Today
was planned to be a repeat of the route we took on
5 October 2004. But this was Angie's first
introduction to the view point at El Mirador and included some of her
favourites from 2003 - the large numbers of Copiapoa columna-alba seen
during the day and the presence of the famous foxes, both at El
Mirador and at Las Lomitas. We just enjoyed playing with and exploring
the capabilities of our cameras with such wonderful subjects.
There were many stops
(S535 - S545) and it was the day that I took most (334 compared to
Angie's 739) digital images - quite a contrast from the typical roll
of 36 slides per day for the conventional 35 mm cameras I had in 2001,
but as Alain and I would remind each other regularly in 2004: 'It's
not a competition of who can take the most images'. Today the pictures
tell the story, so you'll have to wait until the website has been
updated over the Christmas holiday break.
Today's stops were as
follows:
S535 - various short stops
between Chañaral & southern entrance PdA
S536 - Stops
between southern entrance & PdA village
S537 - El Mirador
S538 - Los Lomitas
S539 - Los Lomitas:
2003's 'Walker's Drop Off' - descend to Esmeralda
S540 - Another Copiapoa columna-alba valley
S541 - Guanillos Valley -
inland
S542 - Guanillos Valley -
Angie finds the Copiapoa laui that we could not find in 2004
S543 - Guanillos Valley -
Alan Craig Memorial: still in tact and well looked after
S544 - Below Las Lomitas
- best longistaminea stop
S545 - Secret Valley
We had arranged to meet up with our Chilean
internet pen pals Juan and Florencia here, but unfortunately, no one
appeared.
This time, we had not
brought tents, thinking that with just two of us in the car, we'd be
able to stretch out. Wrong - our luggage had taken up all of the back
seat and with the usual heavy dew, it would be soaking wet by the time
that we'd get up. We decided to sit upright in the front seats - even
less comfortable then the seats on the 13 hour flight over. Rather
than collect Eulychnia wood for our campfire, I found a large dead
Eulychnia and we took the fire to it and after a couple of hours
reminiscing and listening to the echoes of past camp fires here, we
turned in for an uncomfortable night - must do better next year!
