Hiking Terceira with Missionaries

The island of Terceira has 5 official trails, all well marked highlighting different parts of the island. You have already seen one in our blog on the volcano. In October we explored 2 more with the missionaries.

Baías da Agualva

The day was windy, cloudy with a chance of rain. Do we really want to go on a hike?? This trail is along the coast and probably below the cloud cover. To hike the higher, vista hikes wouldn't work!!! Elder Hobson and Elder Pickrell were both willing and so we chose this hike.

http://trails.visitazores.com/en/trails-azores/terceira/baias-da-agualvan

Carefully following the directions, we came to a country road, much like any other we had seen along the way. But the defining object was the trail sign, about 30 feet in from the main road, clearly a trail marker. The picture on the left is from the web site and helped us to know we really were at the right place.We parked the car as close to the edge of the dirt road as possible to let any other cars past, though there wasn't much
likelihood of others coming this way! And we began walking. Flat. With cow fields on both sides. Interesting!

But then the road ended in a trail, going down a ravine. It was really steep and the dried cane stocks made handy hiking sticks. 

Down,

Down, 

Down through the green trees and underbrush.

Yes, this is interesting!!!

It felt like we were suddenly released from the ravine and entered a valley. In front of us was a big field of some very large leafed plants. A farmer was working in the field and we asked what he was growing -- yams!! Every day he would come to the field, dig up a portion and chop off most of the yam roots. He would then replant the leaf part and the top section of the root and they would start to grow again and make more roots for future harvesting. It was a lot of manual labor and he did it alone. 

We walked around the field and horse pastures and to the ocean and pebble beach. It was a windy day and the waves were quite impressive! 

The trail then took us up and around and from then on followed along the top of the cliffs overlooking the ocean. We were probably 100-150 feet above sea level. 

And it was windy -- So if my hair looks wild, you know why!! The elder's missionary hair cuts aren't ruffled at all.

And it was no longer interesting!!

It was amazing and spectacular!!

The high wind drove the high waves against the high cliffs and I have NEVER seen such power! To describe it in words, think of fireworks -- not the small ones but the ones that burst into gigantic circles.  That is what was happening with water against a cliff!!

To show it in picture: (and remember these are high cliffs!

Here comes a wave.

And up and over the rocks.

 It was hard to leave a spot, as it was so fascinating to watch the water, wondering when the next gigantic burst of water would come. And it always did. It was addictive!!

A third try to share the magnificence of the wave explosions! Here is one video we took showing the waves in action on both sides of this volcanic peninsula:

And then we would continue on the hike and get to another set of cliffs -- and the same thing again. We did need to remember that the missionaries had to be back by 5:00!!

The trail finally turned back inland and we eventually came to the main road.

To finish the circle, we had to walk about a mile on the road to get back to our little country road and the car.

And it was a lovely vista of the green fields and cows.




I was glad to get back to the car! It was a good hike!! It was only rated 3.5 on a scale of 5. I think people didn't come on a windy, almost rainy day. Too bad for them! They missed the show of a lifetime!

Serreta

Just a couple of weeks later, Sister Harper and Sister Savage wanted one more fun hike before Sister Savage's certain transfer back to the Continent (maximum time for missionaries in the Azores is 4 transfers or 6 months).  We decided to try the Serreta hike, even though we may not get the best vistas because of the cloud cover. There isn't much you can do about the clouds!!

This hike actually has a grassy parking lot. But we had to make a good guess on what road to take and then wound around the various stone circled fields.

Elder Broderick has a very good sense of direction. I would have been lost for sure!!

The hike was up the mountain. The trail was very wide and easy to walk. It was just a lot of up.

And through a grove of trees!

The sisters found a dry creek bed and decided to explore a bit.

 There was a side trail you could take to a vista and a lake. The sign said it was only 230 meters. Just around the corner, right???

 The trail was very steep, most of the dirt was washed out and it was mostly a trail of root steps and very challenging. I managed to make it (and, I will admit, grumbling a bit at times). I took my time and finally got to the top where Dennis and the sisters were already enjoying the cloud!

And it was windy!













The trail down took us along the edge of a huge ribeiro (gully formed by run-off streams). It was very steep and very deep. There are many of these, formed from the volcano that was there looooong time ago. Some cities on Terceira are names for how many ribeiros are in that area -- 12 Ribeiros, 8 Ribeiros, etc.!

