English Rocks!

Based on the title of the blog post you'd probably think it's about how great the English language is. Or maybe you think it's a typo for "England Rocks!" because I'm having such fabulous adventures here. I must report that the most mundane interpretation is in fact the correct interpretation. This post is about rocks that we found in England.

Before you die of boredom or surf away to another more interesting blog, let me explain what sort of rocks we went to see. We saw Brimham Rocks in Nidderdale. You may be curious to know that the word "dale" comes from the old Norse word for valley--dalr. Often the dale is named after the river that runs through it. Hence this particular dale is called Nidderdale because the River Nidd runs through it. But I digress.

We took a rather harrowing drive on tiny country roads to get there. My wife was in the passenger seat and in a state of panic any time a car came from the other direction. The roads are two-way but the surface of the road seems like it's only a car and a half wide. Which means driving a bit off the side of the road when two cars pass. The shrubbery and overgrowth is quite high and some came in the passenger window when we passed other cars. But what's life without a little excitement and adventure? We got there safe and made it home safe too.

A little more nerve-racking for me was Brimham Rocks itself. The rock formations are quite fascinating and pop out all over the area. The rocks did have some drop-offs that were relatively high. It wouldn't be a problem if only us adults were there. Jacob and Lucy were having a lot of fun wandering around though they would sometimes get into spots that made me nervous and hold their little hands very tightly. Check out our pictures:

First formation we found, no caves or climbing here.

Cave #1, with Lucy, Daddy, Jacob, and Natalie

Tatooine or Charlton Heston version of Planet of the Apes

Eagle Rock

Cave #2 spelunking, except for Daddy with too much girth and not enough hair

Lucy did try to stand up in one of the caves and bonked her head on the completely unforgiving ceiling. She was okay after a while of crying. It didn't stop her from venturing into other hazards. The children loved it and were said to leave.

We had a nice finale to our visit. At the car park (where, you guessed it, our car was parked; we Americans call it a parking lot) was a kiosk that sold local ice cream! Since we had our picnic lunch already, we were due some dessert. Ice cream cones were bought and enjoyed. The sign listed "Cones" and "Cones 99." We ordered the 99s to find out what they are. They are regular cones with ice cream and a little frozen cookie called "99 Flake" pushed in for good measure. We thought this would be a treat for Jacob, but he was uninterested in anything tainted by ice cream. Lucy loved the ice cream. The "cookies" were a little odd. They were chocolaty but sort of wafery and cold and unfamiliar enough to be a little off-putting for some. I liked it, but my tastes are notoriously unrefined. The lady of the kiosk gave us a flyer for the Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream Farm, which is just the sort of farm I want to visit. They have a free playground there for the kids and a dining parlor. We should go in the interests of science, in the interest of the children (our future), in the interest of more desserts!

Again, sorry for the confusing title, but I hope that I have managed to satisfy as many tastes as I can with mere rocks from England.