#7 First ride south to Teguise, Mala etc.

Santa Bárbara Castle in the distance, near Teguise town.  Under renovation, it is not open to visits.

Curious place along LZ-404, just west of LZ-1.

Between the towns of Guatiza and Mala is a place called "Jardin de Cactus".  The cactus  is not real, and used to attract tourists. 

 Think of it as the "Big Nickel" or any number of other, similar things in Canada.

 

Wikipedia:  The village of Mala has a population of about 600.  Its economy is based around tourism and agriculture, principally rearing of cochineal beetles in fields of Opuntia cactus. 

 

Photos belong to Jaro Franta.

#6 First ride south to Teguise, Mala etc. (Cont'd)...

 Spot the cyclists heading down towards Haria.

Nearing the summit on LZ-10, with Haria town to the left.

Looking south-east from near the summit of LZ-10.  Probably the capitol, Arrecife, in the distance but turned out to be San Bartolome.    

Wikipedia –Town of San Bartolome (Saint Bartholomew) is situated in the center of the island of Lanzarote.  The town is located northwest of Arrecife, the island’s capitol.   

Wikipedia – Population about 19,000, and the altitude is 240 meters above sea level.   

Photos belong to Jaro Franta.
 

#5 Bike ride North of Haria...

 

North outskirts of Haría.   This statue would be great for a seafood restaurant, but there does not seem to be one.

Town of Máguez, with Vulcano La Corona to the north.

Wikipedia:   Lies  in a valley known as the Valley of 1,000 Palms.    Looking east.....

Dizzying views from the top, about 480 meters above the ocean.

Check the hikers down there.

Photos belong to Jaro Franta.

#4 Hike - Haría/Mirador del Rincón de Haría

The issue today was strong winds -  at the Mirador del Rincón de Haría, it was difficult to hold the camera still for a photo.  Cyclist spotting....

I was glad I brought a hat with a chin strap - pulled it nice and tight.

Looking past Haria to the east coast of Lanzarote.

The wind was not nearly as strong on the LZ-10, at least the short part that I walked, and evidently the cyclists were able to deal with it.

The extremely windy Mirador del Rincón de Haría, with Caleta de Famara in the distance.

Photos belong to Jaro Franta.

#3 Hike - Haría/Mirador del Rincón de Haría (Cont’d)..

My first week here, took about a 7km hike (out/ back in a loop), going west out of town to the coast.

Saw a couple of large groups of hikers (tourists) along the way.

I also saw several cyclists on the LZ-10, some going up to the Mirador de los Helechos, some going down. Seeing them gives me confidence.

One of two dirt roads that lead out of town.  This one happens to start near the Museum, which is very popular with tourists.

Volcan Corona to the north of Haria.

Photos belong to Jaro Franta.

#2 First bike ride on Lanzarote to Mirador del Río

From Haria, 29K loop north.  Approaching Corona volcano from the south-east, along LZ-201.

Passing Corona volcano on the east side, along LZ-201.

Mirador del Río   Wikipedia:  Mirador del Río is a viewpoint on an approximately 475-metre-high (1,560 ft) escarpment called Batería del Río in the north of the Canarian island of Lanzarote.

The scenic, extremely windy, cliff-top road, looking south from Mirador del Río.

View north from Mirador del Río, to La Graciosa island.

Some cyclists starting on the south end of the scenic cliff-top road to Mirador del Río - Good luck.

Photos belong to Jaro Franta.

 

#1 Town of Haria, Island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands

This past summer, I spent a lot of time at Milton, west of Toronto, at the National Cycling Institute.  NCIM offers cycling programs and race nights for youth and adults, with training at all skill levels.

On December 13th, I flew to the Canary Islands.   The island of Lanzarote is north east, closest to Africa.  La Palma is far to the west.

Neither of the two flights were full.  Mask wearing mandatory, except when eating/drinking.  The YUL/ZRH flight was about 2/3 full, ZRH/ACE only 1/3 full, with people sleeping, stretched across 3 seats.  The Business Class section of YUL/ZRH was completely empty.

I rented an Air B&B – a separate house behind the main house, next to downtown.    I am staying for 97 nights for just over $67/night, which included the cleaning fees and service fee.

 

The owner provides bottled water, since the tap water is deemed undrinkable.  Some of the bottled water is from La Palma. 

Photos belong to Jaro Franta.