I submitted the following essay/story to Thoreau's Legacy: American Stories about Global Warming but only an excerpt from it was published as a photo caption for one of Konah's photos that was chosen. The book is a joint effort of the Union of Concerned Scientists and Penguin Classics and is available in its entirety online: http://www.ucsusa.org/americanstories/.

Beyond Reason

I grew up near the Buffalo National River which was declared the United States first National River in 1972. My dad taught me how to swim, canoe, and fish on the stretch of river upstream of Pruitt, Arkansas. We hiked the trails looking for the first dogwood blooms in spring. I never saw an elk in my childhood visits to the park. Elk were common in Arkansas until the first wave of European settlement in the mid 1800’s. Unsuccessful attempts were made to reintroduce them until 1981 when predecessors of today’s herd of 500 were brought in from Colorado and Nebraska. I’ve seen the elk several times now, but watching clouds of their breath condense in the cold air of a snowy day at Steel Creek last year was particularly magical.

The Old Timers in Arkansas, say the weather these days sure is weird. It doesn’t snow as much as it used to. The seasons don’t change when they’re supposed to. My grandmother talks about changes in moss on certain sides of trees, colors of caterpillars, behaviors of squirrels, and the shapes of persimmon pits. Whether she believes in “global warming” is another issue. A lot of folks still don’t believe that humans have any influence on the earth’s climate.

In ten years of training becoming a scientist, none of my courses covered how to change people’s beliefs. Scientists are trained in data, results, and reason, certainly not in persuasion. Although beliefs aren’t based in reason, they continue to serve as the knowledge base for social action. We’ve gained a universe of scientific knowledge and technology since the pope allowed printed material on heliocentrism in 1822 but we’re still in the Dark Ages in making connections among the scientific, public, and political communities.

In 1962, a small group of citizens organized to keep the Buffalo River undammed. They believed in the intrinsic value of wilderness and that it could generate revenue back when dams were fashionable and the outdoor industry was in its infancy. They had their eyes on the future. Like the founders of the Ozark Society, I believe we can make a difference in our environment and that it can be profitable. I believe that by carpooling, taking cloth bags to the grocery, using better light bulbs, recycling, and eating low on the food chain I can reduce global carbon emissions and save money. Of course these beliefs are not based in fact or knowledge; there’s simply not enough data to draw any definitive conclusions. I don’t know how big a difference we can make or how long the climate might take to respond to our changes in behavior. I do all of those little things in the hopes that decades from now I can go to Steel Creek on a cold winter day, hear the elks’ hooves crunch in the snow, and delight in romantic dreams of wilderness and great-grandchildren.

Touring southern England & Wales

My parents came for a 2 week visit and we toured around southern England and Wales. I'll leave out the bits about London except to mention that the fruits of imperialism are vast! Upon leaving London, we stopped in Chawton to see Jane Austen's House Museum and stopped at Winchester Cathedral for a tour before heading on to Amesbury. Winchester Cathedral is a veritable exhibit of architecture. The structure is a time capsule, a home there several famous dead as well as a hand illustrated 12th century bible. From Amesbury we visited Stonehenge. In order to visit the inner circle of stones at Stonehenge, it is necessary to book a viewing time outside of the regular visitor hours. The process is straightforward and seeing the stones up close at sunrise is well worth getting up early and the few extra quid. Avesbury is another stone circle site that pre-dates Stonehenge by about 500 years. It is 30 minutes drive north of Stonehenge and has a small museum and displays dedicated to the archaeology of the site which includes the West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill in addition to the stone circle around the village.
On the way back to Aberystwyth, we stopped in Bath. The town is lovely with the Royal Cresent and the Circus. The shopping and food choices are high quality and varied. Because it is a spa town and has great shopping, I'd love to go back when I can spend a little more time and money!

It was nice to relax in Aberystwyth after 7 days of driving around England. The second week we took day trips in Wales. We spent one day fly fishing in the Cambrian Mountains. It was my first time and I gained an awe of the sport, though I won't be buying all the kit anytime soon! There are several guides and places to fish in Wales and the reputation for fly fishing is great. Our guide turned up on a motorbike with all of his gear (and ours) packed on it. He led us out on some logging roads outside of Ponterwyd. The best part was finding new places to explore outside of Aberystwyth.
Our other day journeys included trips to Devil's Bridge, Strata Florida Abbey, Aberaeron, and a quick jaunt to Machynllyth on market day. Konah and I put a few extra miles on the rental car on the way back from Manchester Airport after sending Mom and Dad back over the Atlantic and went to Conwy Castle. It is a fantastic site and the drive back to Aberystwyth through Snowdonia made me want to extend the trip even longer. We stopped off at Tal-y-llyn Lake and enjoyed the sun setting behind Cadair Idris from Castell y Bere to end our journey.

