2004-02 Gran Canaria: Dunas de Maspalomas / Reserva Natural Especial

Last evening I noticed an unusual (in my experience) westerly wind. It drove very dark clouds, which I mentioned to Omi Marga as the kind which foretold rain if I saw them back home. I guess it means the same thing here :-)

The high point today was a visit to the Dunas de Maspalomas, the sand dunes between Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas. I wanted to make sure that the kids got a chance to experience this. Lila didn't like the choppy breeze so she and Rose headed back to the RIU Palace (the white building at the top of the panorama below) whilst Isaac and I watched the wind move the dunes, run up and down dunes, and threw a few stones.

Here Isaac points down to the green bushes a few hundred feet down a very steep dune, down which we quickly ran and slowly climbed up. As fast as I take these pictures he's already turned around and prepares to run down the right side of the dune.

Here's a panorama of the dunes as seen from the RIU Palace promenade. (The Faro de Maspalomas can be seen about a quarter of the way from the right edge.)

Here's a much closer view of the big sand dune in the middle of the panorama above. See the wind blowing a trail of sand into the air? That's what causes the "walking" of the dunes. One can get a lot of sand into ones eyes if one is unlucky, especially if a fall brings the eyes near to the surface (where the blowing sand moves very quickly).

Yours truly, at the Dunas de Maspalomas. I'm really enjoying having a few photos of me in these locales; I'm used to being on the other side of the camera.

Here's a photo Isaac took of me. The {"", "kilt", ""} is being blown around quite a bit by the strong wind.

Whilst playing mini-golf at the C. C. Cita we are dusted with a bit of mist, and are treated to another Gran Canaria rainbow.

Isaac is getting really good at mini-golf. Several times he's gotten holes-in-one, other times he's quite a bit over par. Sometimes the fun is driving the ball into the water traps just to slosh around the water. No tenemos prisa. (Spanish: we're in no rush.)

Hey, who should wander by just as we're looking out at the Gran Canaria train? Charlie! We chat about planning another trip into the interior later this week, perhaps to the caves of the aboriginal Canarios.

A hunger stirred up by the mini-golf is to be satiated at Restaurante Laurentino, San Fernando.

Have you found errors nontrivial or marginal, factual, analytical and illogical, arithmetical, temporal, or even typographical? Please let me know; drop me email. Thanks!

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