Today was spent in the local Blue Mountains. They are most well known for The Three Sisters, a set of rocks that each stand several hundred meters tall. Its a popular tourist spot and by the time we showed up was already full of families and bus groups. Its really not much more than a picture, but one I had to take just to say , "I've been there. "
From there we headed to somewhere a little more peaceful, The Grand Canyon. While not quite as big or impressive as the American version, it was gorgeous nonetheless. We parked at a lookout and enjoyed the view along with a small lunch. Our plan was to follow a path down to the bottom of the canyon and then back up to Neates Glen on the other side. We would get back to our car following a road that links the two parking areas. The canyon trip is about 5km and should take 3-4 hours. Somehow, the three of us finished it in just over two hours including a few stops for water.
The variety of terrain was incredible, we walked through bush, grassy meadows, and rainforest. Most of the walk was spent following a small river that ran through the canyon. There were some spots where it formed beautiful waterfalls falling into shallow pools. About 20 minutes in, Jaimie slipped on a rock and fell into a stream. She was fine, except for a few scratches and a bruise or two, but not very happy about the whole episode. Her shorts, socks, and shoes had gotten completely saturated. She wanted to turn around and wait in the car for us, but we wouldn't hear of it. It didn't take much convincing for her to keep going and honestly, she probably whined less than I would have if I fell in.
Along the way were more sights than I can mention, one of the things that struck me most was the signs of fire. A little research showed that a huge bush fire burned through the area a few years ago closing the trail and damaging some of the safety railings. It took almost a year for the trail to be reopened. Five years later there are still burnt logs and charred seedlings scattered along the path. At one point, you cross underneath a large waterfall. A bit later you need to duck through a small cave. I took a lot more pictures than what I had a chance to post. When I get back home I'll be putting up a gallery with all the ones I think are worthy of other people looking at. The differences between shady and sunny areas made it pretty difficult to get good pictures, hopefully a few come out well.
Not sure on plans tomorrow, maybe caving or spending the day around the local Penrith area.
From there we headed to somewhere a little more peaceful, The Grand Canyon. While not quite as big or impressive as the American version, it was gorgeous nonetheless. We parked at a lookout and enjoyed the view along with a small lunch. Our plan was to follow a path down to the bottom of the canyon and then back up to Neates Glen on the other side. We would get back to our car following a road that links the two parking areas. The canyon trip is about 5km and should take 3-4 hours. Somehow, the three of us finished it in just over two hours including a few stops for water.
The variety of terrain was incredible, we walked through bush, grassy meadows, and rainforest. Most of the walk was spent following a small river that ran through the canyon. There were some spots where it formed beautiful waterfalls falling into shallow pools. About 20 minutes in, Jaimie slipped on a rock and fell into a stream. She was fine, except for a few scratches and a bruise or two, but not very happy about the whole episode. Her shorts, socks, and shoes had gotten completely saturated. She wanted to turn around and wait in the car for us, but we wouldn't hear of it. It didn't take much convincing for her to keep going and honestly, she probably whined less than I would have if I fell in.
Along the way were more sights than I can mention, one of the things that struck me most was the signs of fire. A little research showed that a huge bush fire burned through the area a few years ago closing the trail and damaging some of the safety railings. It took almost a year for the trail to be reopened. Five years later there are still burnt logs and charred seedlings scattered along the path. At one point, you cross underneath a large waterfall. A bit later you need to duck through a small cave. I took a lot more pictures than what I had a chance to post. When I get back home I'll be putting up a gallery with all the ones I think are worthy of other people looking at. The differences between shady and sunny areas made it pretty difficult to get good pictures, hopefully a few come out well.
Not sure on plans tomorrow, maybe caving or spending the day around the local Penrith area.
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