Below, you can't see the ribeiro on the right. On the left is a cow field.

And sometimes the trail goes right through the field.

It was a long walk back to the car. And I was very tired. But it was a gook hike and the sisters made it lots of fun.

We may try to go back when there are no clouds. We shall see if that actually happens (both doing it and the no cloud part!)

We live on a beautiful island!

Dia de Acção de Graças

Dia de Acção de Graças = Thanksgiving Day!!

(Yes, we are really behind!) I like the name of Thanksgiving  in Portuguese -- literally translated it is day of the action of thanks. And if you call eating an action, we really gave thanks!!!

The actual Thanksgiving day was a Thursday and a normal workday for missionaries. Dennis and I celebrated by going out to eat at the Beira Mar, a restaurant that has the reputation  of serving delicious fish. It is in São Mateus, about a 10-15 minute drive. And we found parking relatively close, for which we were truly grateful! And it was a wonderful dinner. We had a combination plate and so we had 3-4 different kinds of grilled fish. One we really liked and found it in one of the local fish markets and have enjoyed it several times since at home. Yummmm.

The next Monday P-day, we invited the Terceira district  missionaries to our apartment for a full Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey was relatively easy to find. It is a traditional food for Christmas in Portugal and by the end of November the stores had started to carry them. They weren't cheap, but they were available.

The Angra Elders provided the Salad. It was one of the best we had had and lots of it. 

Thank you, Elders Crawford and Lowry.

The sisters provided the mashed potatoes and a pumpkin pie. Very delicious!!! They used my pumpkin pie recipe from my Mom!! Thank you to my Mom for the best pumpkin pie recipe!!

and
Thank you Sisters Harper and Doman.

The Praia elders had to travel to our house on the bus. So, they provided the soda! Much easier to transport.


Thank you, Elders Puertas and Stevenson.







And I either brought or was able to find everything we needed.. I had to bring the poultry seasoning and sage from the USA to make the bread stuffing. I did find celery -- as a specialty item and very expensive (for celery) -- 3.50 euros. I did not need all of it for the dressing, and you can be sure I was careful to use it up before it got too old!! I provided the apple pie and had to find a pie tin for it. They don't make pies as we know them in Portugal and I was grateful to find a very nice glass pie plate in a store nearby. 

It is time to fill up those plates!!

 Sister Harper is really enjoying the rolls -- and they did turn out wonderful. I don't know why, but when I make rolls for missionaries, they are the best ones I make.

The Lord loves his missionaries, I guess.

And thank you, Mom, for that recipe. I grew up eating those rolls for Thanksgiving dinner!!

 Thank you, missionaries, for helping to clean up the dishes.












After each shared things they were grateful for, there was just a little time left before the missionaries had to get their letters written to the president and home and prepare for the evening's work.

But it was enough time for a game of beach touch football. Thank you Praia elders for bringing the ball.

Ah, to be young again! But we enjoyed watching them compete.

 And thank you, Dennis for taking all the pictures! Yes, he was there. Yes, he enjoyed the dinner. And, yes, he is wonderful!!

We are so grateful for all our blessings! We have a wonderful family. We have the gospel in our lives. We have the Church that helps us. We are blessed to have the means and health to serve here in Portugal. We are truly blessed!!

Thank You, Heavenly Father!!

I hope we always act to show our gratitude!

Exploring Terceira 1

When we arrived on Terceira, a common suggestion for an activity was to drive around the perimeter of the island. One relatively clear Monday afternoon, we decided to do just that. If you drive straight with stopping, it would take about 2 hours. But, our rule for the day was: if you see something to see or do, stop and explore! Perhaps you noticed in the title the number "1". Well, we only got half way around the island before it was time to return home for the evening activities! We haven't done the second half yet -- another adventure to come.

The above picture was our first stop: São Mateus with the church towering above it all.

Then, following the road along the water front, we came to the local cemetery with an old church in the middle.

Don't know why, but I like walking through cemeteries, looking at the names, the dates and just wondering about their lives and experiences on this earth.

Here is a small church. All Catholic churches have at least one bell tower.

The front part of the inside. The churches here most use paint on elaborate plaster designs for decoration.















A very typical view of Terceira! The entire island is divided into pieces by the walls of stones making fields for the cows to graze or to grow the corn. There are still some wooded areas, but they are on the top or steep sides of the old volcanic cones.

