Last day in the islands

April 30

 This morning was our disembarkation day,  with an evening flight to Lisbon. A morning tour had been arranged for us, visiting the western portion of São Miguel, dominated by another set of calderas with beautiful forested sides and lakes at their bottom. We walked in a national park, and were a bit startled by an area where the trails were closed to enable the replanting of endemic grasses and shrubs. Those hillsides were a mass of erosion— from just two years of visitors going off-trail to “get a better picture”. It was a sobering lesson on the fragility of native ecosystems. 

We also visited a pineapple plantation. The Azorean government subsidizes pineapple cultivation, as it is culturally important but no longer profitable. Azorean pineapple is a different strain than we eat in the US or is cultivated in Brazil. The pineapple is grown in greenhouses. The uniquely Azorean feature to their cultivation is that after the plants flower, they are exposed to smoke for two weeks. This practice developed after it was observed that plants in a greenhouse that burned matured more quickly and uniformly. 

We ate one last lunch together in a local restaurant near the airport. In the parking lot was a car that had clearly been there for some time —- nasturtiums and morning glory were climbing all over it!

Last night we watched a slide show of images from our three week journey from South America to Africa to Europe, composed from photos that passengers and staff took along the way.  It was a great way to reflect on the full trip, and to appreciate that we had many unique experiences because there were only about one-third of the normal passenger load on the ship.  Swimming in the open ocean, visiting Ilhas Desertas, spectacular multi course dinners and wine tastings, and some of the land excursions would have been impractical with a larger group. 

Pictured: the multi-lake calderas, pineapples and some of our colleagues in the greenhouse, the floral car

Lunch from a volcano

 April 29

Today was the first of two days spent on São Miguel, the largest island of the Azores in both land area and population. As with the other islands, it is volcanic and the southern side is the more densely populated than the north. However, most of the volcanos on São Miguel have not erupted in millennia, entitling it to be called the Green Island. Very quickly after leaving downtown Ponto Delgado, the landscape becomes agricultural and then forested. 

Having searched fruitlessly for many days for cetaceans  (we did get a fleeting glimpse of some dolphins yesterday), we were pleased that a large pod of dolphins chose to bow-ride to welcome us into port this morning. 

Although there have been no major eruptions in milllenia ( the most recent limited one was in 1630), the central caldera still has active mud pots and fumaroles. We walked around the edge of a lake at the bottom of the caldera, and had lunch in a local restaurant in the town of Furnas (also the name of the volcano). The town is within the caldera and has its own fumaroles, hot springs and carbonated water sources. Some members of our party tasted these waters, we declined as the smell of sulfur dioxide was so strong in the air already.

But about lunch: we ate Cozida das Furnas, a meat and vegetable stew that is slow cooked for 5-6 hours in covered pots inserted into concrete-lined holes within the fumarole.  Earth is piled over the top of the pot and a flag marking whose pot is in which hole is added. When the time comes, two men with shovels uncover the pot and then reach down with long-shanked hooks to grab the handles of the pot and haul it out.  The cooking liquid is served as a first course soup, followed by the meats (today chicken, pork, several kinds of sausage and ham) and vegetables (carrots, cabbage, greens and potatoes). It was simple but delicious. We ate local pineapple for dessert. 

Other highlights of the day were a stop at a local bakery where we could watch them prepare their famous cream cheese tarts, a visit to a local tea plantation, and some lovely miradors (overlooks). The tea plantation is one of two remaining on the island. This one has been in continuous operation since 1883. At the height of the tea industry there were 17 factories. Improvements in international transportation and disruptions from the two world wars caused many others to close in the early 20th century.  At our final mirador on the north coast we again saw a large pod of dolphins, a lovely bookend to the day. 

Pictured: morning (Common) Dolphin greeters, lunch emerging from the fumarole, caldera including the town of Furnas

Ilhas Pico y Faial, Azores

 April 28

Today we visited two of the smaller islands in the central cluster of the Azores: Pico and Faial.

Pico is the youngest of the Azores (270,000-300,000 years old) and the second largest at 270 sq miles 450 sq km) with a population of 40,000 people. It also contains the highest peak in all of Portugal. We got a brief view of this peak at the top of the Pico volcano as we drive past this morning. The actual caldera is 500 meters across and still smokes, although the last eruption from one of its side craters was in the late 18th century.

