When visiting the Azores a few years past, a group of islands off the coast of Portugal, turned out to be one of my favorite trips. After visiting the first caldera in the morning only to find it covered in clouds and mist I had know idea what was in store for the last stop of the day. Driving to the stop of the rim looked promising as we proceeded to the top the cloud cover was breaking up. Rounding the last corner before reaching our destination was a sight to behold.

Looking out over the 7 mile wide soil filled caldera that was covered in rich green farmland divided out with miles of stonewalls. Dairy farms and crops were scattered out in the vast open area of the once active volcano. Looking across, the sun began to break through the cloud cover over the distant Atlantic Ocean. I felt small compared to the image in front of me was hoping to be able to capture the vastness of this amazing area. When I look back at this image I can still remember the smell of salty air and fresh cut hay that that lingered from the fields in front of me and ocean ant my back.