Friday 28 March 2014

The Great Divide

I seem to remember, some years ago, visiting a place in either Canada or (more probably) the USA, where the height of the land dictated which way two major rivers flowed - I suppose you could also call it the watershed.  In other words - we stopped at the very highest point before we began to go downhill again.  Maybe one of my American readers can enlighten me as to where it was - I rather think one of the rivers was the Colorado River.

We have our own Great Divide here in the Dales, albeit on a much smaller scale.  The place where the rivers which flow into the North Sea and those which flow into the Irish Sea start.

Friend W and I crossed it today.  We went on one of our journeys to Kirby Lonsdale in Cumbria to meet friends P and D for lunch in the wonderful Italian Restaurant called Avanti.   Do visit it if you are ever in Kirby Lonsdale - it is such a lovely place with a great ambience and the most super Italian food.  I promised them I would give them a mention on my blog!

When we left here in was pouring with rain and as we climbed higher into the Pennines we expected the weather to change - it almost always does when you get to the high point.   The difference today we that it was pouring with rain in the East and the sun was shining in the West - usually it is wetter in the West.   After our lunch and a look round the lovely little shops in KL we came back, as we almost always do, via Sedbergh and I have to say that the views of the Howgill Fells in the misty sunshine were exceptional.

The whole journey was one where we were accompanied by daffodils - several places where there were fields of wild ones; one lovely churchyard between KL and Sedbergh where the whole of the grass seemed to be covered by tiny wild daffodils and then yards of grass verges which had been planted.   What a joy.   By the time we returned into the Dales, it was raining again. but we got our sunshine from those flowers!

The lambs over in Cumbria are a little further on than ours - probably born two or three weeks before ours.   They were tearing up and down the fields in groups, stopping after one made dash, turning and dashing back again.   I saw one mum grazing on the top of a hillock.   Her baby, full of the joys of Spring, was standing  by her side and literally springing up and down on the spot.

Spring is almost in full flow, in spite of the weather.   Now that April is due to arrive in a day or two, Spring is quite unstoppable, whatever the thermometer might tell us.

Sorry there are no photographs to show you of our journey, but I thought I would just enjoy it without.

15 comments:

Sue in Suffolk said...

One of the things I enjoyed when we kept sheep was watching the lambs dash round the field one way and then back again ( the other thing was eating the lamb!)
We are on a sort of watershed here as the water in the ditch at the front of the house goes east and down to the River Hundred in Knodishall and out to the sea near Thorpness 4 miles away, and at the top of the field the ditches run down to Friston then to Snape and out to the sea 15 miles further south.

Maureen @ Josephina Ballerina said...

Here ya go, Pat.
The Continental Divide: the main series of mountain ridges in North America, chiefly the crests of the Rocky Mountains that form a watershed that separates the rivers flowing east into the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico from those flowing west into the Pacific Ocean.

Helsie said...

Those images in my head of the daffodils !!! I've been hearing about them all my life and they were the thing I most wanted to see in England on my first visit. no sign of Autumn temperatures here yet . Hot and humid and 30+ still !!

Cloudia said...

Sounds a bit like a trip over our island`s Ko`olau mountains via the "pali"


ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral

=^..^= <3

Hildred said...

A lovely springlike posting, Pat, - you must have had a most pleasant day. You describe the lambs and their frolicking perfectly!

That Great Divide you speak of runs all the way from Alaska to the bottom of South America, - you cross it in the Canadian Rocky Mountains on your way to Alberta, just this side of Banff and Lake Louise, I believe. I have forgotten exactly where the sign is.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Such a lovely description of your day - I can almost see the flowers and the lambs.

Cro Magnon said...

Being a Sussex lad, I know very little of the North of England, but just recently Lady Magnon was watching some TV programme about buying a cottage in Cumbria. Those hills looked fantastic, and I commented about it at the time.

MorningAJ said...

It's a lovely area. The views up on top of those hills are magnificent. All Yorkshire is beautiful though. (Slightly homesick...)

Dartford Warbler said...

I do know the area where you were driving and watching spring arrive. Such wild and beautiful scenery. Your words took me back there......

We have few lambs around here in the New Forest, apart from the ones bought in to fatten up by local farmers later in the year.

It`s a sunny day here and the air is warming up again!

Heather said...

I could visualise all those beautiful images Pat. We were driving through a village called Dimmock the other day and saw banks and whole fields of those tiny wild daffodils. Dimmock was a favourite haunt of a group of young poets, many of whom lost their lives in the first World War. How they must have missed it during their time at the front. Yesterday was so cold, wet and windy but it is almost balmy here today. More please!!

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I can think of no more beautiful springtime sight that the daffodils and lambs in your part of the world. How fortunate you are! And how fortunate is Tess to have such a lovely new haircut!?

Thank you for you kind comment on my recent blog post. As you should know, I am an eager follower of everything you write. I may not always comment, but I'm always here!
xoxo

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks Hildred for an explanation of the Great Divide - yes it was indeed near Lake Louise and Banff.
Lovely day here today - Spring has arrived at last.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Maureen - thanks also for your explanation.

thelma said...

Lovely spring blog, the birds are noisy with their calling in the garden,and Yorkshire/Cumbria sounds very inviting.....

Crafty Green Poet said...

lambs and daffodils, lovely signs of spring!