I was a little concerned when I got up. A peek
through the window revealed a bright sunny day. I walked outside and took a
look inland - not a cloud in the sky. Ah well, the weather can change and
clouds may drift in by the time we get to the top of the hill.
We had the usual quick breakfast, a couple of rolls
with slices of cheese. One feature of the fridge in our cabana was that
although it had various temperature settings, the result was the same - very
cold. As a result, Angie would spend a few minutes with her hair dryer to
defrost the cheese so that the slices could be pulled apart, while I made the
coffee.
We made one stop (S150) along the track about
half way up the hill and saw Copiapoa cinerea and its forms Copiapoa
haseltoniana and C. tenebrosa. The track had not improved during
the last two years and the silence all round us was only broken by the noise
of the Nissan coming up the hill. It had a metal plate that acted as a guard
to protect the oil sump etc from damage from stones and boulders and should be
held in place by four nuts & bolts. It was now only held on by one and as a
result, the sump guard scraped along the track, making a poor attempt at
levelling it for our descend later. The Copiapoas were a beautiful white to
bluish grey that combined beautifully with the clear blue sky!
S151 was made at the top of the hill, and still not a cloud in sight
to recreate the magical effect that we had witnessed two years ago. The ground
was thick with between large Echinopsis (Trichocereus) and Eulychnia
stems and small leafless shrubs, of which I was only able to recognise
Euphorbia lactiflua (unless there is another plant up there as well that
bleeds when a branch breaks off) and Oxalis gigantea. But where as the
action in 2001 had been on the east side of the hill, over looking the then
cloud filled valley, this time I went to take a look to the west and found
that the trip was still worth while as a beautiful view over Taltal unfolded.
Last time, the clouds had prevented this. A few wispy clouds were beginning to
drift in, but not enough to spoil the view or to recreate the 2001 view.
On the way up, we had passed a turn off where a track
headed east along what Rudolf had very aptly christened 'The Ridge Way'. We
crawled along this, as the track was in a very poor shape, but offered
spectacular views, including the occasional steep drop either side of it. We
could hear the Nissan scrape along behind us. We stopped (S152) at a
place suggested by Rudolf, where Copiapoa rupestris (and not much else)
grew. This had to be a continuation of the population that we'd seen at the
end of the Quebrada San Ramon, where it had been accompanied by Copiapoa
krainziana but there was no sign of anything like a white spined plant
here.
There was one more stop (S153) to feast our
eyes on 'proper' Copiapoa cinerea, white bodied plants with jet black
spines, just one or two per areole, before returning to Taltal. Is there such
a thing as cactus-indigestion after seeing so many beautiful plants today? And
is there a cure? Sure there is - more of the same tomorrow!
