I woke (or shortly after I woke) today happy for the first time in I do not know how long.

And then today I notched up a first – I climbed a volcano!

I am thinking that the next time that it happens that it will be Kilimanjaro. Here’s hoping then.

This was a little one though, but absolutely fantastic:

The Volcano is the one on the left...

I’ll find out what it is called (the volcano that is) tomorrow. The guy from the bike hire shop (Hubs and Tubs in Playa Blanca – go there if you are ever in the area is all I can say) suggested I do it, so I did. Legs are knackered! You can see how rugged the rest of the terrain is – I am told that Planet of the Apes was filmed on the island and I can see why!

I got about three quarters of the way up on the mountain bike, after which the terrain just became too rough (ok too steep for me:)) to make progress. The top was amazing, my first time in a crater:

The rim, looking towards Fuerteventura

The actual crater was huge – amazing for such a small volcano:

Inside the crater

After the volcano I rode all the way around it, and then along the coastal path along the south of the island. I reckon I did about 10 or 11 miles in total. Some of it was very hard, especially as the sun was pretty intense.

So a great great day. As it is the fourth Thursday in November I should say that I am enormously proud and thankful to have Dan and Becca as my children – I sort of don’t like to call them children, as they are not any more, but no matter how old they get they are still my son and daughter. They both make me outrageously proud and happy and I miss them.

Happy Thanksgiving.