WAGS 19.06.2019: Back and Walking

       I don't know why, but it appears to be a recognised phenomenon, that as one's years advance, memories of your rose-coloured youth rise to the surface of your consciousness at the exact opposite rate that the reason why you walked into the living room just now, fades.
    And so it was that as I sat down to try and report the walk on 19th of June, I couldn't immediately recall too much detail, but, unbidden, into my head sprang a song which I had not thought about in years, but was so vividly reminiscent of happy times - and I could remember all the words, despite it having been recorded 59 years ago in 1960. This was it:

Now I was about 12 or 13 when this came out and Helen was probably one of my first teenage crushes, despite only being 2 years older than myself. But then I have always liked older women!!

  Anyway, the sentiment stands. Walking back to Happiness!

We were back in the Algarve and back Wednesday WAGGing. Rod was still unavailable, and after last week's debacle, I wasn't expecting too much in the way of company, but in the event, we had 6   WAGS and a couple of Geocaching friends from Warwickshire to augment the talent on display.

L-R: Seated: Emma, Hilke, Peter, Myriam, Maria.
        Standing, Gary, Paul, John.

  Gary, my Geocaching friend from Stratford upon Avon, who rejoices under the geocaching name JimJinks, has been known to be a tad obsessive about his hobby. At the time of writing this he has found 24,177 caches over 1000 of which he was the first one to find them. He has been Geocaching since March 2006, just 3 months longer than Myriam and I, but our grand total is 2139.  However, we have finds in 21 different countries whereas Gary has only in 12 countries!!  Emma herself has over 4000 caches found.
       
     Anyway, it was a dull cool morning when we gathered at Vadibar in Barao Sao Joao.  After the usual greetings, pleasantries and a bit of reshuffling of cars by those that hadn't found the correct parking area, we set off.  My original intention had been to attempt to follow an all new route uploaded by someone else to ViewRanger, but unreccied by me, but not wanting to embarrass myself in front of visitors, I determined to follow the tried and tested 10 km route, only in reverse. Then I did embarrass myself as I boldly turned left at the church to realise that Sculpture Hill was not where I thought it was.  A bit of direction seeking of a local, by Myriam soon had us at the right  junction, and ready to head up the hill.

 Meanwhile the ladies spotted a donkey foal, and the usual discussion about the names of crosses between donkeys,asses, horses,  mules, hinnys, jennys and jacks ensued, although the only thing of which I was certain was that the young of all of them is a foal.

Getting the hill out of the way early on.

Nice trumpet shaped flower - can anyone identify it? Plantsnap, my app says Trumpet Vine

BSJ's prolific sculptor, Deodato Silva has  been working hard and there were more than a few new sculptures on the hill......

.....including this one of a man extricating himself from the nails on a cross......

...and this immodest young lady with a fig necklace munching on an estrela.

On on and up.........

The girls in the band

Imaginative groupings

They Shoot Horses Don't They?

A pleasantly shaded walk through the forest to Pedra Blanca took is past some amber forming from the sap of a fir tree.

 The Obligatory Trig Point Photograph at Pedra Blanca

Spot the Difference!!

Peter decided to call it a day at Pedra Blanca as he was a bit out of training and headed back directly to his car. We carried on with the circuit.

We ambled gently round the long flat section, and I ignored the short cut which would have robbed us of our 10 km  target. (see below)

John's track. His stats were rather modest compared to the official ones, but made us look quite good on the ascent: Total distance 10.1 kms.

Total time: 3 hrs 06 mins

Moving time: 2 hrs 17 mins.

Moving average: 4.4 kph.

Ascent: 340 metres.

Viewranger had this track and some enhanced stats

Wheras the official Garmin record showed this:-

but an ascent  of only 230 meters. 

The bus we were looking for , solar powered and eco friendly as befitted a village of vegan eco warriors.

 Anyway we finished at a decent time of 1pm, and Vadibar was not too crowded as we were only 7. The lady owner provided us with good bifanas and toasted sandwiches plus the usual libations.

Relieved that we didn't have to suffer the  cuisine of the Palm Tree Cafe we agreed  that honour had been satisfied,and parted with the possibility of a walk and a metre-long Pizza to round the season off.

The wisdom of age: 'don't stop walking.'   Mason Cooley