Scotland Trip Report--Day 12--Inverness

I had breakfast alone with my newspaper--at least it was better company than yesterday! I saw how they cooked the fried eggs, and doubt I will have another one. They basically deep fry them! There were about 6 or 7 eggs sitting in a pan of oil, just bubbling away! The guy took them out, blotted them with a napkin, and served them. Hmmmmm…
I think I must be traveling with a bunch of Republicans. My seat today was all the way at the back of the bus, and some of the guys were making jokes about feeling like Rosa Parks. One said, “If Obama has his way, we’ll be on a skateboard tied to the back of the bus!”
Our first stop, much to my surprise, was the budding metropolis of Achnasheen! Last year I said the population was 35 if you included the sheep. Karen told us the actual population is 28! We were the first of 3 motor coaches to arrive, more than quadrupling the population of the town! I took a picture of the same railroad station sign I photographed last year. I noticed that the town phone box is still there next to one of the few houses.
From there we drove through the moors. Karen told us how to clear sheep off the road if they are blocking the way--roll down the windows and call out “Mint Sauce!!” We again made several photo stops, the first being up overlooking Lake Maree. There was a ladder you could use to climb over the fence there. We finally saw some blooming heather! Along the way we got a lesson in sheep farming. Sounds way too complicated. Next we stopped in Gairloch, which has a beautiful beach, and a view of the Isle of Skye. It was warm and sunny, and I was glad I was wearing a short sleeved shirt.
Our next stop was the village of Poolewe, where we had lunch at the local hotel. The food was outstanding. I had tomato & basil soup, Prawn Rose Marie sandwich (which was basically like shrimp salad, but the sauce was different from mayonnaise.), and Hot Chocolate Fudge cake, which was absolutely sinful.
Fortunately, we went from there to Inverewe Gardens, where we walked around and did some hill climbing. The gardens were beautiful, with all sorts of exotic plants from all over the world. There was a Walled Garden with wonderful flowers, and a really cool Turkey Maple tree, which was grafted from another tree and brought there to the garden. It is now enormous. In 2005 they were hit by a hurricane with 120 mph winds, which tore down 5 of their biggest trees and caused a lot of damage. They are slowly replanting, and some of the new trees are really nice.
We drove along past Loch Ewe. There is an island in the middle of it, called (what else?) Isle of Ewe. (say that really fast…) We stopped at the “secret” NATO base--there is actually a sign in front of it that says NATO Loch Ewe, No Entry. Not so secret. We also saw the spot where nuclear subs come in off the sea, which is a place that was important for the defense of northern Scotland during WWII. We also passed some salmon farms, and stopped to take photos above Loch Bloom. We were listening to a CD of Scottish folk music, which sounded very much like the stuff Mom and Dad used to play when I was growing up! I was getting a bit queasy in the back of the bus, so I tried napping a bit but without much success. I was quite relieved to get back to the hotel and relax for awhile.
I headed down for dinner at 6:30 and got a table for one, having not made plans with anyone for tonite.  Just me and my Kindle. I was feeling a bit lonely, everyone else seemed to be having such a good time. At the table next to me were Alice Ann & Dick, Pete & Peg, and Brad & Linda. Alice Ann saw me alone and said “come over and join us, don’t sit alone!” Dick helped me move my little table over with theirs. I felt so good! We had lively conversation, and the company was great. I had tomato and farmer cheese salad, which was good, filet of beef with Bernaise sauce, and Sticky Toffee Pudding. I couldn’t finish everything, it was just too much.
After dinner we had a presentation on tartans and kilts. It was not only interesting, but quite funny. The woman presenting it was great fun. She got Jess to dress up in the whole outfit, plaid, sporran, weaponry, etc. He was such a good sport! We all got some great photos, and I told him he’d be up on Facebook by next week! Back in my room, I packed everything up to leave tomorrow.