We awake to the same weather, unfortunately -- very rainy and extremely foggy -- kind of like a winter day at the end of Partrick Road! After breakfast, we consult with the front desk on advice for our activities today. She suggest we could do some walking around at the top (Cliff Trails) and also visit the neighboring city of Leura which has a charming shopping area. Well, I didn't come here to shop, so it is not certain what we'll do. Anyway, the most beautiful viewpoint in the Blue Mountains, called Echo Point, is a short walk from our hotel, so that is what we decide to check out first. We make the short walk there, but there is nothing to see. A gorgeous vista lies behind this fog, so we are led to believe. We consider taking the cliff walks that set out from here, but it turns out that will involve walking through muddy areas, which we are not equipped (shoe-wise) to do, so we decide to consult the nearby tourist information office. The woman there is very helpful and suggests that we drive to the next town to the west called Blackheath. At the tourist office there, we can take a paved ("sealed" as the Austrailians say) walk through a wild area. We decide that sounds like good idea.
At Blackheath, there is a very helpful woman there as well, who tells us about the walk and warns us not to step on any "Red Triangle Snails." She shows us a picture -- they are whitish/yellowish with a red triangle on their backs, hence the name. We promise not to step on any: why would we want to? This is a nice walk with interesting vegetation to look at. We see pretty pinkish red flowers and some small pine-type trees with yellow flowers. We also see several of the snail and do avoid stepping on any. Near the end of the walk is a viewpoint of a rock formation called Pulpit Rock, and we can actually see it! Hooray, the fog is lifting a little. This is our first view of something/anything in the Blue Mountains. We continue on to the end of the trial, which terminates at a spot called Govetts Leap Lookout. "Leap" is the Scottis word for waterfalls, so Govetts Leap Lookout provides and view of a beautiful waterfall that is also known as Bridal Veil Falls. It is impressive, even in the partial fog. A sign directs us to an even closer overlook which it says in 15 minutes away. We decide to take this walk. The rain is not too heavy at this point, but also not completely stopped.
This may be a mistake. As it turns out, 15 minutes does not seem to be an accurate estimate for this walk. Secondly, the "walk" is really just a giant staircase down. Thirdly, there are enormous amounts of standing water on the "trail," which gets our shoes pretty wet. Fortunately, there is little mud. As we are getting close to the end (I can hear the waterfall), Rob really wants to turn back -- his shoes are getting too wet. However, I insist on finishing the walk; a decision that Rob is not happy about, but he relents. At the end, the payoff isn't really worth it. We do see the falls up close, but the fog is thick and the view is just okay. Time to head back. As we climb (all upstairs at this point) back up, we are treated with a view of a heavyset female hiker with her pants pulled down and urinating. No additional comments here needed.
Well, we are pretty wet at this point, so we have no choice but to head back to the hotel to dry off. With this weather what else is there to do anyway? This is very discouraging.
Back at the hotel, we entertain ourselves by playing Words with Friends in the hotel lounge while enjoying some sauvignon blanc.
Sometime around five o'clock, a miracle happens: it begins to clear. We grab out cameras and head back to Echo Point. We can actually see the Blue Mountains, and they are gorgeous! We are at the rim of a large valley (Jamison Valley) looking down at an ocean of green trees with impressive rock formation along the rim. The most famous of these is the Three Sisters. We take lots of pictures (Rob with his camera and me with my phone). What a treat. This is the best photo that I took:
Soon, it is time for dinner. We are eating in our hotel tonight. Nothing fancy, a steak for me and rack of lamb for Rob. Our wine tonight is delicious. It is a Cabernet Franc Merlot from Ross Hill, located in Orange, New South Wales. I would definitely drink this again! Tomorrow should be more good weather (I hope, no guarantees), so we will hopefully get some additional sight seeing in at the Blue Mountains before we head to Sydney.
Our Wine:
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