Popayan, day three, part three, frailejones and Termales San Juan

In riding through Purace I started to to notice more the hundreds of thousand if not millions of frailejones throughout the paramo.  The flower slightly resembles a sunflower but that is where the similarities end.  The flower is mounted on a tall, thick, dead looking stalk.  There are different varieties but this web picture shows the one I saw the most.

Eventually we reached a trailhead that lead to Termales San Juan.  The trail was paved my some stones which finally made the walking easier.  There was so much vegetation and such to observe along the way but by this point I was overloaded and focused more on walking to another unique site.

Termales San Juan contains sulpur pools that are a byproduct of a ring of nearby volcanoes.  Upon arriving you get a double dose of sight and smell.  Some of it looks apocalyptic and most of it smells like sulphur.  That's not to say it's repulsive, only strange.  The three of us came upon a large family from Cali and chatted and took pictures.  Talking with the young, energetic children who were fascinated with my iPhone re-energized me.
People actually used to wade into the bubbling pools but now that is prohibited for conservation's sake.  Here are two of my pictures.

As we took the mile or so walk back to the trailhead I realized I was about done.  We still had some more rough driving to do, I had to pay my entrance to the park, and then the long winding ride back to Popayan. 
I'd slipped a few times and was muddy, wet, and tired.  A warm shower and a nap in my stiff bed were starting to sound better than trudging around in this spectacular park that I'd somehow gotten used to in 6 short hours.  It was time to return to La Plazuela.

Ten 80s videos I like - #2 Free Fallin'

I'm a sucker for southern California and it's perpetual sunshine, sunsets, palm trees by the beach, and the mountains.  Initially I was going to include Randy Newman's I Love LA but I decided to include this one from Tom Petty.  I think the directing and editing suit this song perfectly and give you a view of the area that makes you want to go there.  You have the gritty LA streets at the start and close, the big modern mall, palm trees, the flashbacks to the 60s that morph into 1989, and the skateboarding out by the mountains among other imagery.  Some of it seems cheezy and dated but watching and listening to this one is more about getting into of a state of mind. 

I'm a soccer coach again

Yesterday I found myself doing what I've halfheartedly told myself many times not to do again:  coach youth soccer.  My youngest son is eight and I'm coaching him along with 13 other 7 to 9 years olds.  Since 2001 I've probably coached around 10 different teams.  And I don't even like or know very much about soccer! 
I suppose they keep taking me because the demand for coaches exceeds supply.

There are some things I've learned over the years.  With 14 kids the mix will likely be about one third ballers, meaning kids that can play, one third shy and/or indifferent, and one third knuckleheads that are ballers or indifferent. 

When I taught middle school for one year in Puebla, Mexico the principal always urged me to be a dictator, or a Stalin as he would put it..  I think his view could be correct for a career educator.  In my first years coaching soccer I was more of an enthusiastic coach who tried to will the kids into good behavior by making the practice so varied and fun that they would not have time to misbehave.  As the years have passed I've realized the fallacy of that thinking and now am becoming more serious, gruffer, Stalin-esque.  I no longer accept that some kids are just knuckleheads.  Some need attention, but it's not always a kind word or pat on the back that works best.  I agree with the maxim that children, and some adults, are looking for leadership.  It seems in youth soccer what usually works best is a stern but fair coach who occasionally smiles instead of a fun coach who is occassionally stern.

Our next practice is next Tuesday.  I'll be sure to get my game face on before then.

Popayán day three, part two - healing waters and enchantment

After viewing the Andean condors, we continued to see more of the páramo in the Puracé National Park.  The weather changed from sun and wind to clouds and rain.  The first stop was the Laguna de San Rafael.  Due to my lack of proper footwear we could not approach as close as we could have through the thick, muddy brush between the road and the lagoon.  Here's a picture from the web.



My guides told me that indigenous medicine men bring people suffering from ailments to this alpine lagoon because of its special healing powers.

We went back to the jeep and drove a few miles on the rutted-out roads to the Cascada Bedón.  Here's a photo I took.

