mindoverchatter.com

When people talk about the Canary Islands, they’re referring to seven main volcanic islands and several islets that form a chain extending for ~ 500 km across the Atlantic, its eastern edge being only 100 km from the NW African coast.

Everyone knows these islands were formed by volcanic eruptions, caused mostly by hotspots in the oceanic crust; but no one knows for certain why the lava erupted in this particular area of the Atlantic Ocean and when the land masses formed.  The actual origin of the magmatism in the Canaries and its complicated space-time relationships have been a subject of debate for many years.

Here is a link to some fine pictures of volcanic formations throughout the archipelago. Calderas and fissure vents (linear openings through which lava erupts) are abundant.

If you want some interesting historical data, present day statistics and/or tourism info, follow this link to Wikipedia.

Personally, I’m interested in the food aspect, and Wikipedia doesn’t say much about what’s to eat. After carefully combing the internet, I’ve found something that looks mighty tasty:  Canary Islands’ cuisine, I’m told, combines traditional Spanish recipes with African and Latin American influences.

A very simple and well-known Canary Island recipe, for example, is papas arrugadas: potatoes boiled in salt-water with their peelings on then served with mojo picon,a hot sauce of oil, garlic, chili-peppers and paprika. Yum, yum yum.  Click the above links for tried and true authentic recipes.  The local Canarian wine, a mellow flavored and not too sweet concoction from the Malvasia grape, compliments all the spiciness.

In addition to the divinely natural architecture, humans have created some fine masterpieces in the larger cities. There is everything from Moorish to Modern, the latter of which can be seen in the picture.

Wikipedia doesn’t tell you this, either, but Las Palmas is famous for its miracle cures.  Tourists have been frequenting the Canary islands for centuries in search of alternative health cures.  The natural beauty of this area, along with the temperate climate, make for a friendly, open thinking environment–one that is good for letting go of conventional ideas. (Hint Hint)

Here in Mount Shasta, folks call this monster a ‘Spaceship’. Now, if you see one, for heaven’s sake, don’t make a big fuss.  You don’t want embarrass yourself by pointing up at the sky.  You’ll look like those tourists in New York when they see tall buildings for the first time.  Get it?

Mt Shasta and the Spaceship

What do those ET's want with our mountain?

Yikes! Now here’s a lenticular cloud worth its liquid water content (LWC).

Oops, did I say lenticular? Around here, most folks call ‘em spaceships. My wide-angle lens just couldn’t get wide enough to capture the full effect. It takes a mighty cloud to morph Mount Shasta.

With an estimated volume of 108 cubic miles, Mount Shasta logs in at 14,179 feet above the rising sea level. According to those in the know, observational and modeling studies of mass loss from glaciers and ice caps (see pictures below) indicate a contribution to sea-level rise of 0.2 to 0.4 mm/yr averaged over the 20th century.

Back to capturing, though. This mighty cloud blew in with the sunset not that long ago, folks. Without a doubt it was the biggest one of ‘08.  If it was chocked full of ET’s, we’re all in trouble. At least we won’t have to be ashamed of our leader–come January, that is.

Technically speaking, weather people call these clouds altocumulus standing lenticularis or ACSL.  I can’t figure out why the weather-namers mix an English word with two Latin ones.

Moving on.  Wave clouds form when the wind hits a topographic feature, such as a mountain, and get deflected up and over the peak, thereby creating a gravity wave downwind of the obstruction, i.e. mountain.  The clouds only materialize when sufficient moisture is in the air, but the wave pattern in the atmosphere may still be there.

That’s why you don’t see airplane pilots (unless they’re gliders) buzzing around tall topographic features like mountains.  The downdraft could suck them under.  Here’s the thing, folks, lenticular clouds may look like they’re standing still, but they ain’t.  These clouds are constantly forming in the updraft and dissipating in the downdraft and sometimes contain winds of 50 knots or more.  14 more knots and they’d be a hurricane.

So let this be a lesson to you. Don’t fly your motorized vehicle near a mountain. If you’re a glider pilot, though, be my guest.

The same combination of winds and updrafts that allows the cloud to form also provides a rapid lift and a long flight in a glider.  Glider pilots spend long hours trying to catch the wave or be the wave.

Mountain wave schematic

A view down the Whitechuck Glacier in North Cascades National Park in 1973

The same view as seen in 2006, where this branch of glacier retreated 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles)