Visiting the other part of the Urubamba valley, we found time to stop at an important archeological site near Pisaq
This took us down into the valley of the Rio Urubamba around Alcanote.
On program visit with Practical Action, our 2nd base camp (after Lima) was the city of Cusco high up in the Peruvian Andes.
Today we even had a double take – one on the bike up to Clavadeler Alp as an easy morning run when it was still reasonably cool, and afterwards a quite strenuous but rewarding round trip hike to Chamanna da Grialetsch SAC. The inquiry about the upper hiking trail back to Flüela Pass via Fuorcla Radönt pass was, well, not as expected. The advice that the trail was a little more complex than the lower one we had hiked in on, but still easily feasible with the dog, turned out to be overly optimistic. In one section in the shadow of Piz Radönt flank we spent the better part of an hour climbing huge blocks to try and make progress but often had to turn back and find a better way. Farkas was very brave although clearly respectful of this field of big rocks that was more climbing and jumping for him than hiking.
Two days in Davos converted Farkas into an eager and confident trail dog who seems not to tire and always sense which is the right trail. The first evening, we packed a picknick dinner and headed off to Strela Pass and Chörbschhorn peak.
Farkas learns to stand up paddle on the Aare canal near Winznau in splending early summer weather.
The 2nd day of my stopver, I rented an electric bike with a broken battery, followed the cable cars and eventually the bike path across the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge all the way to Muir Woods via Sausalito, where I enjoyed the sun.
On my way back from Hawai’i I had to stop over and went for a quick city trip with a two-night stay in the now-a-Hillton Parc 55. In the first afternoon after my red-eye arrival from Kona, I walked along Market St and got a few shots of the F-trams running by.
I had been watching for Nene – the state bird of Hawaii – across my visits in the park, but eventually just asked ranger friends and they pointed me to a subdivision of Volcano village just outside the park. Fair enough, the Nene flock was to be found on the fairground of the local golf course.
