Now taking suggestions
01/14/2009 at 12:01 from (47.683479, -122.266725)
Just a couple of days ago, Christian made a seemingly innocuous comment that made a tiny lightbulb go off in my head. He was, as he usually does, telling me what to do. We were discussing how much we'd like to visit the Atacama when he told me that I should investigate some fog bank there.
Now, as stupid as this suggestion sounds (again, fairly typical of Christian's input), it wound up being pretty fascinating. This is becoming a frustrating trend: People recommend something in passing and, if I happen to remember to look into it, I stumble upon some new and remarkable tidbit of information that I can't believe I had missed out on.
As it turns out, there's almost never any rainfall in the coastal areas of this, the world's most parched desert. The historical average rainfall for Arica is a mere 1mm of rainfall annually. Literally the only moisture the region receives is borne by thick, ocean-fed fog banks that settle in overnight and slowly retreat as the day wears on. The Camanchacas, as these creeping fog banks are called, drive what little life manages to hold on here.
The flora and fauna have adopted unique ways of harvesting the water. Some species of cacti, ferns, and other plants have evolved fine hairs to condense and collect this moisture, and what little animal life exists in the area takes advantage of this biological ingenuity by using these plants as vertical watering holes, congregating in the morning to slurp from flowers and lick dewy spines.
Taking a cue from nature, engineers have constructed curtains of plastic to collect water for communities in the area, who had previously lived one unseasonably dry period away from extinction. But just as the fog giveth, the fog taketh away. At night and in the early morning, it's so dense and the ocean so near that driving (or biking) in it is inherently risky.
... almost as risky as never knowing about all of this in the first place, which brings me circuitously back to my original point...
Instead of depending on chance or our failing memories to bring such gems to our attention, I'm putting out this call for more suggestions. Let us know where you think we should go and what we should see. Of course, we can't promise we will go to or see any of these things, but at least we can hear about them before -- and not after -- our trip is underway.
Who knows? Your suggestion might even make a prominent appearance on our itinerary.
If you're not clear how to reach us, check out our biography page here. We can't wait to hear what you come up with!