Unusually Pleasant Days in Wales

We've been having some unusually sunny days in Aberystwyth. These are the few days when the photographers for the Welsh Tourism Board grab their tripods and shoot as much as possible for promotional publications. I was beginning to believe that the scenes advertised in the glossy covers of Welsh holiday brochures only existed in the digitized dreams of Photoshop experts, but have been proven wrong. The near 60 degree (F) temps are enough to get the Welsh & Brits to shed their coats and bare pale pink skin to the sea and sky. Even the Royal Regiment of Wales's goat has been out on parade.

Malham Cove

On our trip back from Glasgow, we stopped off in Malham in the Yorkshire Dales. The weather was threatening snow and when we discovered the tiny roads that lead to Malham, we thought we might be spending longer than just the night. The little roads lined with stone walls and the glacially formed landscape are scenes from times past. Malham is a small village with many trails that lead into the countryside and is on the Pennine Way. We stayed at the River House Hotel run by a really friendly couple and ate at the Lister Arms which has the best food I've had in a pub yet and a good selection of beers. We went out walking from the village the next day but the wind beat us. After a walk to the limestone pavement formed by a glacial outburst flood from a lake upstream at the end of the last glacial maximum. We also went to see the Gordale Scar which is a small limestone canyon containing 2 waterfalls. I wish the weather had been more cooperative, but we had fun anyway. One thing about walking in Great Britain: there is usually a pub with a fire going at the end of the trail. It snowed overnight when we got back to Aberystwyth and the light dusting closed down the country for 3 days. We were glad to be back even though our boiler at the Dairy Cottage failed us again.

What's for Breakfast

I should begin this post with a few notes about my own breakfast preferences. My usual morning fare is coffee and plain quick oatmeal cooked, or yogurt and some kind of bran cereal, and berries or bananas. When I’m in a hurry, I fold a slice of wheat bread around spoonful of peanut butter and a banana. On the weekends, I make migas, omelets, quiches, breakfast burritos, etc. I love eggs and don’t restrict them to morning meals. I never skip breakfast, especially the coffee.

Traditional “cooked breakfast” is hugely popular in Britain, and they’ve exported it to most of the colonies. In most cases, you will be offered tea and coffee, a variety of cold cereals, yogurt, and fruit and then the cooked breakfast: eggs, bacon (more like US ham, nice and thick, but not smoked), British sausages (under-spiced pork link sausages), sautéed small button mushrooms, half a tomato set on a griddle until it is soggy, bland baked beans straight from the starch laden can, and brown or white toast slathered in margarine. In northern England and Scotland you can expect blood sausage to show up as well. Often you can opt for porridge. While many accommodations boast breakfast awards, I’ve found little variation in content and quality in my travel in the UK, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. This breakfast is available at B & B’s throughout the UK for an additional cost charged to your room of about £7-10. If it is a larger hotel, you might also find yogurt, cold cereal, and fruit. Breakfast is like most food in Britain, bland. It’s as if the predisposition to apathy has taken over the taste buds.

In a recent trip back home to the States, I found quite different fare. I stayed in a Courtyard by Marriot, in a relatively small town, at a cost of about $90 per night. A buffet breakfast was an optional charge of $8. A buffet is when food is all laid out and you take just whatever portion suits you. In this breakfast were scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage (slices of ground spiced meat—not links), bacon (streaky bacon to the Brits), American biscuits and gravy (American biscuits are essentially the same as English buttermilk scones. Brit's "biscuits" are America’s "cookies"), pancakes, waffles you can make on the spot, fruit, yogurt, cold cereal, oatmeal (porridge to the Brits), toast, bagels, and so on. A lot of options, and potentially a lot of waste: it’s the American way. In these situations, I usually have breakfast and pack a bagel with cream cheese and a few pieces of fruit so I don’t have to buy lunch. If you are staying at a lesser hotel the way I usually do, they will serve “free continental breakfast.” This is usually instant coffee (Nescafe to some of you) along with packaged pastries and Tang (instant orange juice). If you are lucky, you might get a banana and toast.