Pico is called the “gray island” because there is so much exposed basalt and lava. This made supporting a local colony a real challenge in the 15th century. It was discovered that wine grapes can grow well in the volcanic soil, but first you have to remove the surface rocks. Near the ocean, the solution was to build small rock walled enclosures to provide wind protection and plant the vines within them. Much of the island is carpeted with these enclosures. The magnitude of the manual labor this would require is staggering. The vineyards have been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. The peak of wine production was in the mid-18th century, employing one quarter of the residents, and then phylloxera arrived and killed most of the vines. There was a mass exodus from the island, which recovered somewhat after the local whaling industry developed. Wine production has started to increase again, as well as tourism . 

Faial is a very different island although only 2 km away. It is much smaller (173 sq km and 40,300 people), and is known as the Blue Island from the rampant hydrangeas. It is as green and lush as Pico is harsh and rocky, except on the western end. Faial was where the wealthy Pico vineyard owners lived and where all the export and import businesses were located, as it has a large natural harbor. Faial was developed as an orange growing center as well, in part to avoid scurvy in the ship crews. 

Faial, like its neighbor Pico, became a large whaling center, particularly connected to American whaling companies. Azorean sailors are specifically mentioned for their bravery in Moby Dick. Then in September 1957 a submarine volcano off the west coast started spewing steam and ash. It erupted for 13 months in several phases including a dramatic lava stage at the end. When it was finished, whaling villages had been destroyed, ash covered the farm fields, and new land had been added to the island. 35% of the island population emigrated, much of them to the United States.

The island economy has shifted to dairy and beef cattle (there are currently 3 cows per resident), whale watching and other tourism. The parliament of the Azores meets in Faial although the president is hard on São Miguel. 

Tonight, as we left to cruise to São Miguel, we enjoyed a Philippine banquet and a performance by some amazingly talented musicians from our crew. 

Pictured: Pico peak and vineyard walls, 1957 label on Faial, ship band 

First day in the Azores

 April 26- 27

Yesterday was a quiet day at sea as we transitioned from Madeira to the Azores. Well, perhaps some would disagree with “quiet”. After having calm seas for nearly all of this voyage, the Atlantic found us, with 10 foot seas and 20 mph winds on the bow quarter, meaning that we didn’t quite “pitch” nor did we quite “roll” but were “in a confused sea” for some of the day and both nights!

Sea days are filled with time outside (or in this case behind windows to stay out of the wind) looking for seabirds and marine mammals and attending talks by our naturalists. One of the presentations was about whaling in the Azores— less the grisly aspects and more a discussion of what happens to a community when its major industry vanishes.  The Azores whaling industry began with the arrival of American whalers in 1765 and grew rapidly.  The advent of electricity and other advances in materials and technology reduced the demand for whale products long before bans were put in place. The impacts on the economy and social hierarchy of small isolated communities was a thought provoking topic. 

On Saturday we arrived at Vila do Porto on Santa Maria in the late morning. Santa Maria is one of the smaller islands of the Azores in both land area (97 sq km) and population (5000) and is the most southeastern one. 

Santa Maria is mostly flat as its volcanos were of the fissure type, and the island spent millennia under the ocean so it has limestone as well as basalt. The island is (desert aside) lush and green with many herds of cattle and sheep. It was the first of the Azores to be discovered by the Portuguese (1427), and a favorite target of pirates. In the 17th century a new town (Vila do Porto) was built around an existing convent and with better defenses. It remains the largest town on the island.

We hiked from the highest point on the island (also the site of the famous 1989 plane crash) to a village down on the sea coast where Columbus attended a thanksgiving mass on his return from the new world in 1493.  We had been told the hike would be a 4 mile loop but it was instead a 6.5 mile linear hike — a great trade as it enabled us to see many different landscapes from forests to meadows to a red (volcanic) sand desert.

Pictured: defensive walls around the 17th century town, red desert, fields of Santa Maria 

Madeira on Independence Day

April 25

Today was a fascinating date to be in Madeira— the 50th anniversary of the overthrow of the Salazar dictatorship and the start of the new Portuguese republic. Having seen the concentration camp in Cape Verde for political prisoners and revolutionaries, and after learning from our onboard Portuguese naturalist, the date had more meaning for us.  In Madeira, still an autonomous region of Portugal, it was a massive holiday, including block parties, lots of family picnics, marching bands, and an ultramarathon. 

