Up a Huge High Mounting

Merry Christmas everyone - Jack and I will be showing you our Chrimble Day in another post.

Just for the monument you'll just have to catch up with Colorado.  Life - his not mine - got in the way of getting around to this - no priorities I aspose. (Sorry bear, I'll try to keep up honest.) Humph, just see that you do.

Well ANYWAY we reached our lovely bed and breakfast in Colorado Springs late on Thursday and wondered what to do.  We thought about going up Pike's Peak on the Friday or the Saturday, until Alan noticed that Saturday would mean the "Santa Special" whatever that means, but that sounded fine to me.  Somehow the humans thought that a bad idea 'cos it only goes half way up the hill and they wanted to go all the way up. So Santa was ditched and we went on the Friday instead.

Before we went we had to look at the mounting from the end of the street.  It looked high, and even higher when he said that we were already at over 6000ft (1900m) and the top is at 14110ft (4328m).  So I said, "Hey that's a LONG way up, how do we get there? What's this special and the not special."  "Well," he said,"we could walk." Now, I thought, "How long have we got?" and, "My wee legs would be worn to stumps." So I folded my paws, looked him straight in the eye and said, "You have to be joking." He laughed and admitted that he was, and said that the special and not specials were trains.  Phew what a relief, though he says he does want to walk up it sometime.

Here are the trains, they're pretty red carriages, though as we were about to leave our kind conductor, Darrell said that the journey lasted over an hour and there were "NO BATHROOMS" and that somehow caused a stampede among the humans. It was a sedate journey up and good fun with Darrell telling us all about things on the way.

Here I am at the top with Colorado Springs way down below.  This was the first of some COLD, no BLOOMING FREEZING BOT moments. It was -18C or -1F in old money and pretty chilly though very pretty looking.

Here I am just plonked down beside the snow with all the other hills and the Black Forest behind me.  That's funny, I thought that the Black Forest was in Germany, but apparently they've got one in Colorado too.

Nothing would do but he had to get in the picture.  You can see that he was well wrapped up. (You bet. I had a long sleeved merino base-layer, two fleeces and a windproof jacket on and I was still quite chilly.  I don't have your fur I'm afraid.) Well I can tell you I wished I had some of those on, but I did get to snuggle down in his front pocket and that was quite good. Can you see me sitting there beside that big lump. (Excuse me?) Well, you are MUCH bigger than me so you must be a lump.










I think that this is the highest I've ever been without a nairyplane, and I liked the pretty sign with the snow on the top.

Soon we got called back to the train and before we went down I went and met our friend Darrell the conductor. Isn't he a very nice man.

 Here is the view from the train on the way back.  Way in the distance is Kansas and we could see other states from up at the top, but he's forgotten which ones.

At the bottom was Manitou Springs, a lovely wee town and we said we'd be back, but you'll just have to watch out for the next instalment for that.

Hugs,

Jock

HIgh Living - Colorado

Well hello again - it's MEEE! No correspondent, just me. Himself actually remembered me as off we went to Colorado.

First stop was Denver, speaking of which he was humming and singing to himself - it quite put me off - something about Rocky Mountain High. (Sorry bear, I couldn't help it, good old John D.) I survived the experience, snuggled down in the camera bag as is my right. Manchester to London at crack of dawn was followed by a leisurely 9 hours to Denver, where we stayed out in the middle of nowhere near the airport.

We did that strange un-American thing of going for a walk next morning. On the edge of the hotel area there were some fields and so first I sat on a pole and then a much more comfortable wooden fence to have my photies taken.  Can you see the mountains in the second picture? They're the Rockies and we were going to the top of one Rocky a few days later.

Soon we were picked up by a nice lady and man. They were Sue and Andy and they took us everywhere in the car they'd hired.  Andy thought I was funny - not very nice of him, and even funnier when he heard I had a blog - that's even less nice. He thought that Alan was writing a children's book involving me and came up with all sorts of scenarios, so I'm just going to steal a few of them for my blog. So are you going to turn me into a book Alan? (No I don't think so, not yet anyway. I have to finish my photobook on India first.) 

We drove and drove for quite a while until we reached Pueblo. The land round there is very flat and very dry so there wasn't much to see, though on the way we saw the mountings a lot, and they were very high.  We were quite high up all the time 'cos Denver is the Mile High City and Pueblo is even higher.

