Day Zero - Highland Fling >>loading<<
How is it that I haven’t picked up with this blog since my journey home from Kenya? It’s not that I haven’t been thinking about travel. I have. There have been a few jaunts to Philly and NYC and one to Nashville. But nothing that really rises up to the level of blogging about it, I suppose.
Back in April, my camera shop posted a trip for October to Scotland, with an eye towards doing landscape photography in the Highlands, specifically the Isle of Skye and Glencoe. Now I’ve been to Scotland before and even dipped my toe a bit into the Highlands by visiting Stirling, Oban, and Loch Ness on a jam packed day tour. Any further afield though almost requires a car to access the most scenic parts, and I’m not up for driving on the other side of the road. So this seemed to be a great way to both learn more about landscape photography and get to places I wouldn’t get to on my own. I signed up and now I find myself the day before take off!
I’m going a couple days early to spend some time in Edinburgh, which I love, and to burn off my jet lag. I booked my flights on Virgin and BA, mainly to get the points I need on a Delta codeshare to keep my status next year (already accomplished that but I didn’t know I would back in April). Last week Virgin offered the opportunity to bid on upgrades to upper class on the flight over, so I did and now I’ll be sleeping (hopefully) in a lie flat bed on my way across the pond.
Packing has been a challenge since the weather has the potential to be so cold/rainy/windy/changeable. I have layers and fleece lined rain paints, a lined rain coat and waterproof hiking shoes. I’m not packing sunglasses. I am hoping this means I won’t need any of the rain gear. Maybe? And then there is the tripod I will need, which almost certainly should be packed in a checked bag. I went against all that is holy to me and broke down and packed a bag I will check. There is just TOO.MUCH.STUFF to go carry-on only. I can do it for 2 weeks on safari, but not 2 weeks in Scotland. Ah well.
I’m not terribly uptight or wound up about this trip. It will be strange being with such a large group (10 of us plus two guides in two vans) but it will also be really neat to be learning so much with my camera in a place that I can only imagine is breathtakingly beautiful. I have taken quite a few local photo tours with Don, our guide, and always come away with mind blown from how much I learn.
So I wrap up this work day, throw a few more things in the duffel and I should be ready to go.
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