Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: mountains

Overlanding in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru – Rough Roads and Splendid Scenery

From the sleepy fishing village of Tortugas, Mark, Maya, and I headed inland again, back to the Andes Mountains. After traveling around Northern Peru for three weeks in our truck camper Thirsty Bella, our first impressions of the country had not been positive. Fellow overlanders kept telling us “It would get better further south.” We were both looking forward to “better,” “prettier,” and, above all, “quieter.”

Map of our sights in the Cordillera Blanca

Huaraz

We drove from sea level to 14,000ft (4,200m) in one day, so, as you can imagine, the scenery changed drastically as we climbed from littered roads and uninspiring plots of dirt to green fields, pine trees, and, above the tree line, views of the impressive snowy peaks of the Cordillera Blanca.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

On our first night in the hectic town of Huaraz, we decided to camp at its viewpoint (11,000ft or 3,350m) for a more peaceful experience. We failed to learn that the road up was narrow, rocky, and stressful. I can’t say the view was that special, but we did, at least and at last and despite a vague headache, have a quiet night – after trying to level up a bit, getting dressed for and dealing with a police visit at 11pm, and meeting expat and missionary Larry, who thought it was a good idea to scream “Good morning, Liesbet and Mark” on his 5am run the following day.

Continue reading

A Scenic Highlight in Colombia – Volcano Nevado del Ruiz & Hot Springs (A Photo Blog)

In the middle of March, our trio decided to head south and then east from Jerico, high into the mountains, to visit natural hot springs… The road was long, windy, and not without obstacles, but our biggest disappointment was arriving at our camping spot in the rain, with no visibility.

(Hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

But we woke up with this: blue skies and a view of our surroundings.

Imagine our surprise when we spotted this snow-covered volcano on our early morning walk with Maya.

We had to do a double-take!

At 7am and at an elevation of over 13,000 ft (4,000m), it was cold!

The flora was interesting as well.

I was enamored by all the flowers that bloomed at this altitude.

We couldn’t get enough of this view – Can you see Thirsty Bella?

The other side of the valley. Clouds started to roll in again.

After our morning walk and breakfast, we drove to El Sifon hot springs. It wasn’t even 9am yet and the volcano was already covered by clouds, with fog starting to roll in. But the first few miles were still photogenic, with lots of waterfalls along the road.

Where is the trail?

We managed to find a dirt road at some point and descended about 1,000ft towards the river and the natural hot springs.

We had the area to ourselves!

We found our spot: under the two waterfalls was a small pool.

This was a very scenic area, despite the steam.

After our soak – the contrast between the water and air temperature was huge!

One last shot of El Sifon hot springs!

Then, the walk back up was inevitable. It took forever, since the air was thin and we needed to stop often to catch our breath, especially me.

Back at the parking lot, life went on as always.

On our second morning, I encouraged Mark to take a photo of me and my book, Plunge, in front of the volcano…

That’s when we noticed a slight change in the appearance of Nevado del Ruiz…

Most of the snow had melted and it was spewing steam!

The photos underneath were taken around the same time, early in the morning, two days in a row. Do you notice the difference in the volcano’s appearance?

Mark took this fabulous shot.

Mark, Maya, and I came here in our truck camper Thirsty Bella to check out the hot springs and we received these spectacular views as a bonus! It was one of the quietest places we camped in Colombia. We did have to leave after two nights, though, because it was difficult to sleep and breathe at 13,000ft (4,000m) altitude and the condensation inside the camper was so bad that water kept dripping down from the ceiling!

(A week later, people from the surrounding villages had to be evacuated because of the heightened risk of a volcanic eruption and access to this area became restricted. Until now, nothing dangerous has happened. Read a CNN article here.)

360-degree view on our morning walks with Maya

Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs, check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:

Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary

Available on Amazon and elsewhere

eBook: US$ 5.99

Paperback: US$ 13.99

Another Off-road Adventure in the Mountains of Colombia — The Waterfalls & Cave of Elusive Florián

After enjoying Villa de Leyva, the end of January, the plan was to embark on another off-the-beaten-track adventure. But, as we wrapped up an extended stay in our favorite Colombian pueblo patrimonio, we faced two possible issues: the weather forecast predicted rain which could make the dirt roads impassable and we were on a deadline, because we wanted to visit our friends Susan and John in El Retiro for a handful of days, before they’d leave on a trip in the middle of February and would have other guests prior to that. Plus, we were in the midst of dealing with a vehicle extension and didn’t know if this would require a last-minute stop in Medellin.

