Today was our second to last full day of vacation. Since we are off to Glasgow tomorrow, we decided to have one more last day in the countryside. We returned to the Trossachs via the resort town of Aberfoyle. Unfortunately, the weather was still gloomy and I was sad to be driving through the famous area of hills and lochs without being able to see much. After looking through a few brochures we drove a short ways to a trail that goes around Loch Ard. We meandered about the Loch and took some pictures, not really in a hurry.
Yes, those are squirrels with light sabers and shooting lightning bolts
You can take the girl out of Alaska but then end up in a grove of Sitka spruce in Scotland!
That's how the saying goes, right?
Afterward, we went back to Aberfoyle and picked up a few snacks at the grocery. As we were returning to our car parked in the tourist info center lot, I noticed what looked to be a large bird flapping about in front of a large store nearby. I suddenly cried out for Hans to get out of the car and dashed over to see a small display of rescued wild birds. There was a Russian eagle, a Scottish hawk, some other kind of hawk or falcon, a horned owl, and a small barn owl. We arrived just as the caretaker was feeding the non-owls dead baby chickens. The eagle devoured its meal bones and all. The owls would be fed in the evening. After watching them for a while, we noticed a large pen where they’d be giving a sheep-dog demonstration. While there weren’t any sheep to herd, the dog guided a small flock of very nervous ducks about the yard, over bridges and through obstacles.
On the return drive to Stirling we took the scenic route through the Duke’s Pass of Queen Elizabeth National Forest. At this point the skies finally cleared a little and we were able to take some pictures of the excellent scenery I had been hoping to see.
Back at the hostel we did a last load of laundry and started to organize our luggage for the eventual departure back to the USA. Our vacation is quickly coming to an end.
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