Adventures in exploring infrastructure, underground and other interesting locations
Carrying on with the Mil Derp Cold War vibe from earlier posts…..enjoy
Parachute Store (Building 51)
Photographic Processing and Interpretation Facility (Building 69)
There’s only one thing worse than Group Visits and that’s Tourist Trips but I took this one to try and get just one shot.
I got the shot but screwed it up, read on for the story…
The La Cueva de los verdes, Isla de Lanzarote, HarĂa, Spain is part of a 3.79 mile Lava Tube formed by the eruption of nearby Volcán de la Corona (Volcano of the Crown) and is the 16th longest in the world (the longest being in Kazumura Cave in Hawaii at 40.7 miles). Unfortunately we do not have Lava Tubes here in the UK but we do have Phreatic Tubes which are just as large.
Lava tubes are formed by low viscosity lava cooling in layers making a ‘crust’ above a hotter, faster flowing lava stream below which, in this case flowed out to the Atlantic Ocean forming the Malpais de La Corona and leaving behind an empty tube. What makes La Cueva de los verdes slightly more interesting is that there are in fact three lava tubes stacked on top of each other and in places when on the upper levels you can see right down to the lower tube. In the 17th/18th Century La Cueva de los verdes was allegedly used by the Majoreros to hide from slave ships and pirates.
Also in the vicinity is Jameos del Agua which is part of the same lava tube but with a collapsed roof. It’s been turned into a mega tourist attraction by JesĂşs Rafael Soto from an idea by CĂ©sar Manrique and despite visiting and taking some shots I won’t insult you all by posting on this blog……just Google it if you are curious!!
All pictures shot on a Panasonic Lumix TZ6 with no tripod as I could not be bothered to take my Canon on the plane so they aren’t great. I also only had once chance at the ‘money shot’ (which I screwed up by overcooking it) as I was being hurried out of the cave by a tour guide (no, going back later after dark to help myself was not an option!!), this shot was done by balancing the camera on a rock and taking a long exposure. The ‘illusion’ is created by a shallow pool of water in the foreground of the shot giving the impression of a gaping chasm in the floor, made even more ‘scary’ by there only being knee high rocks ‘protecting’ you from the (non existant) fall !!!
If you want to know how good this shot could have looked then check out this which I could have easily matched with the Canon/Tokina……bummer eh?
