Scenery, scenery, scenery

We left our fine small B&B in Inverness after breakfast and headed south toward Oban. The first half of the drive was along the west side of Loch Ness (no monsters visible). We stopped briefly at the Loch Ness visitors center, but didn't go through the exhibition (we really aren't that much into mythical sea monsters...). Our next stop was the Caledonian Canals near Fort Augustus. We were fortunate enough to be there when a boat was passing through and were able to watch the locks fill and the gates open. We took a small side trip off our main road into Glencoe and went to the visitors center there. It was oriented to nature, with guided walks and other activities available. There was a lookout point but it wasn't that much more scenic that what we saw from the road. We came into Oban and found our hotel and a parking spot. Dan is taking a tour of the local distillery and I'll meet him in the town when it is over.

Driving along the road there were amazing vistas all the way. Here is just one I caught out of the window.

Loch Ness is very long and the road hugs the side for most of the way. It was quite lovely.

The boat that was going through the locks. It was really interesting to watch the lock fill up and the gates open and close.

Looking toward the upper lock, you can just see a large boat waiting its turn on the far right in this photo. It would be possible for two smaller boats to go at the same time if they were coordinated.

Another view through the windshield. The clouds were amazing. They kept changing and sunlight kept peeking through. You can even see a bit of blue on the far right. The tops of the mountains were shrouded in mist.

This burn, or creek as I would call it, was at the Glencoe visitors centre. A nice bubbling brook.