 Three days later
The next few days were pretty boring really. I sat in our hotel room while he went to meetings and dinners and stuff. Finally the right day dawned and off we set for our adventures.

We were aiming for Colorado Springs, but on the way we went west to a place called Royal Gorge. On the way we spotted a winery - as you do - and nothing would do but we should visit it.  I thought, "Boring!!" but then I met this chap. He looks quite severe, but I liked his santa hat. He told me that Colorado is bear country.  I like that, a whole country owned by bears. I think it's only right. We looked and looked and looked for a real live bear, but all we could see were wooden ones. (They're all hibernating so if we want to see one we'll have to go back again.  I'm up for that if you are.) You betcha, I'm up for it.

So the wine was tasted and a bottle bought for another time, plus some peach and lavender jam for Ann.  She get nice apricot and lavender in France but it's all done so we thought, "Just the thing."

Royal Gorge is a great big deep valley with the Arkansas river running through it. It's very deep indeed and it has a bridge to nowhere going over it.  We walked across the bridge and the space below is 1053ft. That makes it the highest suspension bridge anywhere.  You can see it behind me in the photo above and in this one I'm perching on the fence. Coo, it was a LOOOONNGG way down. Just behind me you can see the river and just beside it is a railway track, though we didn't see any trains.

In the Rockies there are some very old and gnarly trees, and I thought I be like Sebastian and sit in one. The bark is very rough, but I'm a big (?) brave bear and I found it really quite comfortable.

There were some animals in pens for us to see and I really liked this fellow. He's a Bighorn Sheep, he's certainly got big horns.  There were some beefalos there too, but they seemed to be sleeping so they didn't even say' "Hello," so they aren't getting their photos on here.

Next I perched on another fence while we waited for the cable car to come and collect us.  That's it in the background.  It was a long way down behind me, so wasn't I brave?  (Well, it was a few feet that's for sure, but you weren't in danger of falling down the gorge, I made sure of that.) That's what YOU say, but I wasn't so sure and it was a very long way down to the bottom for a small bear. (Aren't you a "Big brave bear"?) Of course I am, just reduced in stature, stupid. (Ah, OK just so long as I know which one of you I'm talking to.)

I was really quite worried about getting into a red box and swinging over a HUGE drop, but I tomembered that I was a brave bear and on I got. Despite the height I sat there nonchalantly whistling and kicking my heels as we went about 2000ft across the gorge.

 He ran about and kanga'd and stuff to get as many photos as he could, but I just sat and enjoyed the view. This is what you see from the cable car. It might be a bit scary for some of you, so if you don't like heights, I suggest you shut you're eyes when you're reading this.

 Oh my that was quite an adventure, though it was quite cold.  When we'd had enough oohing and aahing over the gorge we got back into the snuggly car and went all the way to Colorado Springs.

To-day was just the start of it. In my next two posts I'll tell you about a super high mounting and cliff dwellings and gardens and cakes.

Bye for now,
Jock

From my own correspondent

Hi, have you missed me?  I promised you Portugal and stuff, but instead of me you'll have a report from my own roaming correspondent.

It all happened like this. We were all ready to go, well I was, and he was running around like a mad thing doing 16 hour days and stuff, so when the day came to go off they went and I didn't.  Now Prudence you mustn't be angry.  I was upset it's true, but he was really unhappy when realised I was still at home. He was so tired that picking up a bear slipped his mind.

What to do?  He telepathed that he was sorry and asked me what to do. So I thought and thought and sent him back this message. "It's Children in Need time, so why don't you see if there's a Pudsey on the loose?" "What a brilliant idea," he thought and so he picked up a Pudsey and he became my special correspondent. Here he is:

Hello everyone, my name is Pudsey, and I'd like to say a big thank you to Jock for making me his special correspondent.  Alan donated a nice sum of money to the Children in Need Appeal so that I could come with him along with my friend Blush, who's off travelling with Ann in Helsinki at the moment.

First Day

We stayed in a little village south of Lisbon called Alcacer do Sal and it was really very pretty indeed, all white houses with contrasting colours.

At first the sun was hidden a little by the clouds but then it burst forth and made the whole place seem so cheery.  There were two pretty boats on one side of the river and when we went over there Alan got a nice picture looking up into the village.  Just down from there we looked at the lovely reflections and then we noticed something on top of the church towers.  There were some storks over there and if you have a big magnifying glass you might just see them standing on their huge nests.  They were there on the Saturday, but by Monday they'd all flown away on their holidays in Africa.