Tiered waterfalls in Florián

Could we fit in a multiple-day side trip to Florián without encountering muddy roads, would the challenging detour be worthwhile, and would we have enough time left to make the two-day drive and visit Rio Claro on the way to El Retiro?

Few Colombians have heard of Florián, located in the middle of the mountains of the Santander department. Wikipedia in English doesn’t have much info but the Spanish page has a bit more data. The town is known for its multi-tiered waterfall, which tumbles out of a cave. It sounded cool but would take us a full day to reach; the last four hours over bouncy, slow, dirt roads.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Mark stumbled across this destination a few months ago, probably seeing photos by a fellow overlander on Facebook. He pinned it in Google maps, which is how we now compile lists of worthwhile destinations. And, by reading in our fat South America Lonely Planet.

When we arrived, exhausted and shaken, we parked along the main square for the night. We walked around town and to a viewpoint of the valley, wondering where the waterfall was located. We surely thought we’d have seen – if not heard – it by now. That’s when we discovered there was nothing but a trickle, none of it visible from a distance. To say we were disappointment is an understatement!

Continue reading

Introduction to the New Year and the Colombian Mountains — Historic Barichara, Guane, Guadalupe & Las Gachas

On New Year’s Eve, after exploring a few lesser-known towns and sights, Mark, Maya, and I arrived at campground Guiamaro to spend the New Year period with our friends Sheri and Jeff from Canada. But first, we had to navigate the narrow streets of historic Barichara, another one of Colombia’s 17 pueblos partrimonios, which stand out for their cultural heritage.

Driving into Barichara

While small for the US, Thirsty Bella is gigantic for Colombia’s town centers!

The area around Barichara, in the department of Santander, offers different places to camp in a peaceful environment, but we picked this official camping for its location – away from any settlement and along hiking trails to the center of town and another village called Guane – and its facilities; hot outdoor showers, a communal kitchen, and a washing machine. Of course, our ulterior motive was to escape any NYE fireworks for our stressed-out dog.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Continue reading

North Cascades National Park, Washington

After our whirlwind visit to Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Mark and I wished to explore Glacier National Park in Montana. My intention was to then continue our trip into Canada: Waterton Lakes NP, Banff and Jasper NPs, and saying a quick “hello” to our friends Sue and Dave in Calgary, before heading west to Vancouver and Vancouver Island.  I write “my intention”, because we never plan much in advance, and this whole itinerary might have been a tad ambitious, as summer was already ending this far north. Why was that a surprise to me?

Upon doing research online about Glacier National Park, we discovered that massive forest fires raged on the western edge of the park. This was the preferred side for us to enter, because it offered spectacular views, contained free camping, the distance was doable, and it made most sense for our route north. But, the western entrance was closed. We decided to skip this park altogether and drove westwards within the United States, choosing North Cascades National Park as our new destination in Washington state.

The Logistics

Continue reading

Completed House Sits: Rollinsville, Colorado – September 16th to October 14th, 2017

On September 16th, Mark and I left our previous house sit in Santa Fe, New Mexico early in the morning for a decent drive to northern Colorado. While taking care of a pet-less home for one month provided us with more flexibility, we were both looking forward to furry company again. Arriving in Rollinsville, 40 minutes west (and up) of Boulder, we were immediately greeted by Oscar, a big and fluffy Golden Retriever. At eight years old, he is a ball of energy with a very high cuddle factor. The owners gave us a warm welcome as well, quite appreciated in the chilly air of our new home at 8500ft of elevation.

The contrast with New Mexico was grand – temperature, scenery and activity-wise. Our new neighborhood was very picturesque. After unloading Zesty, the camper van, we spent the next 24 hours with Oscar and his “parents”, getting to know them, the area, the schedule and the house. Then, we settled for a month in the mountains.

Continue reading

© 2024 Roaming About

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