Our family has had a cabin on this lake for 35 years, and I had never seen the lake with ice on it. I decided this year I’d go up early. With the late spring, I got a real taste of winter. Back in the 1970’s I was a ski patroller at Marmot Basin ski area in Jasper for about 6 years. This was a volunteer ski patrol, we dispensed first aid on the ski hill, and engaged in various forms of rescue from the ski area. There were two groups of patrollers who alternated weekends all winter; the “Roadrunners” and the “Camelherders”. I was a Camelherder. In mid-April, there was a 40th year anniversary party for the Camelherder group in Jasper, and it worked out for me to attend this celebration on my way to ... read more

February 21 2008 We anchored for the night by Rabida Island, the same spot we had been earlier in the tour. At 5 AM, the anchor was raised, and we were underway. I woke up as the engine was started. I decided that I wasn’t going to miss any of the final day, so I got dressed, and took my camera up onto the deck to watch the scenery and wait for sunrise. Our plan for the day was to get back to Baltra and the airport by about 10 AM. I took a few pictures of the sunrise as it happened, but it was not particularly spectacular. I was up to watch the sunrise most days of our tour. We had breakfast while we were under way, and then circumnavigated a couple of small islands ... read more

February 18, Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island Isabela is the largest Island in the Galapagos, somewhere in the range of 100 kms long. It is the conglomeration of about 6 volcanoes that have arisen from the depths. The equator bisects the most northern volcano on the island. There has been recent volcanic activity, the most recent eruption was on Sierra Negra, the closest volcano to Puerto Villamil, in 2005. Outside of Puerto Villamil, most of the visitor sites are on the western shore, which is a long cruise from the main island of Santa Cruz. This limits the number of tour boats that get there (we did!). Puerto Villamil is a small town on the south end of Isabela Island. It is mostly a fishing village, with some farming of coffee and fruit. There is not much ... read more

February 16 2008 Our overnight return from Genovesa Island put us on the northeast coast of Santiago Island, in Sullivan Bay. Sullivan Bay (named after an officer on Darwin’s ship “Beagle”) sits between Santiago Island and Bartolome Island. Santiago Island is interesting because it has had a relatively recent eruption, only 110 years ago. In fact, the eruption happened after Darwin visited the island, so his observations pre-date a very large change to the island’s geography and animal inhabitation. The recent lava flows were on top of a much more ancient volcanic base, and are visibly different by being near-black on top of the reddish-brown base. This island was most interesting for the geography of the lava flows, the intricate squiggles, cracks, and designs of the liquid lava as it solidified. After 110 years, life is ... read more

I decided that if I was staying in Ecuador for a couple of months, it would be a shame to miss the Galapagos Islands. While not an inexpensive venture, I rationalized it as being one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Before I started with this idea, I really didn’t know much about the islands or how one goes about seeing them. The travel agency I was dealing with in Cuenca operates out of the same building as the Spanish Language School I have been attending. While I was arranging my course schedule, I had them send me some information on Galapagos tours. As it turned out, I was very lucky in the boat and tour that I chose. There are about 70 boats licensed to give tours of the islands, and prices range from hundreds to thousands ... read more