 We really liked the village, but one thing we noticed in every town was the washing. All the houses seemed to have frames on them to take washing lines and in lots of places the washing was out and sometimes it nearly dripped on our heads!

After lunch we went to the seaside at a place called Troia. It was a bit boring so we went down to the beach and that was lovely.  I thought about Sebastian on his beach way across the other side of this ocean.  At the high water mark there were lots of seashells, big one, little ones, pink ones, yellow ones, broken shells and complete ones too.  It was all very pretty.  Alan says he thinks the picture below would make a fiendish jigsaw for someone to do.

Day Two

We had a lovely dinner that night in the village and next day we went to a World Heritage place called Evora.

We all liked Evora very much even if it was Sunday and pretty much closed.  The sun shone but there was a cool wind blowing - we think it blew away the storks 'cos it made them shiver.

Evora has Roaming Ruins (Sorry Pudsey they're Roman). Look, I'm a roaming reporter so they're Roaming ruins, do stop arguing. After all who forgot Jock?  It has an aqueduct built way back when and the people have built houses into the arches.  I think they look very pretty and funny at the same time. There were other nice corners too with orange trees and everything!

When we went back to the square before we went home we saw these two interesting contraptions with chimneys on the back. Can you think what they are?  Go on have a guess.

 Have you got it yet?  No? Well you'll just have to wait.

Day Three
The next day it was sunny again, but not so windy so off we went to Setubal a pretty port north of where we were staying.  I got quite excited when I saw this chap.  I thought I'd get all splashed when it went back into the sea, but Alan said he wasn't a real dolphin, no matter how lifelike he looked. He and his friends did look very pretty.

 We walked along the quayside and saw the fishing boats bobbing in the harbour and the fishermen mending their nets too.  I liked the reflection of the boat and also the tiller of one of the older boats.  Alan got a nice close up of this boat's tiller - but he didn't get wet 'cos it was a dry land boat. Well I suppose it wasn't really, just out of the water for the winter.

 This amazing mural is on the front of an old fish warehouse.  It has no roof just this amazing painted wall.  Near there we sat out in the sun for a lovely lunch as we watch people fishing and one man actually catching something - an octopus. Cor, that was exciting.

 Soon we headed back to the hotel in time to buy some pine nuts to take home and for Alan to get a sunset picture or two  - no make that or lots.  Still, it kept him occupied.

Day Four
Next day we said goodbye to Alcacer do Sal and headed into Lisbon for the day.  What a HILLY place and we went up on the hill towards the castle to see what we could see - the sea, well, the sea and lots of houses.

We went up the impossibly steep streets in a tram just like this one. Isn't it a nice yellow colour. Alan says they shouldn't be able to make it up hills like that, but they do and with lots of people crowded in too.  They take eighteen sitting down and FIFTY standing up - just like sardines.

 Sadly, this was our last day and we went back to the hairyport to catch our nairyplane back home. Well back to London.  Ann went home to Blackpool next morning while Alan went to Amsterdam.  He go pictures there, but he did manage a few in London.

We were walking from Victoria to Trafalgar Square and, as we walked past Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives, there was a kerfuffle and when we looked around there was a troop of Royal Horse Artillery coming back from firing their gun in Hyde Park.  No, they weren't trying to hurt anyone, just making BANG noises to celebrate Prince Charles's birthday.

When we reached Trafalgar Square there was someone else on horseback and I think that he was having lots of fun.  This is called the fourth plinth statue. Every few months the art work on this plinth is changed.  They've had ships in bottles, real live people standing there for a bit, a statue of a pregnant lady who'd been born after her mum had taken Thalidomide, and other fascinating things.

Well that's my report.  We  hope that next time it will be Jock who's doing the reporting.

Pudsey

 Have you guessed what was in those contraptions yet?  They are selling hot chestnuts.  They roast them on plates under those chimbleys and add sugary stuff to them.  Very tasty but quite sticky.  Jock would have loved them - lots of sticky goo to get into his paws for later.

 P.S.  A big thank you from me Jock to Pudsey.  Children in Need raised £26million for needy children in the UK and other countries so well done him for helping with that.

Till next time,

Jock

A Daring Rescue

Hi all, two posts in two weeks - wonders will never cease! (Watch it!)

This week we were off to Germany.  He doesn't work on Fridays, so what were we doing working in Munich on Friday? (You may well ask bear. Sometimes I just do - Sigh).