We spent the morning birding, leaving the ship by zodiac before dawn, and the afternoon on a botany tour, both with a wonderful young local nature guide. Madeira is a diverse island. A local expression is “the Canaries have an island per biome but we have them all”.  We traveled from the relatively dry south to the cloud forest at the peak of the mountains to the lush northern side. Unlike the Canary Islands, which have no rivers and get the water from volcanic aquifers, Madeira has many rivers and streams and is installing hydroelectric capability. 

We saw two of the three endemic bird species (see pictures below). We were hoping to see a pipit on the far eastern side of the island. Unfortunately it was so windy that standing was a bit of a challenge— no wonder why they put the wind turbines on this side of the island. 

On the botany tour we learned about “island gigantism”.  There are no herbivores and few pollinators on Madeira, so plants grow larger and differently to try to attract attention. Plants like buttercups grow to be several feet tall with leaves the size of dinner plates. There are heathers that are the size of small trees. Heathers are the precursor to laurels in the plant sequence of the forests. We walked through two kinds of laurel forests, one high in the cloud forest and another in a protected valley. 

This trip has been a lesson in longitude and latitude as well as the local geographies. Having sailed mostly east (and a little north) till we crossed the equator, and then mostly north to get to Cape Verde, Canaries and Madeira, we will now sail northwest to the Azores. This has corresponded to a lot of changing of our watches, but tonight we will regain one of the lost hours (and then lose it again at the end of the trip when we fly to Lisbon en route to New York). It has also been a good lesson in longitudinal alignment— how far west Africa extends compared to Western Europe, how close to Africa Cape Verde and the Canaries are, and that the Azores are further west than Iceland! 

Pictured: leaving the ship before dawn, Madeira Firecrest, Madeira Chaffinch, 

Ilhas Desertas

 We spent the morning at sea, searching the horizon for whale “blows” and seabirds. Seabirds yes (some in very large flocks), whales no, but it was lovely morning. In the afternoon we had the rare opportunity to go ashore at Ilhas Desertas (the deserted islands), a set of three rocky islets that are part of the Madeira Archipelago. 

 The islands are one of the few remaining refuges for the Atlantic Monk Seal. These monk seals are some of the largest seals in the world (up to 10 feet long and weighing up to 800 lbs). They were hunted nearly to extinction for their blubber, their pelts, and to protect fishing grounds from their predation. By 1988 there were only 8 left and the islands became a protected area. There are now 31, assuming the latest pups survive. There is a research station (more substantial than the one on the St Peter Rocks) where researchers work in 2 week shifts on behalf of the seals and a locally endemic seabird. While we were not able to see any of the seals today, we did see some endemic birds, and the steep rocky ridges of the island were beautiful. While it was “yet another volcanic island” this one is so old and weathered that the appearance is quite different… and so rugged that it is no surprise that human habitation never took hold. We also had great fun just being out in the zodiacs zipping around on the ocean on a sunny day. 

After the islands we transitioned to Funchal, the capital of Madeira. It took the ship about two hours, during which we were rewarded with three sperm whale sightings, including a mother and calf quite close to the ship. We saw both of them come up for air and then watched the mother dive while the calf followed with its own dive.

In the late afternoon a local group (Grupo de Folclore e Etnografico da Boa Nova) came aboard and performed traditional songs and dances. Some of the motions in the dances were unfamiliar, and were explained as symbolizing the picking and stomping of grapes. They also had some unusual instruments and costumes… all very enjoyable. 

Pictures: Berthelot’s (endemic) Pipit, Ilhas Desertas sea cliffs, Sperm whales, dancers

Laurel forests and more volcanoes

On Monday April 22nd we landed on Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands, along with Madeira and the Azores, have a Mediterranean climate but did not get covered with glaciers in the Ice Age. They retain species that did not survive in Europe, particularly species of laurel trees as well as other plants and flowers. We hiked through an ancient Laurel forest in one of three protected areas on the island.  We also visited the original capital (La Laguna) and enjoyed the beautiful architecture of this 17th century city. Most of the older buildings in the center have been maintained or restored, including magnificent doors and balconies. Many of the newer buildings have echoed these design patterns. 

