Nessie

Here Nessie, Nessie, Nessie… The Exotic ‘Now You See Her Now You Don’t’ Illusive Monster of Loch Ness

/ Curt Mekemson / 16 Comments
It was a dark and stormy day with sprinkles when we went on a search for Nessie on Loch Ness with CIE Tours. We were ready to make history by spotting the illusive, legendary monster. And possibly Big Bucks$$$. Any object on the lake was fraught with possibilities. Wait. Is that Nessie poking her head out of the water ahead of us!?

I’m continuing our series on our recent bus trip through the Scottish Highlands that Peggy, our grandson Cody, and I did with the CIE Tours. Today we are traveling by boat onto Loch Ness in search of Nessie. Our imaginations did a great job of finding her. Sigh. My super telephoto lens soon showed the Nessie featured above to be a boat. But there would be more opportunities. Plus there was a beautiful lake to enjoy, monster or not. The photos in this post are all taken by either Peggy, Cody or me.

It was sprinkling when we left the small harbor and followed the channel that would take us out to Loch Ness. Many of the boats in the harbor were devoted to also providing Nessie spotting tours on the lake. She does a monster of a job when it comes to attracting tourist dollars.
The rain gave a preview of the beauty to come.
And history. This is the Dochfour Estate, owned by the same family since the mid 1400s.
A bit of sunshine illuminated the waves made by our boat, shore, and warped reflections, like a mirror in a carnival.
We soon came to the opening of the lake. So much for stormy. The lake was as unruffled as a marine made bed.
The Aldourie Castle could be seen on the shore. It actually has rooms for rent but only rents to groups. So gather 26 of your best friends and prepare to party. It can be yours for only $32,000-42,000 (US dollars) per night! And meals are included!
The shoreline stretched off into the distance. If Nessie were around, we would see her for sure!
Looking up the right side.
And to the left. “Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”
A village along the shore.
In addition to keeping a sharp eye out for Nessie and enjoying the scenery, we entertained ourselves by watching the wake and waves made by the boat. Some people note that we are easily entertained, and yes, we resemble that. It’s a good thing.
Smooth…
Checkered.
And straight. But what is that escaping off to the right beyond the waves? Could it be? Is it possible? Don’t know. Didn’t see it until I just uploaded this photo. We will have to go with between highly unlikely and overactive imagination.
Eventually, the captain announced it was time to head back toward the harbor. We were ‘making tracks’ but still keeping our eyes peeled.
Dark skies continued to hover over us with the boat wake and waves providing interesting views.
A wave close up. Surf’s up. Have you ever water skied behind a fast boat crossing back and forth over the wake? Some fun.
I was pleased that our cameras could catch the action!
It was not hard to turn this wave action into the long, sinuous body of Nessie right down to the tip of her tail! Many a tourist has. Why shouldn’t we? Most eyewitness and folklore accounts put her at around 20 feet long. Does she exist? Most tour operators answer with a resounding yes! Quite happy with our tour even though we came back with no earthshaking photos; we returned to our harbor. We were most of the way back when I glanced off to the edge of the shore and saw this:
Had we discovered where Nessie hangs out when she is off duty!? Your imagination is in charge here!
On our next post, we will venture to the far north of Scotland to Orkney Island where another Ancient mystery exists, a massive Neolithic stone circle built between 2500 and 2000 BC. Unlike Nessie, however, there is no question of its existence. Its purpose? That’s the mystery.

A Whale of a Tale– or has Nessie Migrated… Gone fishing in Puerto Vallarta

/ Curt Mekemson / 19 Comments

Photo of Pacific Ocean outside of Banderas Bay, Mexico. Photo taken by Curtis Mekemson.

The ocean is both beautiful and mysterious, filled with marvelous creatures of the deep. I took this photo outside of Banderas Bay, Mexico.

You have all seen the grainy photos of Nessie, the want-to-be monster that hangs out at Loch Ness in Scotland. I, too, have stood on the shores of the fabled lake with eyes peeled and camera poised. Unfortunately, Nessie didn’t bless me with her presence. Sigh. Neither fame nor fortune was to be mine.

One of the more famous photos of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. This is an AP photo.

One of the more famous photos of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. This is an AP photo.

But what if I were to discover Nessie in Banderas Bay off the coast of Puerto Vallarta. Or at least something that looked like Nessie. So what if a little help from Photoshop was called for. Would people believe me? Maybe my photos would appear on CNN… or glory of glories, even FOX News, which, as every one knows, is fair and balanced. I suspect I could at least count on support from the local chamber of commerce. Monster sightings are always good for tourism. Anyway, consider the following:

Nessita, Nessie's daughter looks across the Bay of Banderas in search of a fat tourist who as eaten too many tacos.

Nessita, Nessie’s daughter looks across the Bay of Banderas in search of a tourist who has eaten too many tacos.

Having spotted her prey, Nessita dives beneath the water, coils unfulring as she goes.

Having spotted her prey, Nessita dives beneath the water, coils unfurling as she goes.

And disappears beneath the waves.

And disappears.

I am basically an honest guy, however. Otherwise I’d be rich or in jail. Right? Plus, all of you good folks who follow me, not to mention Word Press, might get a little excitable if I deliberately misled you. I am already under suspicion for reporting on ghosts and Bigfoot. So, I have to confess. What my son-in-law Clay, grandson Ethan, and I came across while fishing were humpback whales frolicking in Banderas Bay. But even they were wonderful, and strange.

Dorsal fin of humpback whale taken off the coast of Puerto Vallarta. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

Dorsal fin of humpback whale in the Bay of Banderas.

Head of humpback whale in the Bay of Banderas. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

And the whale’s head.

How was the fishing? At least fair to middling, as the old timers say. Consider it from Ethan’s perspective. Any time you can catch a fish almost as big as you are, it’s a BIG fish. Imagine the tales that Ethan had to tell when he returned to school in Tennessee.

Fishing in the Bay of Banderas. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

Our grandson Ethan displays his catch, a jack crevalle.

Even Clay and I got lucky.

Nice fish, but would you invite this motley crew into your house?

Nice fish, but would you invite this motley crew into your house?

NEXT BLOG: 2014 Burning Man tickets go on sale in February. I give you five reasons you might want to purchase one.