As we were driving around, we decided to try Mount Santa Barbara. as the highest point on the island, where you should be able to see everything!! It looked clear, but it turned into a race to see if we could get to the top before the clouds settled on it.

It looks like we lost!!

We tried to get down below the cloud as it descended as well, but we were quite low before we got a clear view.


Another time!! The scenery will be incredible!!

Further along the road at a view point! You can see the road cutting across the fields. The best way to know if there is a road is to see a line of houses!!

The sign said turn here to go to the light house.

So we did,

and here it is!!

It used to be bigger, but now with the electronic technology, this is sufficient.

Past the light house and down to the end of the road was a large parking place and some rocky stairs. It is, remember, a volcanic island!!

While walking around, we saw some people fishing -- great fishing spot!!

We were hungry by now and stopped for lunch here and enjoyed the scenery while eating. Below is the view of the coast where we had just been. The point farther away is the rocky point shown above. The cow pastures go right to the edge of the cliff. 

The stone walls are essential!

Just a ways down the road, we came a sign pointing the way to a volcano cone, Pico São Simão, near the ocean. We could see our destination, but it took us awhile and one U-turn to find the small country road that took us to its foot. We climbed up -- our exercise for the day. Here is a panorama from the base:

and some views at and from the top

Another church!! Every village has their church. But they are not always open. This one is in Altares, the home for some of Dave Viera's ancestors.

And the inside. 

We have reached our half way point around the island here in Biscoitos. Here, there are natural swimming pools and they have developed them by putting in concrete walkways, platforms and stairs to get from pool to pool. There is a large parking lot, so I think during the summer it is pretty busy. This would be an awesome place to swim and have fun in the water. I am glad we are senior missionaries!!!

 It is now time to head home. We will take the road that goes across the island -- directly back to Angra.

But first!! There is the Furnas do Enxofre -- basically sulfur vents -- from the volcanic depths below. It is basically on the way home. We have to take another road, but then we will connect with Via Rápida (Fast road) and it won't take that much more time.

You can see the various vents with smoke coming out. A trail circles the little valley with signs pointing out the various plants, vents etc. It definitely had a sulfur smell, but wasn't that strong or noxious.

And it was pretty and unique in it own way.

We are on the way home and are going past kilometers of stone walls covered with a blooming plant. They are actually a little past prime, but the walls are still beautifully decorated!

 And so, that is our half of Terceira adventure!! Maybe the next half will be in the Spring with whatever that season has to offer!!

We shall see.

Inside A Volcano!

Looking up through the cone of a volcano!!!

One very unique feature on Terceira is an ancient (thank goodness) volcano that, due to the way it erupted thousands of years ago, did not collapse on itself and left an open cavern to explore!! According to the guide, it is only one of 2 of this type of volcano in the whole world!! And it is on our tiny island of Terceira.

It is called the Algar do Carvão. It is maintained by OS MONTANHEIROS – Sociedade de Exploração Espeleológica (Society of Speleological exploration). Speleological is an English word but it means the study of caves. Interestingly, the headquarters of this society is just 2 doors away from us in Angra. Their truck is often parked next to where we do and sometimes in our favorite spot. 

We went to it twice on 2 consecutive P-days. It is too far for the missionaries to go on their own and so they like having us come with a car. Elders Hobson and Pickrell asked us if we would be interested in going to see it -- which we were. We worried a little big about the rain that threatened, but it wasn't a problem nor did it really matter. The inside of the volcano is constantly dripping with water seeping through the lava! 

Here is the first exploring team!! We are at the entrance to the volcano, ready to enter!

Here is our second team!!

Sisters Savage & Harper and
the Martin Family who were visiting Terceira for 3 weeks from our own stomping grounds in Monterey/ Santa Cruz, CA area. Their main goal was discovering family members. Brother Martin's family came from Angra and they actually did find a big family group of cousins (2nd or 3rd) and shared a fun birthday party for one of them.

They also loved surfing the waves on different beaches. And they came along with us and the sister missionaries to hike and explore the Algar. So, the pictures that follow will be a mixture of the 2 trips.

You begin by walking down a long tunnel from the visitor's center to the actual volcano. 













Leaving the tunnel you look up and see the opening of the volcano, lighting up the upper portion of the volcano. (the first photo) It is lined with ferns and green and very beautiful!! 

