Plaza Blanca, NM, Revisited, 12/21/14

We enjoyed ourselves so much when we visited in October (see blog 10/25/14) that we decided to explore this canyon further.

The broad canyon turns into a slot canyon.  Tried our best to find a way out but turned back after a number of attempts to climb out.

Lunch - windy and cold!

Heading back we discovered a fantastical landscape that can only be described as lunar.

Plaza Blanca, NM, 10/25/14

Our friends Katy, Marlin, Jim and I visited the Georgia O'Keefe Abiquiu Home on this gorgeous fall day.  I had not visited in about 20 years, and greatly enjoyed the beautiful open spaces, old (restored) Spanish hacienda that was her home and large vegetable garden.  The tour was finished by 1:30 pm and we couldn't go home on such a splendid fall day. Instead, we explored Plaza Blanca, a little know rock formation leading to a slot canyon. 

 

 This was a mini hike.  We didn't make it to the slot canyon but plan to return within the next year.

 Rio Chama views on the way home.

Madeira Levada Walk: Levada do Norte, 9/27/14

Last of our three levada walks.  We traveled to the south west region of Madeira for this coastal hike winding thru farming land and laurel forests. Notice this levada is not built out of stone like the Caldeiroa Verde levada, but of concrete. Our guide told us it was a modern levada.  (The Portuguese started building Levadas for irrigation soon after arriving in the15th century and continued until the 1940's; in all 1350 miles of levadas.) Again, hydrangeas lining the sides, as well as agapanthus and ...

African irises.

Lunch in a hamlet at a small cafe used by farmers.

We were promised views on this hike, and views we got.

Madeira Levada Walk: Queimadas to Caldeirao Verde, 9/26/14

Second of our three Madeira walks.  Here we are driving under the runway. Yes, the airport runway.  It was extended in 2000 from about 6000 ft to 9000 ft. Because there is no level ground to speak off in Madeira, it was built partly over the ocean using 180 cement pillars 230 ft high. No surprise that the Madeira airport is considered the 7th most dangerous in the world!

To get to the trailhead we drove by Santana, a fisher men's village on the northern coast known for its traditional straw roof homes. A typical home had one living space with a curtain separating the parents sleeping area and a loft with a large mattress for all of the children.

Some are being modernized and are still in use.

Start of our 13 km hike into the mountains.

Hydrangeas are everywhere alongside the roads and used for soil stabilization.

Most of the hike was along exposed stretches, with railings for protection. Often passage was too narrow for two hikers walking in opposite directions.  We were told that one never, never leans into the rope to let someone pass.  The correct way is to straddle the levada and lean into the mountain.

First of three tunnels. We were handed flashlights to find our way. At one point I almost fell into the levada because I wasn't quick enough to turn on my flashlight !

Second and longest of three tunnels.

It was grey and misty with fog covering the mountain tops. Doesn't this feel like a Chinese landscape?

Last tunnel with very low ceilings. A few in our hiking group bumped their heads!

Our reward: the caldera, what I would call a lagoon. 

The waterfall was too tall to capture in one picture :)

Madeira Levada Walk: Marocos, 9/25/14

Our first Levada walks. Levadas are narrow waterways that carry water from the mountains to where it is needed for farming. Next to the Levada is a narrow path used by maintenance crews and by walkers.


This is farm country. Can you imaging farming in a place without any level land? All arable land is terrassed.

Our guide gave us a lesson in botany - above: sugarcane.

Cherimoya.

Bananas everywhere.

Papaya.

Yams. The guide said, "if you eat a lot of these you will live to be a 100."

The Marocos levada changed to the Ribero Frio levada after crossing the tunnel.

Can you imagine living in a house without road access, just steep stairs.

Portugal Coastal Hiking 9/19/14

Day 6: Salema to Sagres. The plan was to hike from hotel to hotel. The day was rainy when we started out so Jim, I and 3 other hikers opted out for the first leg of the hike.  We drove to the lunch stop, a delightful small beach where several surfing schools were teaching beginners how to surf.

I spent my morning walking up and down the beach and decided to pick up trash.  Made several trips to and from the garbage can and recycle bins.  After a while, a lifeguard came up to me and said, "thank you for doing this." 

Lunch was at a small cafe on the beach. Note the menu in Portuguese and English, and the numerous fish selections. I finally had grilled sardines that I remembered so fondly form my au pair days in Malaga.

We moved into the Algarve region of Portugal yesterday and hiked part of the Via Algarviana in the afternoon, 6 miles along the coast to Sagres.

Sagres beach .... Almost there.  Our guide Nuno holding up the victory sign.

A great thank you to our three guides, all our fellow hikers and REI for making this trip a success.

Our favorite food on this trip: sweet, juicy, succulent locally grown oranges.

A fitting finale: spumante and mimosas for breakfast.