A real continental breakfast, meaning in continental Europe, is different. I’ve travelled only in Germany, Austria, Italy, and France, so these observations are limited. Nonetheless, breakfast in all of those places is generally the same. There are espresso types of coffee, tea, and a selection of juices. Cold cereal, yogurt, fruit, toast, a selection of cold cuts and cheeses, boiled eggs, and a selection of pastries—of course croissants!

In Chile, there is only instant coffee—Nescafe. In a grocery store, I saw coffee from Haiti, but decided to pass. I’ve only travelled north of Santiago, mostly in the Atacama. Breakfast there was usually something like thin cold cut slices of chopped and formed ham, bland white cheese, toast and jam. The best bet is to head to the open market and buy avocados, fresh goat cheese, and bread (photo below). I’ll have to do some more legwork in South America to find out if this is consistent with other locales.

My favorite breakfast is the rooster bullet at the Gilbert General Store after a long weekend of canoeing and camping on the Buffalo River in Arkansas. The best homemade buttermilk biscuits split open and topped with breakfast sausage or bacon, eggs over easy, and then smothered in sausage gravy. Followed by coffee and a spell in a rocking chair on the porch, it can't be beat.

Glasgow

In Glasgow, Konah and I stayed near the Kelvingrove Park in the West End. It is a nice area near Glasgow University with lots of restaurants and cafes. We stayed at The Kelvingrove located just around the corner from the Kelvingrove Museum. They offer ensuite rooms and standard British cooked breakfast for about 70 GBP. The location is ideal for visiting the museums and university, and downtown shopping is a short 20 minute walk away. After some research online, we decided to go to Two Fat Ladies at 88 Dumbarton. Two Fats (named for the Bingo call, not the cooking show) has several locations in Glasgow. The Dumbarton dining room is small and cozy and the food is fantastic. We had a few of their fish specialties. The scallops with pancetta and in a buttery cream sauce were fantastic! The highlight of our short Glasgow trip was a tour of the Glasgow School of Art designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Reservations for the tour are recommended, especially on the weekends, and are easily arranged with a phone call or email to the school. We finished off our Mackintosh tour of Glasgow with a trip to the Willow Tea Room for lunch before heading back south.

Hadrian's Wall

Because I had a meeting at Glasgow University, Konah and I took the opportunity to see a little more of the UK. We rented a small fuel efficient Nissan Micra from Europcar for about 100 quid and drove through western and northwestern Wales to Chester, then on the M6 north toward Glasgow. The roads in Wales are small, curvy, and lined with hedgerows. The motorway skirts the Wales-England border, only entering the country around Cardiff, increasing the relative isolation of the country from the rest of the UK.

We stopped at Hadrian’s Wall on the way to Glasgow. Hadrian’s Wall, begun in AD 122 was one of three walls used by the Romans to guard against the Scottish tribes and to establish the northern frontier of the Roman Empire in Great Britain. The wall extends 80 miles from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne to Carlisle and is followed by the Hadrian’s Wall Path. Much of the wall still exists and ruins of the milecastles, forts, and other sites are preserved. We visited the west end of the wall near Gilsland. With the short winter days, we turned off the main road onto the B619 a bit late. It was getting dark as we got to Housesteads Fort. We drove back to Gilsland, but our room wouldn’t be ready until after 6:00, so we set out in search for a pub. We walked into the Bridge Inn, but they wouldn’t be open until 7:00. We were informed that the only place to get a pint before 6:00 was the Gilsland Spa Hotel. The place was completely empty, but the bartender was friendly and wanted to ask us questions about the States and our new president and the state of the economy. We heard almost polka-esque music coming from another room and were informed that the residents were having their dance time before dinner. We were a bit skeptical, but the food was as tolerable as any other pub food. After dinner and a pint we went to Tantallon House B&B, owned and operated by Ann and Alex Roe. They acquired the house two years ago and are still going through a series of upgrades, but should be finished before spring. We were the rare winter visitor; most people visit the area in summer and on holiday. Tantallon is also home to Hoot the Owl who came with the house. We learned from Alex that in Britain, B&B’s can only host 6 people at a time, if more, it is classified as a guest house or hotel/inn. Hotels are a bit more formal and there is less interaction among guests while guest houses often have some common areas. We had a great night’s sleep in a an ensuite room (has private bathroom) with fantastic new comfy beds. The sunrise was spectacular and we ate breakfast with a view overlooking the wall. We walked around the wall in the village and visited Poltross Burn Milecastle, which is accessible from a parking lot near the school, before heading on to Glasgow.