and I chose the wrong one. Larry got back to the car ten minutes before I did. He had gone all the way to the top of the trail. I was actually proud of him. Even if it did take him five hours.
So we went back into town and found a pub. He had dinner and I had a beer. The pub was crowded, and they had live music. I was falling asleep, so I opted to go outside and wait from him in the square. And that was our day - Portree and The Old Man of Storr.
