Two Volcanoes Today!

Volcanoes Irazú and Turrialba are almost twin volcanoes with a road connecting the near tops of both in the rural vegetable farming mountains just northwest of the lodge. The rich volcanic soil is great for growing vegetables and many are shipped to other countries including the states.

Turrialba is active right now, so we saw it from outside that park, but I have photos below of both. My one disclaimer is that there is not as much to see at these two as the Poas Volcano north of where I live and I do have past posts and photo galleries on my two visits there, plus a gallery on my visit to Rincón de la Vieja northeast of Liberia which is more like a miniature Yellowstone with lots of bubbling mud pots, hot springs and fissures. And Tenorio is similar. But my favorite is Arenal Volcano National Park for birding! You only see the volcano from outside. They are all interesting! And Stijn was an excellent guide again today! He made photos of me on his phone which I don’t have to share yet. And later I may do a post on the many interesting flowers and a couple of insects I photographed at Irazú.

The principle crater at Irazú can still be active.

Below are separate galleries on Irazú & Turrialba with 5 shots from each . . .

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Gardens of Guayabo Lodge

I shot most of these photos on my arrival afternoon, Sunday. Please be aware that I’m in one of those places with a weak internet connection. Yesterday I uploaded the photos for the blog okay but when I tried to view them online I got only words with no photos showing up at all. If that is happening to you, you may see the photos I’ve chosen for the blog on the beginnings of my Gallery for 2022 April 3-8 Guayabo Lodge. Of course the gallery is incomplete until after the trip. For now it is an alternate way to see my blog photos if you are not seeing them as I could not yesterday, 🙂 And the problem may have been my blog host yesterday because I’m seeing them okay today! 🙂

Bird of Paradise Flower
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“Up on the Farm”

Yeah, I know, the old expression is “down on the farm” but here I’m literally UP on a farm in the mountains north of Cartago, Costa Rica on the slopes of Turrialba Volcano. You do know that the best coffee is “mountain grown” and this farm grows coffee along with many vegetables and animals – and just happens to also have a small tourist hotel! 🙂

My room is the left upstairs window in that building seen here from the farm.

So on my arrival day I’m featuring a few photos about the farm location of my lodge/hotel, the Guayabo Lodge, the closest one to the archaeological site and National Monument Guayabo which I’m scheduled to visit tomorrow.

Not only am I sleeping on an active farm but also in a beautiful garden with flowers that mostly grow only in the mountains here. Maybe that will be tomorrow’s post since it will probably take a long time to process photos from the national monument tomorrow. 🙂

Here’s 7 favorite farm shots from my arrival day . . .

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Sunrise Over Atenas

The hills on the other side of Central Atenas magically light up when the sun rises in the morning. I made this photo a week or two ago on my cellphone. To be honest, I’m not dressed and outside for sunrise very often for the last year or so or since cancer surgery. And I do have better photos from earlier years, but any sunrise is good! 🙂

“Another sunrise, another new beginning.”

~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie

¡Pura Vida!

See more in VISTAS, BEACHES, SUNRISES, SUNSETS Costa Rica.

Contrasting Hans Christian Anderson with Preston & Childs

Now that I finished all of the Agatha Christie books, I try different kinds of books from non-fiction to mysteries to classics and have frequently followed the advice of my younger brother, Jerry, who told me once that if you don’t enjoy a book or get something from it, why continue reading it? Even a classic!

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Squirrel and Vine Snake

At the same breakfast stop for the Macaws shown yesterday, I got a photo of this very common Variegated Squirrel. Then, while on the trail at Tenorio Volcano National Park, a shot of an immature or juvenile Brown Vine Snake. We could have seen more wildlife in that park had it been our target instead of waterfalls. 🙂 But I stayed focused on my target of the day! 🙂

Variegated Squirrel, Canas, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Immature Brown Vine Snake, Tenorio Volcano National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
And if you have trouble finding it , it runs from upper left corner to lower right corner.
Yellowish Brown.

¡Pura Vida!

This Trip arranged with Walter’s Taxi & Tours.

My Variegated Squirrel Gallery

My Brown Vine Snake Gallery (only 2)

Goose Egg Falls

Hmmm! What is this? Well, you see, my trip planner, Walter, works very hard to please his customers with little “extras” and knew about an unnamed waterfall along our return highway near San Ramon or in that Canton (county), just 20 meters off the highway! So we stopped and parked in the edge of the mud by the highway and walked through the mud down a rocky little decline (that I almost fell on) to a stream to be where we could see this waterfall with minimal water right now in dry season. Well, it was rocky as you can see in one photo and the bottom of my shoes were muddy. I put my weight down on one, possibly wet, rock and slipped falling backwards on the rocks, banging my head on one of those big round ones. It hurt bad for about a minute or 2 only. Then I felt a growing bump on my head.

I thought I was dead or seriously injured and so did Walter who was concerned about me for days. But I’m fine now, just immediately after the fall I had a big “Goose Egg” which is what we called a “bump on the head” as a child in South Arkansas! 🙂 The goose egg on my head lasted until the next morning and was gone. no more pain after the fall and I was already crazy, so you can’t tell if it affected me that way! 🙂 And I got to add one more waterfall to my collection from this one day trip. (45 sounds better than 44 in my gallery) 🙂 And I will try to work it into the photo book if I can.

When we drove over the bridge over that stream a sign said: “Rio Catarata” which in English would be simply “Waterfall River.” Thus my own name for the falls works for me! 🙂 Pura vida from Goose Egg Falls!

Unnamed Waterfall in San Ramon Canton, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
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