Condor Cross

Condor Cross is the stop in Colca Canyon where one sits and waits to see a condor. 

First up though -- since I probably left it out in earlier posts -- Colca canyon was inhabited by the Inca people. All the stone terraces I posted where done by them a thousand years ago. When the Spaniards came they took all the people from agriculture to work the silver mines -- and Colca canyon sat empty for 400 years. Colca is an Inca word that means food stash or such -- they stored grain in cold caves in the canyon. 

Here is a panorama shot of Condor Cross. The cross in Condor Cross is a cross. Peru is quite religious -- and a cross is common in many public parks. 

Anyway -- the canyon is giant deep. Condors use the canyon to rise and gain altitude. They giant wingspan is designed to allow them to float and glide -- not flap and fly. 

I was told they ride thermals out of the canyon -- but I don't think that is right. It's early, before 10am -- and thermals happen when the sun warms the air and it rises. 

I think they ride updrafts. Updrafts happen when wind hits canyon walls or cliffs, and the wind is deflected upward. 

Anyway -- we get up before dawn -- drive for hours -- sit on rocks and wait. 

Here are pictures of us waiting:

After a while we see a big bird! Everybody points and and says 'Condor.' Well -- the canyon is giant deep as I have said -- so we watch this bird climb up out of the canyon. It glides back and forth along the canyon walls and rises up towards us -- all with out flapping its wings. As it gets closer it is identified as an Andean eagle. A huge, majestic beautiful eagle. Everybody turns away. I guess eagles don't count at Condor Cross. 

Well -- after about 45 minutes a condor does make a show! It really was nice! The bird glides up the canyon walls -- never flapping it's wings -- gains altitude and flys off. 

The Condor Cross lookiut area really was put in the right spot. The condors start as just a speck below the lookout, gradually rise, they get exactly even with the watchers -- maybe within 100 feet -- keep cutting back and forth over our heads, until they are so high and far away that you lose sight of them. 

It was cool the condors being so close! These wide angle iPhone photographs don't do the subject justice -- they were right on too of me!

I took a lot of pictures, and it was hard. When the birds were close they flew by soo fast you couldn't react -- and once they passed you -- the iPhone usually made them tiny specks. 

That's Condor Cross folks. It was a nice trip. I don't think a six hour drive out (it could have been more than that!) and six back would worth seeing condors fly (I saw four of six that morning) -- but the whole trip was fun. We had a bus of about 16 people -- and it was fun being with everybody, meeting people from all around.