 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Ah! Here we are, at Arch Rock! No, you don't need to watch your step as there's this big fence in the way for clumsy acrophobic idiots like me, but would you look at that view! There's the road way down on the beach, where you can ride your bike all the way around the Island, a distance of just over eight miles. (We did that once, on foot...but bicycle...*ugh*...never do that again.)
And, wouldn't you know it, there's even an Indian legend behind this baby! Yep, there is! According to legend, an Indian father, angered that his daughter had fallen in love with a sky spirit (y'know how it goes), took her up to the top of the rock and tied her there, leaving her behind. She cried and cried and her tears melted the rock below, so that it formed an arch. And lo and behold, who should swoop down and rescue her but that same spirit, who whisked her away to live in the sky with him.
*Sniff-sniff.* Sorry--stories like that bring out the worst in me--I'm just a hopeless romantic, aren't I. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Here is the absolutely stunning view from Arch Rock. You should see my pics of the view from last year, when it was sunny, as they are absolutely stunninger. You simply can't see the color the sun brings out in the lake in this picture, what with those stupid clouds. *Grumble grumble...*
((Shove)) DON'T FALL!! Heh heh, made ya jump. Jeez, don't have a conniption, I was only kidding. ;P |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Look, somebody left a message for us down on the beach! Aww, how sweet. :*) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
*Gasp--huff--pant--* After walking down a series of INCREDIBLY steep and INCREDIBLY treacherous steps (what can I say?--one stupid handrailing on the left side is DAMN treacherous when you're right handed and acrophobic, dammit!!), here we have arrived at the beach, where we can look up and through Arch Rock from below. Ooo, isn't it pretty. Okay, now we've got to go BACK UP those steps. Don't give me that look, you're the one who wanted to come along on this stupid tour. And no, I'm not carrying your backpack. You NEED the exercise.
Uh, I mean that as a compliment. Of course. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Oooo, ahooooo, it's Skull Cave, oooooo!! Creeeeeepy!! Okay...so it's not that creepy...but, with a name like Skull Cave, SHOULDN'T it be?? According to one legend, Ke-nu, Thunderbird, created the peace pipe here in order to cease the constant quarrelling going on in his tribe. There's another story, about how it got its name, but I'll get to that in a minute. Hey, let's take a closer look! Follow me! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Here ya go! EXTREEEEEME CLOSEUP!! As you can see, Skull Cave...uh...isn't really much of a cave. It may have gone back further sometime in the past, but you can see it doesn't go much of anywhere now. And also...there are no skulls. Well, before you go screaming ripoff, what did you expect?? You REALLY thought there'd still be skulls in this thing? Oh-ho, I laugh at you! You fudgie. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Told ya there was a meaning behind that name. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
We have finally arrived at the "end of the road"--*cough*--that is, the Protestant and Catholic cemeteries. You know, as much as I want to say something witty, I can't think of anything! I mean, look! It's a cemetery! It's just NOT FUNNY!! So go ahead, take a look around at the nice tombstones, I'll be saving any witty stuff for later. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
You break it, you bought it.
*Ugh,* THAT one was horrible. Told you I'd have to save the wit for later. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
One of the gates to the cemetery. (The other one was being restored.) I should point out that most of these graves are from the 1800's...so that's why they're in pretty poor shape. This one in the foreground here seems to have been repaired at some time in the past; others that have been broken and repaired have fallen apart again, and can't really be restored.
It seems that a good number of the graves are of babies or young children. |
|
|
|
CONTINUE THE TOUR... ---> |
|