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Emily McEvoy and Ben Gillespie


Thursday, June 6th our group took a trip to Hoces del Duratón Natural Park to go Kayaking. Hoces del Duratón Natural Park is located about an hour bus ride away from Segovia. The name of the park refers to the Duratón River and "Las Hoces" refers to the series of 100m high gorges that were formed by the Duratón and literally translates to “The Scythes” because of the shape of the river. When we first arrived we got suited up in our life jackets then practiced using the oars. Our guide then took us down to the river and we got into our kayaks. The park was beautiful and exploring it in our kayaks was really fun. We got to see huge birds such as the Griffon Vulture and the Egyptian Vulture. Our guide told us that the Griffon Vulture is about 3-4 feet long with a 7–9 foot wingspan. They were amazing creatures to watch fly over the gorges.

After Kayaking through the river for about an hour and a half we left to have lunch in Sepúlveda. On the way to Sepúlveda we stopped at a lookout of the park so we could get some pictures. The view was breathtaking. After eating lunch in Sepúlveda we explored the town for about an hour, enjoyed the views, and bought some ceramics that were made in the town. It was a fun-filled, and very tiring day.


Jueves, 06 de junio nuestro grupo hizo un viaje al Parque Natural Hoces del Duratón en kayak. El Parque Natural Hoces del Duratón se encuentra a una hora de viaje en autobús de Segovia. El nombre del parque se refiere al río Duratón y "Las Hoces" se refiere a la serie de quebradas altas 100m que se formaron por el Duratón y literalmente se traduce como "The Scythes" debido a la forma del río.. Nuestro guía nos llevó después hacia el río y nos metimos en nuestros kayaks. El parque era hermoso y su exploración en nuestros kayaks fue muy divertido. Llegamos a ver grandes aves como el Buitre de Griffon y el Buitre Egipcio. Nuestro guía nos dijo que el Buitre de Griffon es cerca de 3-4 pies de largo con una envergadura de 7-9 pies. Eran criaturas increíbles para ver volar a través de los desfiladeros.

Después de Kayak por el río durante aproximadamente una hora y media nos fuimos a almorzar en Sepúlveda. En el camino a Sepúlveda nos detuvimos en un mirador del parque, así que pudimos tomar algunas fotos. La vista era impresionante. Después de comer el almuerzo en Sepúlveda exploramos la ciudad durante aproximadamente una hora, disfrutamos de las vistas, y compramos algunas cerámicas que se hicieron en la ciudad. Fue un día lleno de diversión y estábamos muy cansados después.




Stephanie Evans
6/8/2013 06:30:39 am

This was my first time kayaking and I was a little nervous but it was so much fun! I also enjoyed the view and seeing the different vultures. Great blog you guys!

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Sarah Bucher
6/8/2013 06:46:01 am

Kayaking was definitely one of my trip highlights! It was so cool to go down the river through a canyon! Great blog :)

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Hannah Grabow
6/8/2013 06:01:05 pm

Kayaking was such a blast! I thought it was a refreshing change to enjoy el campo since we're usually meandering through ciudades. One of my fave days in Spain!

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Asabea
6/8/2013 07:23:26 pm

Kayaking was one of my favorites and I love the pictures emily took! so good!

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Caroline Ward
6/8/2013 07:48:51 pm

Kayaking was definitely one of my favorite excursions for this trip. I love how you included the history of the reserve where we kayaked. It was a beautiful place! Nice job!

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Jenn Stilley
6/8/2013 09:10:18 pm

This was definitely my favorite excursion just because it was a change in scenery from being in the city. Kayaking was a lot of fun and the Rio Duratón was absolutely beautiful. I like how you put in the meaning of all the different names and where they came from. I didn't catch that before. Also those vultures were awesome. Great blog!

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Sierra Moraven
6/8/2013 09:25:33 pm

Great blog guys! I like how you all included everything we did that day, even the gorgeous sites we saw to take pictures! However, you forgot to say how much of a workout we got kayaking. Nice job, guys!

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Kristin Snyder
6/8/2013 10:09:33 pm

Kayaking was so much fun! But it killed my arms! I like all the stuff you wrote about the naming of the place, I didn't know any of that. Great job on the blog and awesome pics!

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Sarah Walters
6/8/2013 10:36:26 pm

Kayaking was a blast! I'm glad we got to see the huge vultures. I can't believe how well camouflaged they were!! Great job guys.

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Taylor Tharrington
6/9/2013 01:15:22 am

Good job on the blog! Kayaking was one of my favorite days so far and it was truly amazing to be able to see the vultures up close! Sorry Ben for stealing your kayaking partner :)

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Whitney Carter
6/9/2013 01:18:35 am

loved kayaking! great blog as well! it showed how much fun we had! best part of the day had to be Jesse singing Disney songs with us though!

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Kaitlin Crenshaw
6/9/2013 02:07:05 am

I really enjoyed seeing a different side of Spain on this trip. I never would have guessed there was a nature reserve so close to Segovia, especially not one with birds like the vultures. I had a great day.

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Kiona Deans
6/9/2013 02:38:37 am

I loved kayaking and I enjoyed the vultures too. Great blog!!

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Anitra
6/9/2013 04:26:03 am

Good job summing up the day. I love the pictures, they're beautiful! I had so much fun kayaking!

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Victoria Pray
6/9/2013 04:38:47 am

Ben and Emily! Great job on this blog! I like the detail you put in and your translation looks great!

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Jesse Poovey
6/10/2013 10:36:00 pm

I loved this trip. The water was gross but we got in anyways because we're HOMBRES.

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Jamel Lewid
6/11/2013 11:09:56 pm

Probably one of the best/funnest excursions while in Spain! A day on the water and relaxation! Great blog

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