On April 23 we toured La Palma, the farthest west of the Canary Islands. Here the volcanic history of the island is obvious. The harbor is flanked by a giant cliff, the eroded side of an ancient volcano. On a bus tour of the southern half of the island, we visited the site of the 2021 eruption. The volcanos on La Palma are of a type that only erupt once in their lifetimes, so the initial plume of ash and steam come from a nondescript piece of landscape. In 2021, Tajogaite erupted for 85 days and destroyed 4 villages, creating a new mountain in the process. The volcano is still giving off Sulfur dioxide (blue) and steam (white). While we had seen the devastation after a volcanic eruption on Fogo last week, this time we were able to see photos and video footage of the eruption itself, which gave a much better understanding of the phenomenon. We hiked along the edge of the 1677 volcano and crossed lava fields from the 1949 and 1977 eruptions.  We also saw proof of the importance of bananas to the local economy; our guide estimated that 1 in 3 Palmerans are involved in the raising or exporting of bananas. 

Everywhere we went in the Canary Islands, we saw the impact of tourism, for positive and negative. Tourism is vital to the economy of the islands. Many islands see more tourists in a year than they have residents. For some islands like La Palma, where the harbor is too small to have many cruise ships at a time, the tourism takes a form that benefits the local shops and businesses. For other islands life Tenerife, the large number is cruise ships simultaneously strains their resources and (depending on the tour company) brings little revenue to the locals. It is this imbalance and a desire for a more sustainable model that has been the source of recent protests— not an aversion to the tourism itself. 

Pictures: La Palma lizard (endemic), Tajogaite, Find-the-cricket, La Laguna facade 

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

 April 21

We pulled into Las Palmas, Gran Canaria this morning. Las Palmas is the 9th largest city in Spain, and the size of the harbor, the city, and the cruise ships on the docks were all a bit of a shock. Most of our group took a full day bus tour to explore the island, while a few of us went on a 4-mile hike instead. We saw a number of new and endemic species of birds, and enjoyed clambering up through the “Valley of the Kestrels”. While the Canary Islands are only 90 miles off the coast of Africa, they are isolated enough to have endemic variants of both African and European species. 

The Canary Islands were first settled in 2500 BCE by a Berber tribe from Northern Africa. They were then “rediscovered” by Europeans in the 14th century, and have been part of Spain since 1492.  Their location between Europe and Africa, and in the path of the Trade Winds have made them an important logistics stop for centuries, including Magellan’s and all of Columbus’s voyages. 

Gran Canaria, like the other eight Canary Islands, is volcanic. Also like the Cape Verde Islands, the southern side of the island is quite dry while the north is wetter and greener. Most people live and work in the south for the tourist industry, while the north is agricultural.  There are desalination plants for “gray water” purposes, while drinking and agricultural water comes from aquifers under the volcanic craters, delivered by man-made channels. Over the past ten years, there has been a noticeable decrease in rainfall and an increase in both summer temperatures and the severity of Saharan dust storms. Climate change is a very real worry here.

This afternoon we strolled through a harbor-side park and found some additional birds. Las Palmas is a lovely Mediterranean city, and being here on a Sunday enabled us to enjoy watching families out for recreation as well. 

Pictured: along the hike, Canary Island Chiffchaff, Canary Islands Blue-banded Bee (endemic)

Natural wonders

April 20 

On our continued sea voyage to the Canary Islands (we will arrive tomorrow morning), the captain altered our course a bit to go near a sea mount. A sea mount is just what it sounds like—- a mountain (usually volcanic) that arises from the sea floor but doesn’t quite break the surface of the ocean to become an island. In this case the ocean floor is at about 4500 meters, but the top of the sea mount was at 150 meters. Often nutrients “upswell” at such features which then increases the prevalence of marine species. As it turned out, we didn’t see anything at that location. 

But later in the morning, we saw a number of “blows” from whales both in front of the ship and on both the port and starboard horizons.  At one point we saw a cetacean leap out of the water in the distance. It was unclear whether the creature was a whale or a dolphin, although its large size (at that distance) suggested a whale. Fortunately the trip photographer and some of the naturalists were able to photograph it. It was a Gervais Beaked Whale, which are uncommon in these waters. The naturalists helped identify the distant blows as from Sperm Whales. It was a Sei Whale (about 15 meters long) that briefly surfaced in front of the ship.   Later in the morning we had a mix of Common Bottlenose, Atlantic Spotted and Clymene Dolphins play around the ship, frequently “bow running” for about 15 minutes. Three different species of whales and another three dolphins was exhilarating, and it was great that so many of our shipmates got to share in the sightings.

