Thoughts mostly about travel and places I have been. While a lot of my travel is into the backcountry backpacking or paddling I do my share of trips to more traditional front-country locations too. From time to time other items of note will appear that definitely fall outside the realm of travel and associated things. It is also worth noting that I am legally blind.
Join me , Andy, Elwira and Luna (dog) for a few days of camping, trail maintenance and hiking along the Nirth Country Trail (NCT) in western Michigan. This trip takes place the first weekend of May 2016.
(Typos all belong to me. I type these posts "blind" in the sense that I'm not watching the screen and sometimes either because I mess up or auto-correct tries to help odd things happen).
Photo: It is a little hard to tell but if you look in the left of the photo you can see that there are many billowing clouds below us: and a few clouds above us too. But at our elevation things are wonderfully clear. Madeira has many climate zones and microclimates within those zones.
Photo: Madeira gets most of its electricity from, I believe, diesel. However there is a growing industry in windfarms, solar farms, and hydro power.
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Our last HF walk would be up high starting at about 4,500 feet above sea level in, I think, the Ponta do Sol area. The walk was 8.5 miles long and we would spend much of it working our way along several different levadas. We began walking downstream along the Levada do Paul and the weather could not have been better. The sun was out and the clouds that were visible were all below us. To be sure that obscured some views a little bit but the clouds themselves were interesting to look at and overall the sky was clear enough that we had nearly constant vistas.. The path was easy to walk upon. Now and then a brief rather narrow bit would appear and drop-offs on the left were a bit sheer but I don't think anyone was really perturbed by them (Mom is less than thrilled with those bits). Up in these higher places we found ourselves passing by some interesting man-made structures: a wind farm and solar farm. While Madeira generates most of its electricity through diesel (I think) they have a growing industry in solar, wind and hydro power. The large body of water we would cross at the top of the roadways descent down into Rabaçal may have been part of a hydroelectric plant. We also walked through some places were reforestation was being done. I think they're planting indigenous pines and oaks. We also passed through some longer stretches of gorse-lined path. Gorse is a pretty yellow plant when flowering but it is rather rough when you brush against it: at least it isn't full of cactus spines. I imagine the people who maintain the levadas must trim the gorse back on a regular basis.
Photo: Ken striding along the Levada do Paul.
Photo: Watch out for your legs. Gorse is blooming here and the tough raspy plant can scratch your skin. It won't draw blood with anything like the ease of a cactus spine but you'll notice it as you brush by or get pushed on by it like Dad is here.
The walk along Levad do Paul covers about 6km and it was a great way to spend our morning. It is followed by a winding descending road walk down to Casa Rabaçal. The road is still used by a minibus that for a small fee will ferry passengers back and forth. I believe House Rabaçaal must have once been a hostel and their is some habitation in the area adjacent but if you are imagining a cafe stop purge that notion from your mind. You can certainly stop there for a picnic lunch, refill your water, and even use a bathroom (bring toilet paper because while there are functional toilets they lack toilet paper).
Photo: our group at Casa Rabaçal having lunch. The people who added the extension, turned out not to be worth it, are just arriving.
Many people visit the 25 fountains (25 Fontes) but our understanding is that while the path is generally not at all a tough one since it is a levada path (25 Fontes) the levada path itself is often quite narrow making it something of a pain for groups to pass each other. If you are visiting by yourself or in a tiny group it's probably well worth the visit but when groups of our size, about a dozen, are involved it just isn't worth the effort. At least that is the reasoning given by HF. Personally I wish we had seen the pools as if I found the right pictures some of them, or maybe just one, look quite lovely indeed. Instead we left Casa Rabaçal and began heading down another levada and then too several hundred rough-hewn stone steps that we descended easily a couple hundred feet to Levada Risco. Descending those steps was a sweat-inducing experience. If you have normal vision it is just normally annoyingly tough as the footing isn't ideal and the steps vary in their riser heights. For me: a definite workout. Once you reach the levada the going is easy again and you stroll along a high ,weeping, cliff on one side and lush forested valley (Risco Valley I believe) on the other. The sound of the high waterfalls can be heard in the distance. You will almost certainly pass people along the way. This is a popular place though I am not sure how most people come to it. Certainly we saw no one else at the shelter/picnic area. The Risco waterfalls are certainly worth the walk.
