Sunday 23 September 2012
We set out from Tiradentes continuing along the Estrada Real - the royal road along which the gold from Minas Gerais was transported - to a series of trails through the major stratigraphic units of the area. This is an area that Renate uses as a mapping exercise for her students, so she knows it well. Pedro, the driver dropped us at the start of the traverse, near a quartz mine, and he was to meet us in several hours at a small town over the hills where, coincidentally, there is a geological museum. Renate had also organised lunch for us at the pousada where her students stay while completing their field mapping exercise.
The weather favoured us, being overcast and not too hot. Had it been sunny, it probably would've been too hot. We gradually climbed through scrubby countryside, following a donkey trail and stopping regularly at outcrops. There was much bird, insect and plant watching done as well. We also stopped to look at some elaborate stonework that seemed to be the remnants of a water sluice. At one point, Thomas disappeared to find a geocache that he'd read about on the internet. Laureen heard some humming birds and grabbed her binoculars to get a closer look. The trail undulated and we crossed several gullies and dry creek beds. The area was criss-crossed with trails, and we spotted a horse rider in the distance, and later on a some mountain bikers.
Getting excited about rocks
Eventually we climbed the final hill and had a good view of our destination. A fairly steep climb down got us to the geological museum, which opened specially for us. After a good squiz, we walked further in to town, past the mineral springs with magical powers and on to the pousada for a lunch of regional food, which we ate while watching and photographing hummingbirds buzzing around Australian grevilleas!
Afterwards, we set off for Ouro Preto, a town that deserves its own entry.
A truly memorable day.
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