Cycling from Calheta to Madalena

Ruth: Today was the day we had an “opening” between storms to cycle around the south side of Pico to the port town of Madalena, about 54kms away. With winds blowing at 40kms per hour we set off just as the skies opened up. The rain felt like hail hitting my face. “I can get on a plane and fly to Lisbon or just fly home” I thought. We have cold rain to enjoy in Victoria. I was making plans in my head when the rain stopped and the sun came out making everything sparkle. Relief made the scene look even more magical. And so it went over much of our ride.

There was no way the camera could document much of our morning, and even getting it out to quickly snap a picture when the sun peeked out was risky. I took the photo of the huge wave with my cell phone because the salt spray was everywhere. The seas were huge and the waves unbelievable. Great surfing curls if they didn’t end by crashing into a horrific jagged lava field.

The wind never quit but the rain did for a hour at the end of our ride. The island is just gorgeous in the sun. We had glimpses of Pico and could see how far down the snow cover was. Our host Adelina said that it was only 8 degrees this morning and that she has not seen temperatures like this here for years. It is certainly not ideal for cycle touring, but I must remember it is February.