My previous and future travel experiences (by Ronny Errmann)
This was already the last overnight stay on our hike through northern Norway. Every day the hikes became easier, on the one hand because of the training and on the other hand we had less and less food to carry. We had planned well and still had enough left, so that we really feasted that evening.
There are just 4 days between these two sunsets. It’s amazing how much nature can vary. Each picture conveys its own feeling.
Nobody else in the group wanted to take over this observation run at Calar Alto, which started on January 2nd. I had to reschedule my New Year’s Eve a bit, but the partial solar eclipse that was taking place at the same time really interested me. And so I celebrated New Year’s Eve until 2 a.m., slept until 4 a.m. and then took the first train to the airport. I almost missed my transfer and was surprised how quickly the time in the warm waiting room had passed. At the check-in counter at the airport, they were thrilled that I was there, as the only other passenger had already checked in. And so I almost had a private flight from Frankfurt to Madrid. The next morning I went to Almeria in a normally occupied plane, so that I arrived at the observatory around noon. And at the end of the observation night I was able to enjoy an unusual sunrise. Or two, one left and one right. I think I slept really well afterwards.
After I had been able to adapt my fitness to the landscape of La Palma by cycling for a month, I dared the big challenge of cycling towards the summit. However relaxed, I just wanted to see how far I could get. At 2000 meters I made a short excursion on foot towards Las Nieves, which gave the other muscles some rest. I think it was good that you could also see the stretch on foot based on the low speed in the profile below, so I wasn’t that slow uphill on my bike. The hardest part was after the tree line. Psychologically it felt like I was almost there, but then it’s another 4 km uphill. It is also annoying that you have to go down a bit before you can reach the summit, although the rest is also pleasant. In any case, it was a great feeling to have arrived at the top. And of course the trip back to the sea was great. As a cyclist you can even overtake cars.
Later I rode my bicycle up the mountain twice more for work before too many visits from friends and family meant I couldn’t find the time to keep that level of cycle fitness up anymore. However, thanks to the visits, I was able to explore many other things and enjoyed the time with them.
It was good to get out on the day, the colors were just great. And I guess I enjoyed the sunshine in October. Without the picture I would completely miss the memories of the day.
But what I’ve been thinking about now is how often I probably wasn’t outside back then, despite the nice weather. Sometimes it’s hard to get the motivation to take a short trip outside. And I remember days when I was later annoyed at myself that I didn’t get out. A few minutes ago I was thinking about riding my bicycle for another hour and made the conscious decision that I didn’t want to do that. A conscious decision is a significant improvement compared to some years ago, when it was a non-decision. But, now that I’ve written this post, I’ll change my mind again and see if I can find some sun.
A few rays of light come through the dense forest. Maybe we should have dug for the treasure there.
Working days at the telescope in Thailand were always intense. The instrument and data analysis were improved during the day and then tested on stars at night. But luckily the boss didn’t want to work 12 hours every day either, so we also did small activities, such as the hiking trail to the Kew Mae Pan viewpoint. It was a bit unusual that we needed a local guide for a well-developed hiking trail, but it was good to have them for explanations.
What do you do for the first hike on vacation? You start walking and see where you get to. At some point you have a goal and you can easily reach it. And because you still feel fit, everything is so new and interesting, you think you can go a little further on the way back. So we did on our first hike 1600 meters altitude in 25 kilometers. And then had sore muscles for five days. But it was still nice 🙂
The last transit of Venus took place in the summer of 2012. As part of this, I had the chance to take part in a workshop that included observing the transit. The accommodation for the workshop was at 1000 meters, on the slopes of Haleakala. And why use a car when you can also rent a bike. It was a challenge with luggage, but that didn’t stop me from trying to get to the summit the next day (I had planned a free day in reserve). I was fit at the time and actually made it up to the top. I’ve never cycled that high again, but I’ve managed to climb more meters on other tours.
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