This afternoon we had a tour of the physical systems of the ship, including the engine room, the propulsion room, and the bow thruster room. The Endurance is a remarkable expedition machine, including its rating as an ice breaker. 

After our tour several of us went on deck to watch for additional wildlife.  We spotted a Bulwer’s Petrel. This bird sighting was the 6500th bird species on the life list of one of our shipmates! As a reference, we are pleased to have gotten to 2,000 ourselves… but he has been dedicated to this hobby for many more years. We also saw a flock of eleven Whimbrels. We have no idea what these shorebirds were doing out in the middle of the deep ocean. Just before we headed in for dinner, we saw a Green Sea Turtle. It was quite a day. 

Finally, this evening after dinner, we saw the “green flash” that only happens with a sunset over a calm sea with a clear sky. We honestly didn’t think the phenomenon really existed until tonight. 

Pictured: Sei Whale, Clymene Dolphin bow-running, Bulwer’s Petrel 

Dolphins and dinner

 April 19

Today was a sea day, en route to the Canary Islands. Although we are now about 20 degrees north of the equator, we are back to the emptiness of the deep ocean. We did see a few seabirds, including a species we had been hoping for over the past three days, the Cape Verde Storm-petrel. The storm-petrel is a small bird (wingspan 18 inches) that glides just above the waves. Its dark back is hard to discern against the dark blue water, especially when looking down from the Bridge on Deck 7.  There were also several good sightings of pods of dolphins, but no whales.  The first set was early this morning.  It appeared to be a mixed pod consisting of Atlantic and Clymene Dolphins.  The last set of dolphins passed by quickly during dinner.   More on that later.

Most Lindblad / National Geographic cruises include guest researchers. On this trip we are joined by two young Brazilian men who are working on techniques to improve the interrogation and understanding of ocean depths below 30 meters (the limit of conventional diving). It has been possible for some time to use ROVs (remote operated vehicles) to video in deep waters. Most videos show likely new species, but to characterize them, and begin to understand their role in the marine ecosystem, it is necessary to collect actual samples. So far, during our trip,  our researchers have been able to prove that their ROV is functional but conditions have not been right for sample collection yet. 

The chef and his staff on the ship create marvelous meals (plus snacks and afternoon tea). A few days ago the cooks created a menu for dinner that included some of their favorite foods. Tonight’s dinner was seven courses with a wine pairing for each. Our table was hosted by the ship’s hotel manager, Petula Clarke.  As mentioned above, a small pod of dolphins appeared between the fourth and fifth courses.  People started jumping up from their tables to see the dolphins.  The look on Petula’s face was not a happy one — she was concerned that dolphins would steal the evening.  As we told her would happen, the dolphins disappeared quickly and our dinner continued without interruption.  The meal was truly exceptional, and we look forward to trying to replicate some of the offerings. 

Pictured: our table at dinner and the menu

Santo Antao and a very different caldera

April 18 

Overnight we traveled 252 km (as a crow flies) to Porto Novo on the south side of Santo Antao, the northwestern most island in Cape Verde.  As with Fogo, the island is volcanic and the southern part is much drier than the northern. In the southern areas, steep hillsides are terraced to catch the precious winter rains and to enable strips of beans, maize and sweet potatoes to grow.

 The volcanoes on Santo Antao haven’t erupted in thousands of years, which makes an enormous difference. We hiked (really hiked, which felt marvelous) around and within a caldera where the hillsides were forested and the floor was covered with garden plots. During the hike we spotted several kinds of birds, a couple being Cape Verde endemics, and various endemic plants… and a skink. We learned and witnessed that goats need to be tethered so they do not destroy the endemic vegetation.  We sampled local goat cheese and rum punch, and were back on the ship in time for a late lunch. 

Our drive to the caldera took us up a 22 mile long cobblestone road that snaked up through the slopes. The road connects Porto Novo to the capital city of Ribiera Grande, and also enables easier transportation to the central portions of the island.  It was built by hand (clearing, grading, even cutting and finishing each basalt paving stone) by thousands of workers over an 18 year period (1960-1978)… a true feat of engineering with retaining walls and water culverts over each crevasse.  