Then you look down, and down and down!! There are so many stairs. 

The concave circle on the right of the picture is some hard lava that filled a bubble. When a following explosion happened, it 'blew' off the cover, leaving the ball-like sculpture.

Right at the turn in the stairs above, there is a wall of 'dripping lava'.  This was from the last eruption where the lava flowed down the vertical wall and cooled sufficiently to make a chocolate sauce like wall!

Sister Harper is trying to see if it is really chocolate!!

Or she may be trying to catch one of the drops from the ceiling.

Whatever it is, Sister Savage is recording it.

It is impossible to capture on camera the beauty and variety of the ceilings and walls as you descend into the volcano. Here we are down several layers and trying to get a picture, without flash, using the lighting provided. This is what they call the cathedral.

There are several platform type areas (with stair leading to and from all of them). The acoustics are amazing. We understand that sometimes they have concerts there which if they do, we want to go! Sister Savage, who has a beautiful voice, gave us a rendition of Silent Night in the cathedral. It was heavenly!!

This is the very bottom of the cavern (Remember the first set of stairs, this is about 4 more sets of stairs lower)

There is a little lake here. It was pretty low because the real rainy season hasn't yet begun. It can get up to 15 meters deep -- it is only about 3-4 meters now.





Another unusual site -- stalactites made of silicon!! These are not limestone caves, so you don't get the normal calcium stalagmites and stalactites. Instead, there is an algae or some type of bacteria that uses the silicon that is in the water that seeps through the rocks to create these stalactites. They are extremely slow growing. 

The only problem now was to go UP the stairs. Lots of good exercise though my knees weren't too happy about it all. (Especially after the hike, which you will learn about shortly!)

The first week, after leaving the Algar do Carvão, we, Elder Hobson and Elder Pickrell, went to the Gruta do Natal (Christmas Grotto), a series of lava tubes going for thousands of feet under the ground.

It is a simple enough place -- a small visitor's center (also managed by Os Montanheiros). There was nothing in the surrounding geography to suggest the tunneling that is below!

Below is the view looking away from the visitor's center.

We were required to wear hard hats. The lava is like knives both on the floor, walls and ceiling. There was one part that had a lower ceiling -- you had to bend over to walk through (though not bad enough to trigger my claustrophobia). 





You can see what the tubes look like and the very rough floor. Again, you would not want to trip and fall on this!!!

Every year on Christmas they hold a special Christmas Mass in the grotto.

The second week, with the sisters and the Martin family, we went on a hike named Mistérios Negros (Black Mysteries). It was 5 km long and rated hard. But we were game!!The hike started at Gruta do Natal where the lava tubes are. 

It wasn't so hard at first, but we immediately discovered that the flat spots don't drain well and it had been raining the week before. You would be walking along and it 'looked' like grass, but was mostly water. Our shoes got wet very quickly. Fortunately, it wasn't very cold (this was in September). And fortunately, it wasn't the clay mud like in Danville so our shoes weren't all that dirty, just wet.

It was pretty and green!!


But watch your step!

















 
We went around a little lake which was quite idyllic. You just needed to stop and look, and you needed to watch your step to avoid hidden water/mud puddles. (Have I already said that?)

And there is nothing like a lake to attract children! 










  

Going up a hill. That was nice because there wasn't so much standing water!

The name of the trail comes from 3 domes that look black and mysterious with the dark foliage. The trail climbs up between 2 of the domes. That was the hard part!! The trail was clearly marked, but you had to climb over the tree roots and underbrush which were sometimes like stairs 

as you climbed up and up.

But it was really pretty -- like some other world. 

Notice the yellow and red lines on the tree limb below??? Those are the trail markers. The 2 parallel lines mean go forward. If you need to turn, the red line will show the direction of the turn. If you are not supposed to go there, the lines are crossed. It works very well! We never got lost!

We found a very unique place for family photos!!

More jungle type trails.

We finally emerge out of the jungle and back into more open country.

Open Country with VIEWS!!!!

Then it was time to descend and finish the large circle of the trail. This is cow country and most trails we have gone on include going through or along side a pasture. With the wet ground, this was particularly hard to negotiate!!

Leaving this pasture!

The final part of the trail ran along the base of this mountain. It, too, had a trail up to the top. But, we needed to get to the cars and go to the Algar do Carvão before it closed. And I was really tired!! 

Maybe another time!!!