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We woke this morning and drove out to the Mt. Tomah Botanical Gardens. They are the cool-weather plant annex to the Sydney Royal Botanical Garden around Sydney Harbour (which I have yet to experience). I was especially keen to see the Gondwana walk. There are a lot of plants still alive today that are direct descendants of the plants found in the fossil records of 80-65 million years ago...and they look almost exactly alike. It was a really neat experience to walk through a Cretaceous-like patch of flora. The paleo-geek in my was supremely satisfied.
Oh, and the other cool antideluvian thing I was was in the cave yesterday. There was a fossil impression of a Nautiloid from the Silurian period plainly visible. That was exciting. Hey. We all have our little idiosyncrasies. Mine is for extremely old stuff, and, since none of us are growing any younger, I should think some people would be glad to have me. *wry grin*
We also learned that there is one native pine tree to Au called the Wollemi Pine. It's a living fossil dating back to the Mesozoic Era and remains unchanged from its fossilized predecessors. They only discovered a living specimen five years ago and now they are offering saplings for sale to the public. If I owned property here, there would be a small grove of Wollemi Pines and cycads.
We stopped for tea and a snack at a teahouse in Hartley, then proceeded to Govetts Leap Lookout. We parked and began to walk a trail that took us down to the stream that feeds Horseshoe Falls. We hopped across the stream and began climbing up to Pulpit Rock Lookout. We reached this in under an hour (including photo ops). We traveled back making the whole return trip in about 70 minutes or so. The two signs must have been printed incorrectly, because they both read 1.5 hours one way and to allow return time. This confused me. One sign said we traveled 5km (return trip) and the other, 6km. I'm not sure which one is correct but that's between 2.27 and 2.72 miles.
At any rate, it was great. I feel really healthy up here in the mountains. My energy is up, I'm happier... much better than in the city. I wonder how much of my low energy problem is pollution and other city crap. Note, that isn't a question. It's a statement. Not to mention, lack of exercise in the city. I hate stairmasters. They do nothing for me. I'm bored to tears before 10 minutes elapses. To force myself to do 15 minutes is drudgery beyond compare. It's so unnatural to me. But put me in a mountainous setting, give me a map and a scenic destination, and I'm thrilled. I know it must all be psychological, but it's a battle. Even walking the same path at Mt. Pisgah day after day manages to excite me.
Biological Note: The native fly here is a little black fly. It is an incredibly persistent pest that insists on being right in the face. They especially like sweat. Having said that, we were sweaty and covered in flies by the time we returned to the car. *shakes head in amusement, if not irritation*
We headed back to our B&B for a shower and change of clothes, then had supper at a Thai restaurant.
An exciting occurrence after we returned for bed was the presence of a marsupial opossum in the tree outside our bathroom. What a cute face! It was gray with a face similar to a Siamese cat, only pulled out a bit longer and big, rounded ears. It had a bushy tail that curled in a delightful swoosh.
Oh, and the other cool antideluvian thing I was was in the cave yesterday. There was a fossil impression of a Nautiloid from the Silurian period plainly visible. That was exciting. Hey. We all have our little idiosyncrasies. Mine is for extremely old stuff, and, since none of us are growing any younger, I should think some people would be glad to have me. *wry grin*
We also learned that there is one native pine tree to Au called the Wollemi Pine. It's a living fossil dating back to the Mesozoic Era and remains unchanged from its fossilized predecessors. They only discovered a living specimen five years ago and now they are offering saplings for sale to the public. If I owned property here, there would be a small grove of Wollemi Pines and cycads.
We stopped for tea and a snack at a teahouse in Hartley, then proceeded to Govetts Leap Lookout. We parked and began to walk a trail that took us down to the stream that feeds Horseshoe Falls. We hopped across the stream and began climbing up to Pulpit Rock Lookout. We reached this in under an hour (including photo ops). We traveled back making the whole return trip in about 70 minutes or so. The two signs must have been printed incorrectly, because they both read 1.5 hours one way and to allow return time. This confused me. One sign said we traveled 5km (return trip) and the other, 6km. I'm not sure which one is correct but that's between 2.27 and 2.72 miles.
At any rate, it was great. I feel really healthy up here in the mountains. My energy is up, I'm happier... much better than in the city. I wonder how much of my low energy problem is pollution and other city crap. Note, that isn't a question. It's a statement. Not to mention, lack of exercise in the city. I hate stairmasters. They do nothing for me. I'm bored to tears before 10 minutes elapses. To force myself to do 15 minutes is drudgery beyond compare. It's so unnatural to me. But put me in a mountainous setting, give me a map and a scenic destination, and I'm thrilled. I know it must all be psychological, but it's a battle. Even walking the same path at Mt. Pisgah day after day manages to excite me.
Biological Note: The native fly here is a little black fly. It is an incredibly persistent pest that insists on being right in the face. They especially like sweat. Having said that, we were sweaty and covered in flies by the time we returned to the car. *shakes head in amusement, if not irritation*
We headed back to our B&B for a shower and change of clothes, then had supper at a Thai restaurant.
An exciting occurrence after we returned for bed was the presence of a marsupial opossum in the tree outside our bathroom. What a cute face! It was gray with a face similar to a Siamese cat, only pulled out a bit longer and big, rounded ears. It had a bushy tail that curled in a delightful swoosh.