Saturday, August 06, 2005

Off We Go, Into the Wild Blue Yonder!




















Awoke this morning for an early departure to the Blue Mountains, about an hour drive due East. Upon recco from my advisor, we headed towards Wentworth Falls. It was about a 5-mile hike altogether, lasting about three hours. We stopped quite a bit for photos, as the elevation changes and the surroundings were dramatic.

On the scale of the Grand Canyon (though not the depth), with the lushness of the Waimea Canyon, but integrate overhanging limestone cliffs. Wasn't hard to take great pics.

We parked by the Conservation Hut, which doubles as a trendy cafe and trailhead. On precarious metal stairs, we descended several hundred feet down into the Valley of the Waters, a lush Eukkies forest. The name Blue Mountains comes from the color of the haze that oils of the acres upon acres of Eukkie (Eucalyptus) Gums give off. After going along the cliff bottom, we came to the falls and climbed a stone staircase back up to the top, earning our lunch in true. There was an impressive 40,000 year-old (give or take a month or two) indigineous cave painting which we were able to go see as well.

We saved the Three Sisters for another day, as Katoomba was packed. The town next door, Larne, was just as charming and had none of the tour buses. Peggy had a freshly backed chicken pie and I, the B.L.T., both were fantastic.





















I'm captively watching day three of The Ashes test (despite our previous post, which ridiculed cricket), finding it a good temporary subsitute for baseball. Still, any sport in which the umpire holds the player's hat and V-neck sweater whilst he's bowling, that act alone just lacks something in the machismo department. Don't even get me started about the two mandatory tea and cucumber sandwich breaks that are imposed to break up play each day. Cucumber sandwiches? Another Cricky caveat - the star Aussie player injured his ankle in pre-match warm ups, playing rugby with his teammates. Any sport in which the team warms up playing an entirely different sport has something fundamentally lacking. Enough Cricky talk.

Going to be trying out for a suburb baseball team in a few weeks, apparently comprised of Venezuelan Sydneysiders. Never mind the baseball - just take me to the Horchata!

Whilst I am rambling (Aussies just knocked another wicket - 75 and 6 - contain your enthusiasm), something is very wrong when you can count 275 Yankees baseball hats to 1 Giants and 1 A's hat. I mean, does the U.S. hand these things out as tourists are leaving La Guardia? I feel like going up to one of these people and saying, 'You know that the Yankees aren't that good anymore, right? You do know your bullpen is shot and there are few Minor league prospects you can call up, right? Then why are you wearing that God forsaken hat???'. Blank looks will inevitably result. I miss baseball soooo much.

posted by ncawthon at 9:12 PM