AZORES  - DAY EIGHT - Pico Mountain

Blogs: Day 1 - Getting There | Day 2 - Central | Day 3 East | Day 4 West | Day 5 Last Day | Day 6 To Pico | Day 7 Madalena | Day 8 Pico Mountain | Day 9 Pico to Faial | Day 10 Pico East | Day 11 Pico North | Day 12 To São Miguel | Day 13 São Miguel North East | Day 14 São Miguel North West | Day 15 São Miguel Furnas | Day 16 São Miguel Pineapples | Day 17 São Miguel Baths | Day 18 São Miguel Filling the Gaps | Day 19 São Miguel ABF

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Today the weather forecast was SUPPOSED to be mostly sunny and clear.  So we decided to drive up Pico Mountain to the observation deck at the welcome center which is 4000 feet from the bottom, basically half way up. The view is supposedly fantastic!

And here's the view we got, look at the whole island behind us! NOT! A fog rolled in for our entire duration at the viewpoint! The road up and back down again was quite a challenge due to A) the fog and B) extremely narrow and filled with pot holes!

We caught a glimpse of the mountain before the fog rolled in and we found the vegetation to be really interesting.  The entire ground is volcanic rock and covered by thick greenish-brown grass like moss and the walls had a white moss on them.

Climbing the mountain is very popular. From the welcome center it is only a two mile long climb, but ascending 4000 feet makes those 2 miles very, very steep! You have to register at the center and they fit you with a GPS tracker and inspect your equipment to make sure you have what you need. There is a rescue team on site in case you get into trouble. Temperatures on the top of the mountain this time of year are in the 30s during the day and well below freezing at night.

On the way to the mountain we stopped off at a lake which supposedly has a fantastic view of the mountain behind it. So much for that idea. However, we were besieged by Muscovy ducks who seemed to think we owed them something and followed us around everywhere. 

The similarities of Pico Island and Central Florida are very similar, well, except for the lava rock!  There are many flowers that are the same such as hibiscus, bird of paradise, and morning glories.  Also, there is an exorbitant amount of CITRUS!  Everywhere you look are tangerine, orange, lime and lemon trees.  I really didn't see that one coming from the middle of the North Atlantic! 

Farm animals are everywhere on the road so you do have to keep a sharp eye out.

Back at sea level we did find another mini port (they all kinda look the same) and a less than impressive lighthouse.

Of course another pretty windmill. These windmills were used for 650 years! They declined due to steam power and then after World War I when the internal combustion engine took over.

The green and white ornate building above is called an impérios. Religious festivals are very important to the Azorean people, who are primarily Roman Catholic, and combine religious rituals with processions celebrating the benevolence of their neighbors. These events are centered around impérios. The small buildings host the meals, adoration and charity of the participants, and are used to store the artifacts associated with the events.

We finished the day with a drive along the ocean.

And finally...

Who is more healthy?

Me drinking espresso and smoking a cigarette with the neighbors cat... or...

Wendy making freshly squeezed orange juice from oranges picked in our yard?

What the F%$@#* hell is that? We get home at 5 pm and THIS is Pico Mountain! Where's the M&@#$&*ing fog??????