Anyway we flew out on Thursday and I was safely tucked into his bag with my book to read. All very nice and not at all forgetful, otherwise he'd have never heard the end of it.  He ought to understand that our heads may be full of fluff, but we have LONG memories.  (I do understand, and I try not to forget you, but sometimes it happens that way. On with the story, 'cos it's quite 'citing).

Well, anyway, I got out in his hotel bedroom and had a good read and next morning we set off for a business meeting with our friend Herbert.  He says it was a good meeting, but I just had a read and a zizz. (Luckily no-one else noticed the snoring from my briefcase!) What, me? Snore? I don't do that. Anyway, who wants to listen in to a scabby old business meeting?

There was a slight hope of another meeting but it didn't come off, so we had a few hours to ourselves in Munich. So his bag was parked in the station and off we set.

It was cold and grey in Munich, but we made the most of it. One of the first places we saw was a big place that was a prison for bears. Look at the picture and you can see some bears behind the glass - I wanted them to come out to play, but they couldn't 'cos they said they weren't 'dopted whatever that means.  We went inside and saw some other captives, I saw one and said to Alan that I really wanted to help him to excape.  I asked the bear his name and he said "Andi."  I said, "Would you like to come home with us?" Well he got quite tocited about it and jumped up and down. He said, "Ja, wunderbear!"  That's your actual bearish German, you know. Aren't you impressed that I understood it? (Watch it big head.) I don't know what you mean.

The staff said we'd have to think about it and come back later.  "Oh, oh," I thought, that means "We'll see," and we all know what that means don't we. So I waved bye, bye to Andi, who looked quite crestfallen. But I told him I'd be back, and I'd drag my human with me if necessary.

So we walked out, with me craning round to wave goodbye to a tearful Andi,  and went down the street and until we came across this dramatic boar.  I sat down at his feet so you could see just how big he is. Look at his tusks. He looked very fierce, but really he was very friendly and he let me sit right on the end of his nose, but I had to keep away from his sharp tusks.

 After that encounter we went to a brewery for lunch. The food was very tasty and we washed it down with a dark wheat beer. Then we moved on the the famous Marienplatz with the city hall and statues all around.

There was quite a fierce looking cherub slaying a dragon, and all that bronze was a bit cool under my bot.  But the idea of a fierce cherub got me talking to Alan about my plan for the daring rescue.  He said that it would have to wait until we got back up to the shop.  "Shop!" I said, "it's a nasty prison for bears, I see'd it and I know."  He just chuckled, but I wouldn't let him off. He hadn't said, '"Yes," but then he hadn't said "No," so I was getting quite hopeful.

 It was quite a walk back up the road and we saw lots of strange people purtending to be statues, but then they moved so I could tell they weren't really statues after all.

Then he stopped for some fresh dates, something to do with pudding, but fruit isn't pudding. (I know but much better for my waist line than a big bit of cake.) Maybe, but not half so sticky.

Then, hurrah, we entered the place of captivity and stood looking hopeful by a cabinet full of bears including Andi.  Then a gaoler lady came along with a whole set of rattly keys and she opened the door and we managed to get Andi out. He came with a little travelling box and a tissue blankie. We had to queue up and the staff waved a bit of plastic about. I wanted to know what it was for, and Alan said it was to pay Andi's ransom.  I thought we should just run out, but Alan explained that paying the ransom meant that we were 'dopting Andi, so I was happy about that.

When we got outside Andi and I got quite tocited. He dried up his tears and had a long drink of his beer. Then before any nasty people chased us and put him back in gaol, we sat down and had our picture taken with the prison in the background. The staff said I shouldn't worry, but until we were well clear I couldn't relax. 

Soon enough we were at the airport and the plane was late and that made us anxious, then we got to Dusseldorf where the plane to Manchester was late, and that made us even more anxious.  It was very late when we finally made it home, where Andi was introduced to Ann.

Here he is to-day. Aren't his lederhosen very smart, and he has his own stein of Bavarian beer. Isn't he lucky?

I'm really happy to have Andi as a friend 'cos he's even smaller than me, so I have someone that I can boss around at last. (Excuse me bear, did I hear you right?  That's not fair and I won't let it happen.) Well...... but someone has to show him the ropes around here 'cos he's much less experienced than me.  (That's guidance, not bossing around.) Yes, I suppose you're right.  I'll enjoy doing that.

Until next time.

Hugs,

Jock