While the views today were impressive, on a clear day they must be stunning. For the third day we have been plagued by dust clouds blown in from the Sahara, making views appear hazy. This happens about five times per year but is quite unpredictable. The Sahara winds have also contributed to unusually warm weather. Normal highs are in the 80’s along the coast of the islands. Yesterday at Fogo and today at Santo Antao the high was 97 at sea level. We were lucky that our excursions took us into the cooler mountains. 

Santo Antao felt more prosperous than the previous two islands, with better education and housing support for the population. Students have to go off island for university, but a primary school is established everywhere there are at least five children. 90% of the population has electricity and public water, even in the remote agricultural areas. 

This afternoon we pulled away from the pier to head toward the Canary Islands. For those of us with simple motorboats that can go forward, backward and turn with a rudder, it is impressive to watch this ship moved smoothly sideways off the pier.  Side thrusters are an amazing invention! The ship also has stabilizers to reduce the roll in rough seas, and can dynamically hold the ship exactly in one location while stopped in open water. This final feature was certainly convenient when we went  for our ocean swim a few days ago.  As we left the dock, a large green sea turtle swam past our port bow. 

Pictured:  skink, Santo Antao landscapes

Into the caldera

April 17 

We spent the day on Fogo (meaning “fire”), another of the islands in the southern cluster of Cape Verde.  We arrived on the island via Zodiacs.  A set of buses was waiting for us at a fishing dock.  Before we disembarked, we did a bit of birding from the upper deck of the ship. Along with a few species of sea birds, we saw a small pod of striped dolphins.

Fogo is essentially one big volcano.  Pieces have slid into the ocean, one causing a massive tidal wave. The volcano has erupted numerous times throughout recorded history. The tallest peak (Pico de Fogo) at about 10,000 ft looms above an older caldera wall. Inside that large caldera (which also describes the extent of the National Park) are a series of more recent volcanic cones and villages that have been destroyed and rebuilt. 

Our local guide came from those upper villages. The eruption of 1951 destroyed his mother’s home before he was born. The government built a new village outside the caldera, but many people chose to move to another village inside the caldera that was undamaged by the eruption.  Part of the reason is that while the south of Fogo is very dry with just two months of possible rain, the northern part of the island receives rain from the trade winds and the inside of the caldera is protected from the wind. For over one hundred years, wine grapes have been grown within the caldera and along its outer sides, particularly in the area of Portela, a village within the caldera. Our guide grew up in Portela, which was spared in the 1995 eruption. 

However, in 2014 Portela and another neighboring village were completely destroyed. The volcano both erupted (rocks and slow moving lava) and exploded (liquid fast moving lava) which split into three different paths.  Earthquakes and rising soil temperatures at higher elevations presaged the eruption and the 1200 residents fled to the other side of the caldera wall. 

After waiting in vain for the government to help them rebuild, he and 100 other young men returned to the village. They hand-built a basalt road, and then convinced another 500 men to join them in rebuilding the town. Ten years later the town is still a construction site but has two churches, a primary school, restaurants and 300 accommodation beds. Many of the new buildings are made using volcanic materials. 

The village wine cooperative, which was destroyed in the 2014 eruption, has been rebuilt. It was fascinating to see the grape vines marching up the black sand slopes of the caldera with no trellises or other signs of orderliness as in continental vineyards. There are also fruit trees, vegetable gardens and even coffee plantations in the forests to the north. We sampled the (very good) local wine  and had lunch at a terrific restaurant inside the caldera just outside the village of Portela. 

We were struck by the matter-of-fact persistence and cheerfulness of the people we met today. Our guide said that his grandfather witnessed 5 eruptions so he’d like to see several more before he dies. Along with his job as a guide, he climbs to the upper peak to monitor the condition of the volcano.  He loves referring to himself as a volcanologist. 

Although it was a bit disturbing and quite overwhelming to see the scope of the lava fields (both newer and older), it was also a perfect day up in the caldera… mid-70s, light breeze, blue skies. When we returned to the harbor, we really appreciated that we had spent the day on the heights, not in the 97 F of the south coast! 

Pictures: hillside vineyard, example of destruction, example of rebuilding