Photos: This water in the Risco valley (I think) may be the tallest we have seen. Great area to spend time.
From the waterfalls we retraced our steps and then dropped down again to another levada (25 Fontes I think at this point) and began our final segment of the walk to Calheta. This is a segment that you definitely do not want to miss. It contains the Tunel do Rabaçal which is 800 meters long. No light. Narrow. Damp but good footing. I suppose people go in both directions but you better be willing to squeeze against the wall if someone has to pass. I am certain I have never walked through such a tunnel before. Wow. It took about 15 minutes to walk through and it did not feel like it took that long. Perhaps the impromptu singing helped pas the time. Once we burst out at the southern terminus we turned to our right (southwest) and followed the path into Calheta which is, as far as I could tell, not much to remark upon at all. It may just be a place to park cars: that's all it seemed to be to me.
I very good walk. A varied walk with superb weather conditions. When a walk provides you with variety it matters far less that it be full of physical challenges. While it is nice to have some ups and downs (and we all prefer undulating terrain to relentless up or down) a walk like this that had only a minuscule amount of ascent and vastly more descent (the road walk to Rabaçal House and the rough steps to Risco Levada) it was wholly enjoyable and a good way to end our hiking part of the trip.
Here us the video for this hike of 8.5 miles. Minimal ascent and about 1,400 feet of descent most of which is the road walk to Casa Rabaçal and then the steps to the Levada to the waterfall.
Bonus: after dinner at the Atlantis restaurant which was a fine multi-course meal including palate cleansing dishes and what was certainly the best dessert of the week we fell into some great good fortune. A troupe of 14 performers were setting up to dance at the hotel as Dad and I were heading out to the Russian-lady cafe for coffee. We turned around and settled down to watch the troupe. What a treat. We even got involved in the dancing.
Photo: 14 performers showing us some wonderful local culture in their music and dance. They had young and far more senior people in the group which I think is a great indication local culture is alive and well.
Video of the dancers. We all got in on the dancing though you'll only see Dad here in the video.
My notes for this hike are a bit less precise. I believe that we started at the viewpoint at Boca as Corrida which provides views of, amend other valleys the Jardim da Serra. We were a couple kilometers west and a couple hundred meters higher up from the viewpoints where we began our trek down into the Valley of the Nuns the day before. It is a 45 minute mountains roads (I have a suspicion there is just one major road winding through but surely that is wrong) from Santa Cruz and our hotel in Caniço. On a clear day I am confident the views would be very good but I was enthralled by what I saw on this overcast mid-morning. The path is pretty much a two-track at first but soon we would join a proper mountain trail that sees plenty of animal traffic judging by the cow pies left behind. We crossed some small streams and plenty of mud in the early going.
We sallied forth on a good path, a mountain road of sorts. The clouds would soon lift and are views would improve as we walked westerly eventually coming to our first proper mountain trail. This trail would take us around a ridge down into a valley and over a couple small streams. ALong the way we had to take care dodging cow pies. Madeira does have some cattle and clearly a portion of them spend time grazing in these particularly mountains. It was a treat to be in the mountains and away from the encroachment of more populated areas (granted nothing is really far away so you take what you can get).
The trail was easily followed and I am certain it is popular as it was well maintained. In time we would work our way around a valley and to a dirt road where the people tackling the shorter walk would turn and head down into the valley to the village of Fontes. Our group would head up the road into the higher reaches to visit the viewpoint (and trig point I think) at Chao dos Terreiros. To get there would followed the dirt road up and up. It is hard packed with little undulations in the roadbed to catch the unwary foot. It could easily be a slippery walking surface but really should not pose any problems for people. Perhaps the bigger concern are the number of cows you will pass within touching distance. AFter all, they're a lot bigger than a person. I had no inclination to touch one. They minded their business and we minded them as we walked on by.
