No.3- The Great Winterhold Trek

The trek was "great" as in "long" although we did have a little excitement along the way... Did I mention I'm a Mage? Yeah, well that's why we were hoofing it to The College of Winterhold. That's the substitue for the Mage's Guild where they teach you how to zap, fry, and freeze ornery critters and people with your finger tips. BTW, it's about time I start inserting some of my own magic generated images. Here is a shot of me and Gerdy prior to leaving Whiterun. Expect lots more of my own images.

Gerdy & Me

Walking up the White River Valley, with the sun shining down upon us, Gerdy and I enjoyed  the pleasant vistas, blue skies, large rocky mountains, which are in abundance in Skyrim, with snows and frosty mists blowing off their summits. Down in the valley the temperatures were pleasant.  Because of my interest in alchemy, we spent some time gathering purple lavender, white tundra cotton, thistles, butterflies, and other assorted items. The butterflies flitting here and there were more of a challenge but we caught several.

Tasting adventure, I decided to cut over the mountains. This was my first Skyrim mountain climbing experience and was immediately reminded that going up always means colder and we ascended into a blizzard with greatly reduced visibility. Coming down the far side of the mountain we  stumbled upon a giant's camp and his pet mammoth. Based on my understanding that Giants are hostile, as in liking to make a soup out of people's bones, we decided to turn the oaf into a big pin cushion. Fortunately, Gerdy and I were up on a steep incline. From this position using our bows we filled them full of arrows until they expired. Too stupid to even run away. Should I have checked to see if he was friendly before hand? Hmm, maybe next time. Afterwards we looted their bodies and the camp. Coming across a mountain lake and river, instead of climbing the next mountain, I decide to follow it East to Windhelm. On the way there a prisoner party walked by. Was this the Thalmar rounding up Talos worshippers? Next time, I might intervene.

Windhelm

We crossed the bridge into Windhelm and my first impression, it was stone cold and not very friendly. A couple of Nords were hassling a Dark Elf. I'm sensitive to elf issues, so I spoke with her briefly and then decided the best plan for now was forge on to Winterhold. Windhelm was put on my "to-do" list. We continued North out of Windhelm, circling to the North West. On the edge of the North Eastern Sea, the landscape turned into bleak and stormy tundra with packs of wolves. We fought off several groups on the way there.

College of Winterhold

The College of Winterhold towers could be seen from a distance, but when we arrived, the town turned out to be just a little hole in the wall. I wondered how this College ended up in the middle of no where? As I walked into town, I reflected this is such a long journey I don't know how often I'll be making it (versus Quick Travel).