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| Lagoa da Fogo |
Like most of the islands in the Azores, Sao Miguel was formed from volcanoes. The three largest lakes on the island were formed from the craters of previous volcanic eruptions. Lagoa da Fogo (Fire Lake) is the lake at the highest elevation on Sao Miguel. It's also completely undeveloped. Although you can hike down to the lake shore, it's a steep trail so many just view from the overlooks. From the drive up to Fire Lake, we could see both the north and south coasts of the island. From our vantage point, you can see the ocean although the haze at the time makes it difficult to see in our picture.
While several volcanoes are still considered active, they are classified as dormant because they aren't likely to erupt. One of the reasons is because the heated gas has an outlet that relieves the pressure from the volcano -- much like the steam release in a pressure cooker. Sao Miguel mines this geothermal energy to meet about 45% of its own electricity needs. This geothermal energy can also cause certain streams to heat up, and it also generates a distinctive sulphur smell.
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Only one of us was brave enough to check out the
pool and waterfall |
This phenomena is captured at Caldeira Velha, a small pool that is fed by a waterfall of warm water. How warm? Not very -- about 80 to 85 degrees fahrenheit. Another spring of water at this site is actually boiling and feeds a smaller pool where the temperature is about 110 to 120 degrees fahrenheit. Caldeira Velha is tucked away in an area of lush area of tropical vegetation, which by itself makes it worthy of a visit. I only wish the trails weren't closed.
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