It's time for Loch NESS, Ness, ness...Finally! That was my reaction when we got to Loch Ness. The trip there was great, but it had clearly been building toward this. We parked the bus and walked down to the water, which was just beautiful. I guess I expected a giant lake, but the boat was docked in a narrow inlet, with the banks rising on each side and a nice bridge where we could look out over the water. The boat was really crowded and the line was long. So close to pulling out of the dock, and with so many people waiting to board, I was half convinced we wouldn't make it on board until the next tour, but we all managed to squeeze onto the ship with a few minutes to spare.

I don't get to spend much time on boats, so I always forget how much I enjoy it. But it was like any tension I had just melted away when I stepped off the dock. I just got more and more mellow over the course of the trip. I sat in the back instead of in the more crowded interior of the boat, so I was able to see in all directions and feel the wind in my hair. My camera got quite a workout, what with the open water, sailboat gliding by, and the majestic mountains on either side. It was the perfect temperature for sitting outside--and there was no water spraying us where we were sitting at the back of the boat. Of course, Kyle got some Loch Ness beer and someone else got a Loch Ness hat, which turned into an infamous shot of a well-dressed Roadie with the Loch in the background. I heard staff at all four campuses got that picture. Like a chain letter, but way more fun. Speaking of fun, the ship had monster stickers on the inside of the ship's cabin, so that people could take pictures through the window that made it look like the Loch Ness monster was coming up out of the water. I admire the tour company for making sure we all got a picture of the monster.

Back on shore, we stopped by the gift hut (seriously) and then took a walk across the bridge toward the bus lot. Kelsey took a great picture of me on the cobblestone bridge (new Facebook pic) with the water behind me. Proof that I was there! Then we got a surprise: Kelsey and I had been chasing a tour bus since our trip back from the airport and there it was in the parking lot, sitting still so we could get as many pictures as we wanted. We got plenty of pics of the "Wild and Sexy Haggis Tours" bus, and even one of me with the traditionally-outfitted driver.

The bus ride home took quite awhile, meandering down the hills, through the highlands (it did finally start raining), and on toward Edinburgh. Our next stop was a spooky place called Glencoe. The day had been bright and sunny, but it seemed like a pall was cast over the mountains as we arrived there. Will related the story to us as we approached the site, surrounded by crags and some truly forbidding landscapes. In the late 1600, William of Orange took over the throne of England. He required the lairds of all the Highland clans to take an oath of loyalty. The Clan MacDonald had the misfortune of getting the message from a slow messenger and having fate intervene to further slow down the message. The MacDonald Laird took the oath, but William decided to make an example of them. He sent an army with a bunch of Campbells (Will spit every time he mentioned their name--during the story and after) to "visit" the MacDonalds, staying with the families of the Clan and taking advantage of the famous Highland hospitality. The next day, February 13, 1692, the army murdered 38 of the MacDonalds in what would be called the Glencoe Massacre. Forty more women and children died of exposure while fleeing the violence.

The mountains where we stopped seemed sad and overcast, but they were gorgeous. The sky was clear and there was even snow on the tops of the mountains. While we were there we saw a helicopter (hopefully) performing rescue drills on top of the mountain and I got some cool pictures of it. Will told us that hikers and campers frequently spent time on the mountain and the helicopter rescue teams got called out fairly regularly. We decided to get a group picture while we we there. Everyone lined up their cameras on a low rock and Will was assigned to be the photographer. He joked that he was going to sell them all a retire on the money. It took at least 15 minutes to get through all the pictures, and halfway through, this Korean tourist added her camera to the stack and joined us. The more the merrier right? Will joked that the cameras were reproducing. We got on the bus and took off for the next stop. It started raining soon after that, so we got to enjoy the Highlands in their natural state.

We stopped at a rest stop to use stretch our legs and taste some whisky. The whisky was good, but the proprietor had this cranberry wine called Cairn 'o More (get it?). It was so good that I seriously considered buying some, but I was worried about the liquor limits. I was already taking home some whisky and I didn't want the wine to put me over the limit. In retrospect, I probably should have gone for it (it's not like I couldn't have "sampled" some more at the hotel), but I passed on it. They also had ice cream, so I contented myself with a bowl of mint chocolate chip. *Sigh*

We were getting close to the end of our energy, but Will was still going strong. He played some folk songs and told us the story of William of Stirling. Braveheart! He hates Mel Gibson though; so short and manic...why couldn't Sean Connery have starred in the movie? I have to say, it's hard to object to that kind of reasoning. I wish we could have walked through the town or even across the bridge, but there just wasn't enough time. It was close to dark when we got back to Edinburgh and we were all tired. Heather (the Scottish one) told us it would be okay to tip Will, so we quizzed her about the appropriate amount. Will shook everyone's hand as we got off the bus. I thought it was really cool that he would thank each person (tip or not) and then put the money in his pocket without looking at it. That made me feel like he really enjoyed giving the tours, not just the money it pulled in. I would totally ask for him if I ever had to schedule a Highlands tour, and I think I would go for the overnight option. He managed to pack a ton of stuff into our day trip; I can't imagine what he would do with 2 days.

Everyone was starving, so we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It was great to eat together as a group and the food was good. I've been on trips before where people break into groups and travel in parallel but separate clubs, but this group was great. Anyone could move from group to group and everyone meshed well. It worked out really well because everyone got to do just what they wanted to without anyone having to set out alone in a strange place. There was always someone in the group willing to pair up and check out a new site. I limped home after dinner and caught up on a little sleep. Back to school on Monday!