Dan Will Travel
I'm Dan and I WILL Travel
This driving trip takes me from the tallest things on earth to the oldest things on earth. And lots of interesting stuff in between!
We will start with a visit to my redwood grove in northern California, and then work our way across to far eastern Nevada to Great Basin National Park, home of wonderful stands of bristlecone pines, the oldest living things on the planet.
The posts will be under “California & Nevada 2018.
I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.
As you may remember, this trip started with my search for a Canary. Well, on my very last day, I found one. Well, sort of. Maybe. Probably not, but I have made an executive decision and have decided that this bird found in the wonderful park by my hotel in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a Canary. Most of you might call it a parrot, but it is now officially a Canary.
Its formal name is the Flickingeria Canaria.
So, this ends another trip. I hope that you enjoyed it.
This is the huge volcano and national park that dominates the entire island. The peak is over 12,000′ and can be seen from nearly everywhere on Tenerife. In the Pacific NW we have of course many volcanos, some technically larger, but none with such an expanse of barren lava flows and stark empty landscape. Park size wise, I would compare it to Mt Rainer if that had almost no trees or wild flowers, just miles of barren lava flows.
One thing that they do have that we would probably not allow in a National park was a cable car up to nearly the top. I did do it to get the pictures of course. Wow, even on a sunny day it was cold and windy.
Morning shot of Tiede and the Roques de Garcia. I did the 2 mile loop around the rock formations. Very nice until the last 1/2 miler which was a 60 degree climb back up. (According to the sign that I read after finishing it.)
The famous Roque Cinchado in the Garcia formation. This was featured on one of the Spanish currency notes. The person at the lower right gives it size perspective.
Along the hike. I liked the light of the sun behind it.
Looking out to the Llano de Ucanca, a classic wasteland plain typical in volcanic areas. Nothing much can grow on it.
Going up! Can’t say that I loved being crammed in with 40 others for 8 minutes, but anything to get the shots! It was very smooth even on a windy day.
looking far down on the Roques de Garcia area that I had just hiked. Pretty much center of the shot.
From the top, one can see clearly that there was a former volcano here that collapsed creating a giant crater. There are later shots of the sandy area in orange here.
The daily cloud show is beginning. Note the many celestial observatories on this island as well, far right on ridge.
The struggle to live on a lava field. I guess it is winning?
A rather classic typical view of a more recent lava flow next to one far older that tress can now grow on.
I liked this view of the latest eruption on Tiede, 1705. It is all more black than the surrounding area.
A weird sandy plateau area at the base if Tiede. I noted it on a shot from the top. Pretty much a giant sand dune. Weird.
A final view of Tiede before dropping down to Santa Cruz for the night.