The three of us drove up to the Blue Mountains yesterday, their name comes from the blue haze generated by the eucalyptus trees. It was cooler in the mountains which are about 50 miles west of Sydney. We hiked along various trails to Wentworth falls, Echo point and the three sisters, enjoying the spectacular views of the large valleys and the sandstone and basalt rock faces. At the end of the afternoon we stopped for tea and a thunderstorm passed overhead obscuring the views as the thunder echoed around the mountains.