Madeira's cows. We followed a mountain road later in the morning climbing high. Along the way we came within touching, no one did, distance if many cows, bulls and calves.
We left the dirt road for grassy track, crossing a broken down stile (fences help control grazing) and then climbed gently for most of 1.2km (the last little bit is steeper as you gain about 90m to the top) to the viewpoint. Our group spread out a bit at this point as some decided the views were good enough just below the topmost point. I went to the top and while the view was certainly better it won't knock your socks off compared to what you see just below though you do have a broader vista in all directions. By this time the day had warmed to about 70F and the sun was pretty much completely out. Clouds zipped by a bit during our lunch break but though a tad breezy on the flat top of our viewpoint it was a fine place to relax for 40 minutes before retracing our steps back down.
A view from our highint if the walk. I believe this highpoint is at Chao dos Terreiros at about 4,700 feet above sea level.
From that point on we would follow a mountain road down to the village of Fontes. It is an easy road walk and the views, especially at the start, of the valleys dropping steeply away from the road were impressive. Eventually a Levada would join us as we walked on down and soon we would pass below tree line and start hearing sounds of civilization again. Dogs barking, goats bleating, a rooster crowing, and underneath it all the gurgle of a Levada flowing by. It is an easy descent into the village and we were able to have a quick snack and drink at a cafe at the end of our hike before piling into the bus to head home.
Jim and Ken. The remaining 2 or so miles follows a sometimes mud slick mountain road down below tree line, past homesteads with bleating goats, along a levada into the village of Fontes.
Hike length: 7.5 miles with ascent of about 1,200 feet and descent of 2,100 feet. The bulk of the descent happens in the last 3.5 miles from the viewpoint at Chao dos Terreros (4,700 feet) to Fontes (3,100 feet).
Bonus: We stopped briefly at the sea cliffs Cabo Girão. I understand these cliffs are 590 (or was it 580) mets high making them the second highest sea cliffs in the world. THey're de definitely a tourist spot with a glass platform you can stand on and look down through towards the cliff face below (I found the view uninteresting through the glass). Gaze out over the railing and from side to side to get a better sense of the scale of things. I suppose it is worth a visit if it is on your way to someplace else already but if all there is to see there are the cliffs from the platform and a chance for a bite to eat at the cafe I'm not sure it is worth a visit for for itself.
This was a surprise. A troupe of 14 performers arrived at the Galosol Hotel to sing, dance and play and we almost missed it. We have no idea how traditional the music and dance were but it sure was fun. We even got into the circle and danced a bit too.
We suffered through some confusion today. The plan was to head to a new location on the island that was somewhat farther away than we had already been. The departure time for our bus came and went and the bus did not appear. Their was a mix-up and the bus company had us down for the wrong day. The upshot of this is that we had to re-arrange the walks. This is hardly a big deal as it just means we leave somewhat later than may be desirable but given the nature of the walks and the timing no real harm was done. About an hour later than planned we piled into buses to head east towards a peninsula and the Machico valley and the towns of Caniçal and Maroços. Those of us tackling the harder walk would join HF leader Helen and begin walking at about 10:30 under overcast skies. The group would have 11 people leaving the remaining 4 to explore the ins and outs of the peninsula in a leisurely fashion with Jim.
Although I did not know it at the time it is interesting to see what walks get done. I've since found what looks like it could be a wonderful alternative walk that would be more varied but require more fiddling about with local bus transportation (the public buses are reportedly pretty good) and the sea-cliff path might be a bit tough in places for groups. Our planned walk can be best thought of as two distinct walks: the Levada do Caniçal and the track to Boca do Risco. The levada runs about 8 miles and the track is an out-a and-back trail that climbs for about a mile gaining some 600 feet as it heads north to a wonderful lookout at Boca do Risco.
