Second day walking in The Cotswolds, from Stanton to Winchcombe

We walk out of Stanton into countryside... Exactly what you imagine English countryside to look like.. Rolling English meadows, lush green moss, wild flowers popping everywhere, black-faced sheep, dappled cows and large Hooved  Shire horses...yay! Sunshine again!  Crisp air, though...

...and we meet Bertie, the English Setter and his owner.  He looks like an English Alfie :)

Grassy meadows and golden field flowers, stiles between fields..

Rob is wary about where to walk...around or between?

A sign at the stile says "bull in field" ...( bull was grazing or not elsewhere😉. Two men walkers in front of us very nervous)

It turned out Bull was very young...but the men took no chances..

Looking back, glorious views...

Forget me nots growing everywhere 

Another stile, but over...

And  over again...

We stop often to look around and back.. The countryside is a feast for the senses, birdsong accompanies the country beauty...

Sheep preferring a change of diet..barley or wheat?  Not sure what it is.. Either one.?

Walking down the road to Hailies farm to have tea and a bite..another toasted sandwich ...

Onward towards Winchcombe, our way paved by the ubiquitous lace flower...

Country lane.. Around every corner a surprise ..

And our surprise.. first glimpse of Winchcombe 

Closer still.. Always a good feeling getting to our destination... 

My reward for the long walk ( both Rob and I taking pain killers- me for the ligament I tore again walking in the snow in Alaska, and Rob for his stress fracture in his foot)... Afternoon tea at Lady Jane's tearoom... Then to our bnb ...

Our first day walking The Cotswolds Way, smiling lungs in the countryside

We flew into London  yesterday, catch a bus, then a train, then another bus, and 5 hours later get to The Noel Arms in Chipping Camden, the start of our 160 km walk to Bath.  It's a pretty market town , but we are too jet lagged to sightsee, and crash early - ready to start our walk.  It s exciting to see the start of the trail sign posted...and even more exciting to see clear sunny sky and a crisp breeze to cool us as we walk ..

 The Noel Arms Hotel, our first sleep in the Cotswolds, Chipping Campden, is part of rows of honey colored stone buildings.

Our path as we walk out of the town runs  alongside the road, but so pretty - lined with lace flowers growing wild.  I can't even grow them at all in SA! 

There are roughly 4000 miles of dry walling in The Cotswolds.  Looking back over the farmlands.

The first stone stile, clear marking of The Trail- fab photo taken by Rob

We walk along paths through farms.. With Iace flowers paving our way

Great sign posting...

Fields of golden rape seed...

Over farmland towards Broadway Folly,  built by an Earl for his wife, as her folly!

This little one was so close I could have touched him...i love their black faces...and patchy feet

Walking to the ?Folly

Enchanting forest..

Broadway, where we have the worlds most expensive toasted cheese sandwiches ( R280 each sandwich) such a pretty little village.

Leaving  Broadway

Down through farm lands to Stanton, the jewel of the Cotswolds

Shenberrow Hill where we spend the night...

And I soak for ages in a deep foamy bath with a cup of tea...

Ketchikan, our last port of call in Alaska

We arrive in Ketchikan, named after the creek ( river) and famous for its Boardwalk and "red light district"  where both men and salmon swam upstream to spawn!  - Off the boardwalk, there is Married Man's Trail used by the men to make a quick getaway from the brothels to avoid a hefty fine! 

Charming little shops and delicious Salmon store... Ketchikan renowned for its wild salmon which spawn here.  We have fish (salmon) and chips for lunch...

We walk along the boardwalk - and now I know what a board walk is... Remember the song, "Under the board walk"?  Skiffs would come in at high tide and pass prohibition liquor under the pilings through trap doors to the sporting girls...

And come to Dolly's house... The original "red light district."  She worked by herself, and wouldn't close her business before earning close to 100$ a day, while most men were earning 5-10$... She charged 3$ a "trick" but most of her money was  made selling prohibition liquor at 50c a teaspoon..

A plaque to Dolly, one of the Creek's longest  "working" residents...

The house is filled with pictures of her.. She never married,  but had the same boyfriend for 26 years... I won't say where he was in the line...

The men's urinal....( no longer in use)

We join a group for a walk in the Tongass forest, beautiful...

Bald eagles, famous in this area.  

And then visit The Saxman Indian village, which has the worlds largest collection of totem poles.

Fascinating to hear a little of their history and beliefs ...the longer the open space is the more significant/ important the event or item.

Helicopter ride from Juneau,Alaska, to see the glaciers

I am quite excited about the helicopter ride we are about to take,  we fly from a helicopter pad just outside Juneau, the capital city of Alaska.  I haven't been in a helicopter before. Rob has.  It's a clear day, great for flying.  The ride is FANTASTIC!  Seeing the glaciers from the air is hard to describe.

It's a small helicopter, takes the pilot, another in the front, and three behind. 

We all wear headphones, so we can speak to each other.

Robs "co-pilot" with the best view.  It's really scary lifting off,  but I soon get used to it, and LOVE the views.

So exciting to fly close to the mountain capped peaks.

It's different to see the mountains and snow looking down at them..

The first glacier we fly over is Taku, (named by the Tlingit people, the indigenous people of Alaska) it's gathered up dirt as it moves, so looks quite dirty.. Taku is the deepest and thickest known glacier in the world..... It's roughly 1,500 Meters deep and 60 kilometers long. We are surprised by how ridged the snow is, and also how the side of the cliffs get scoured by the movement and pressure of the ice.

We fly to the edge of the glacier, the thickness of the ice is astonishing.

A chunk of ice had broken off the Glacier ( ice calving) showing the blue ice caused by the ice being compacted. The "calf" is about three storeys high, gives an idea of the enormous amount of ice.

We plan to explore Juneau later... More pics tomorrow.