Ruth: Weather is so important when travelling, and winter travel is sometimes hard. Today we managed to dodge a couple of major downpours on our way around the eastern tip of Pico. When we spotted the first wall of water bearing down on us we... Read More

Gordon:  Yesterday dawned beautifully, with sun, a gentle breeze, and the usual mild temperature.  The forecast was for significant rain today, so we wanted to have an outing before the anticipated indoor day.I plotted a 47 km circuit that would take us along most of... Read More

Ruth: We have done the math. We have to slow down or we will run out of roads! We have three islands with winter ferry service and we could cycle around Pico, the largest, in three easy days. We have more than five weeks! I thought... Read More

Gordon:  This morning we took the ferry from Horta to Madalena, on the island of Pico.  The crossing only takes 30 minutes, but it felt like an adventure.  There was a strong breeze blowing, which, combined with the mid-Atlantic swell, had the modestly sized ferry... Read More

Ruth: Gord, at 61, can now measure his age in geologic time. At this far corner of Faial we spent the day exploring the new land formed by volcanic eruptions that started in September 1957, shortly after he was born. Gord is indeed older than... Read More

Gordon:  Like all of the islands in the Azores, Faial is of volcanic origin.  The island is dominated by one large volcano which is referred to as the “caldera”.  The rim of the caldera is at an elevation of 900 to 1050 metres, and much... Read More