Overlooking the Machico valley. We immediately get on the Levada do Caniçal. The town is, I think, Maroços and we end at Caniçal but I'm not certain.
Walking along the levada is easy. It is nice enough too though perhaps a bit boring. You hear the sounds of the town down in the Machico valley below pretty much all the time. Now and then someone was calling out through a loudspeaker what sounded like the same thing over and over, kids screamed in playgrounds, ever-present dogs barked and roosters crowed, a goat would bleat now and then, and construction. Now and then it would quiet down and birdsong would intrude but if you are looking for a hike where the sounds of civilization do not intrude this one isn't it. That is until you get to the start of the path, Vereda da Boca do Risco, that leads north and into the hills towards Boca do Risco. By this time the clouds had lifted and the sun was blazing down. It was well into the 60s if not 70 and we decided to take a morning break (elevenses) before assaulting the path. For some reason the section of levada seemed to be home to several kittens and small cats. We found one particularly aggressively nice begging cat at this point. She sure wanted to mooch off of the softer touches in the group.
The track winds up past homesteads with their dogs but soon leaves them and man made sounds behind as it wends its way up a good trail into the hills of pine, small yellow - and just opened - flowers, eucalyptus, and more. There are some rocky bits that slowed me down a bit but it is overall an easy path to follow that should not give anyone trouble. In about a mile you arrive at the northern facing cliff and can gaze down and out upon the Atlantic Ocean. It was a very fine view even if it was a bit breezy. A fine place for lunch once you found a spot out of the worst of the wind. The return journey might take you a few minutes longer just because going down can be tougher than going up but certainly most people will be down within a half hour. This is a popular track. We saw two trail runners and at least a half dozen other walkers usually in groups of two or three. I can understand why it is a favored spot.
Views from the "dangerous pass" (Boca do Risco). It takes about a half an hour to climb the good path from the levada. A few short rocky bits will slow you slightly but they're hardly worth mentioning. Footing is good and I doubt anyone would feel exposed.
We were struck by this lovely tiny house. Like many it had a garden plot nearby.
But, after the out-and-back hike we had to return to the Levada do Caniçalmar and the many miles of its twisting path through barranco a of the Machico valley. It is remarkable how twisty these water channels can seem to be. In and out of little canyons we strode ever onward upstream. In time we came to a nice snack bar (and yes that was what it was called) and were able to enjoy tea and such. The ice cream sandwiches (sorta) we had were at least as good as the hotel desserts which is a sad commentary on the latter. When we left the cafe we still had a good 4 miles to go and so we plowed on. This is the downside of the walk. It feels a bit lengthy as it is, in a way, unchanging. But that is also a bit unfair because you do see interesting things like the extensive terraced small farm plots being worked (often just tilled) to many intriguing tiny houses snuggled into the mountainsides. Eventually we worked our way into the town of Caniçalmar (I think) and found the other hikers waiting for us) They had had an interesting day too apparently seeing quite a bit even though they only walked about 4.5 miles. By this time, it was a bit past 16:00 the skies had clouded up again but that was hardly any concern. We piled into the buses and returned to the hotel in short order having all had a fine day even though it had started out with a bump.
Today was something a little different for an HF trip. We spent a large part of the day doing a walking tour in Funchal and then a modest walk in the afternoon. We met our local guide, Elda, at 09:00and quickly learned that she knows her stuff. While Mom, Dad and I had already spent a few days in Funchal doing this tour was worthwhile especially since we'd learn about Madeira wine. We certainly saw several things that we had already seen but seeing them on a different day and getting a bit more information from Elda added extra zest to the day. For example, we returned to the main market and got a better sense of the variety of fruits and vegetables as well as fish that people could buy here. It was far less crowded today and that gave us the chance to see more. I still wish the sellers were a bit less aggressive but I suppose when you are one of many fruit sellers hawking banana passion fruits, mangos, swiss-cheese fruit, or something you need to be a little pushy.