Thankfully this was a short walk from the road and we could take time to look it over.  Waterfalls are always at once puzzling and charming.  The logical thoughts of its geological history are overrun by just staring at them and listening to the rushing water.  My guide Cristian told me a local legend of a couple that visited the pool of water at the base.  The woman looked about and suddenly realized that her man was missing.  She returned to her village and enlisted help to find him.  A search party returned but he was nowhere to be found.  They decided he had become enchanted by the waterfall, sucked into it, and was unable to leave regardless of his desire to or not. 
On the ride to our next destination I thought about legends from my ancestral Ireland and how they likely exist in all corners of the world.  Joseph Campbell wrote about this subject extensively.  I'd like to think I found a place that he'd never heard about but would find of interest.     

Ten 80s videos I like - #3 Where the Streets Have No Name

U2 has sold-out countless stadium concerts and generated millions of revenue over the last 15 to 20 years.  However, tickets and money aside, the band reached it's peak in 1987 with the album The Joshua Tree, and this video shows them at the height of their powers.  I must acknowledge the purists in that the album version is dubbed over and some of the police issues were edited and exaggerated for greater effect.  Nevertheless, live music has a special power and you can see the Angelenos enjoying the free concert given by the Irish quartet.  It's three videos in one:  the band, the police, and the fans in the streets.

Popayan day three, part one, Andean condors

Most of what the Hotel La Plazuela gives its visitors in colonial charm it takes back in its colonial installations, namely its beds.  I felt the 6:30 am wake up would be challenging.  Instead it was a gift for two reasons.  One, to leave the stiff bed, and more importantly to start this exciting day.  Cristian was waiting for me on Calle 5.  As we set out on the curvy roads and started to talk I realized conversation would become intermittent as nearly everything I said or asked about was followed with a 'Sí Señor' by my guide.

Our day was to be spent at a high-altitude national park in the Andes called Puracé.  Our first stop was to see the Andean Condors.  They had once been plentiful in this park but nearly died out due to hunting.  Eleven condors were raised in the San Diego Zoo and then released in this area in Puracé a few years ago.  Only three are thought to be alive or in the area now.  As we climbed up towards 10,000 feet we met up with an indigenous guide named Noel.  He was carrying a pungent bucket with a cow liver.  The three of us hiked as high as we could go on a ridge and Noel placed the organ on a boulder jutting out into the valley.  We then retreated to a vantage point where we could watch the show.  I was told to be patient.  For awhile nothing happened so I decided to walk around in this ecosystem called páramo, a type of alpine tundra.  

As the wind picked up the smell carried and a few bird species lower on the food chain circled about and tried to land on the boulder.  Some could and started to peck away and gobble up the liver.  This continued off and on for around 40 minutes.  Every question or comment about the condors was met with a form of  "Be patient".  I was at ease with whatever outcome because I was in a special place soaking up as much of the beautiful mountain views as I could.  Finally Noel spotted the condors across the valley.  Even if they weren't hungry they would still come to the boulder to assert dominance over the other birds.  A good while later the three flew over, hovering and sizing up the wind gusts and air currents.  Only the male landed and for a few minutes spent time eating about jostling with the other birds.  Some flew away with bits and pieces and a little fell off the boulder.  Within minute the whole show was over and we were heading down to the path to find the truck.

I was tickled by what I saw.  To see animal behavior in such a spectacular setting is something I can't recall having done before.  I felt content already that the long trip was already worth it, and whatever happened the rest of the week was a bonus.  It set me up nicely for what was to come in Puracé and Popayan.

 

2012 Michigan Wolverines - Alabama 41, Michigan 14

During the first quarter of tonight's game some facts became apparent.  My beloved Wolverines were not worthy of their #8 preseason ranking.  Alabama had much more speed and therefore would win easily.  Their unimaginative, Carr-esque game plan was suited for playing against a middling Big 10 or any MAC team. 

Rather than dwelling on the negative I propose that UM change the following.  On offense they do not have the talent to defeat strong teams with a base offense.  They need to revert to two tactics of the Rich Rodriguez offense that worked very well for much but not all of the 2010 season.  One is to be able to spread the field occasionally so that Denard Robinson has room to run.  Their running will open up the passing game.  The other is to play at a hurry up pace to wear out the defense.  On defense I don't see the talent to win on talent alone.  I think they need to load up more against the run and blitz more often.  Their secondary must be able to cover.  If the front seven or eight can't stop the run or create pressure then it doesn't matter if their DBs lose some coverage and give up big plays.  They will give up yards or touchdowns.  At the very least they can create some turnovers like last season.

Next week Air Force will visit Michigan Stadium.