Tag Archives: The Far North

Frustration!

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OK, so earlier in the year I promised to show my Blogonaughts around this wonderful part of the world that Mrs Dookes and I now call home. I really was looking forward to getting out on Harley Davidson wheels, doing some V-Twin exploring and reporting back on the Blog.

Loch More

I can hear the comments “It hasn’t happened Dookes!”

Well, no it hasn’t.

Things at Dookes H.Q. have been busy; like moving into a new house busy.

….and then I injured myself. Twice. On the same leg!


Which kinda put paid to riding motorcycles and to be honest anything else for a time. Fortunately we are blessed with really good medical care here in the Northern Highlands, so I am pleased to report that I have largely been repaired and I am well on the way to recovery; so long as I stick my physiotherapy program, which I fully intend to do.

Loch Calder

It has been and continues to be, very frustrating; especially when young, but lovely, doctors slip in the “For a man of your age…” line in conversations!


When I was younger I used to feel pretty much indestructible.
I have always been very sports active and largely didn’t succumb to many injuries…well apart from various broken bones falling off horses, stress fractures of the legs through rugby and a broken nose playing football, not much at all really!!!
The recent leg injuries have left me realising and to an extent facing, my own advancing years, the sad fact that I don’t bounce as well as I used to and that I really need to be a bit more careful if I want to preserve my way of life and mobility!!

Thurso River

The really good news is that I am virtually back to full mobility and busy building my strength again. The physio program has been boosted by cycling, which around this beautiful scenery is truly no hardship at all, particularly as i cam find routes without horrendous hills to climb.

Caithness Skies

As for motorcycling? I hoping to get out on Harls maybe later this week and see how it goes, sadly there will not be any big trips this side of winter, but hey it’s one small step at a time.

In the meantime, these are a few photos that I’ve grabbed whilst out on man powered two wheels, this is a lovely place to be!

Creag Mhor and Ben Armine range.

Catch you soon,
Dookes

Big Skies

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Now you are going to have to indulge me a little with this post, mainly because I can’t decide which photographs to leave out!

Since we moved to Caithness I have fallen in love with the sky.
It’s a big sky, with far horizons, crystal clear air, amazing clouds, glorious sunrises, and majestic sunsets.

At night it is a black as ink and flushed through by a billion stars.
One day i will master the science of photographing the night sky, but for now I have to stand an gaze at the heavens in wonder.

Daytime. I’ve come to the conclusion it’s beyond just “daytime” in these parts.
It must be a combination of being so near the cold near Arctic Sea, the clean air and our Northern latitude, that makes the air sparkle and even overcast days seem vibrant.

The mountains add to that gin clear sky feeling by pushing clouds high and aside by their mass.

Someone once speculated that there are places where the gap between Earth and Heaven is thin….
I’m beginning to feel that this little corner of the world is one of those special spots!

Sunrise and Sunset are always special times too.
Until we moved here, I had never seen such fiery displays in the heaven; I frequently enjoy sitting and absorbing the solar kaleidoscope unfold above me.

Last weekend I managed to get out for a ride on one of my Harleys.
It was mind clearing, but also made me feel very small underneath those soaring skies.

If this is what motorcycling in the Far North is going to be like, I cant wait to do more of it!

It’s going to be hard to decide where to go to next really!

“Ride like the wind at double speed
I’ll take you places that you’ve never, never seen”

Catch you soon,

Dookes