We then spent a good hour at Blandys Madeira Winery (not quite the right name but close enough). Blandy is an English family that settled here in the early 1800s and began making Madeira and have done so now for just about 200 years. Madeira wines are different in how they are made and aged. I will not pretend to know really how even though the guide, a lady called Karina (sp), had plenty to say. I could talk about how the younger wines start their aging in warmer temperatures around 40-45C and then are moved to cooler places as they age (the reverse of the normal process). I could talk about how Blandy use American oak barrels over and over again to impart some distinctive flavor notes to the wine or how when wine is waiting to be aged it is held in 9,000 liter vats of Brazil satin wood which is so solid that aging does not take place and nothing is lost to the "Angel share." I could note that the "Angel share" , the wine lost to evaporation, could be easily 10-12% which seems like a lot to me and that as part of that process some of the aging rooms have a lovely aroma to them. But in some ways this is all just words. None of us is enough of a wine-person to really understand what we are hearing. It was still an interesting tour and walking into a 9,000 liter vat and enjoying its smell was great fun. I tried the medium-dry and sweet Madeira at the tasting and preferred the former but neither is something I am likely to ever really enjoy. Blandys has some Madeira that has been aging since 1920. Apparently Madeira ages well and does not turn to vinegar. Madeira wines, and only Madeira can be called "Madeira" and must be made here, is the single largest export item of the island.
A leisurely, read long, lunch at a local restaurant was next. The meal was adequate but fortunately the conversation was quite good. I must say I found myself pondering diners back home and how quickly they would make an omelet. Of course, the American diner omelet probably, no definitely, not come with a nice helping of fresh veggies and my omelet here did (though the omelet itself was so-so). This is just a difference in style of eating.
By now it was edging well past 14:00 and we had to take the bus up to a place whose name I am not sure of (the viewpoint picture you see says "Camara de Lobos"). Suffice to say we drove for half an hour up into the mountains above Funchal along about 9.5 miles of twisting road rising to an elevation of about 1,100 meters. Along the way we passed through cloud and mist layers until we reached a large parking lot clearly meant to support tourist traffic. Below us were clouds, above us were clouds, and sometimes we were in clouds too. Eventually, the clouds completely shrouded the mountains and the valley below. Our 2-mile walk down into the Valley of the Nuns would not be filled with expansive views. Even when, as we neared the end of the walk and dropped below a cloud layer some 400 meters below our starting poinviews would be limited. Maybe, for some, the clouds were a blessing as you could not see the mountain falling away to one side. The path we followed was pretty wide but steep and while not the cobblestone nightmare of the road walk between the two levada a of the day before it was hardly a cakewalk. It took us just over an hour to work our way down the switchbacks, and to be fair the trail is a good one, down to a road that took us into a small village where we had a later afternoon snack. Along the way we passed a few drips of water seeping on by, past occasional trees perhaps including even more eucalyptus, and when we could see a bit farther we would notice small homes with seemingly ever-present dogs and roosters to be heard. This is a completely exposed walk so if the weather was inclement I would not want to do it (you'd get soaked) but even though our views were all but missing as we walked within mist it was an interesting walk. I am not sure what nuns have to do with this valley. Perhaps Elda said but I missed it. I must admit I zoned out a bit on the bus ride up.
It has been a long day. The Funchal tour did seem to spend a bit more time in some places than I might have wished but then I had seen some of it already. Remember, we are on "island time" and I suppose that affects things a bit. We certainly did learn a lot about Madeira from Elda and while I may not long-remember that tourism accounts for 30% of the economy, Madeira is the largest export, or that their is a thriving cottage-industry in high embroidery for sale, it was good to hear it at least today.
Sometimes you pass through areas of wonderful color like the bit of dark water and forest. 
