Categotry Archives: Travel
Fernandina
Of all the islands, this one is one of the best at showing the volcanic nature of the archipelago, and the way the islands, once formed, become habitable. Fernandina is right over the hot spot. You can kind of see the volcano in the background here.
13 Pictures – Dragon Hill, Rabida and Santiago
Yep, more vacation shots. We left Baltra and went to Dragon Hill, which is on Santa Cruz, then headed North East to Rabida, then made a quick stop at Santiago before spending a loooong night traveling around to the far side of Isabela. Here is some of what we saw. 1. Dragon Hill, so named for it’s resemblance to iguana. I don’t see it, but that’s what the guide said.
Baltra
Baltra is a dry island with lots of grass and Holy trees. And frigate birds. This time of year is a prime nesting season for the frigates, so we saw a fair amount of mating behavior. For instance, the males will inflate a red sack in their neck and chest area when they see a desirable mate. They may do this when they are in the air or not. At one point a female – obvious from their white bibs […]
13 Pictures of Floreana
We left Espanola and went to Santa Maria, also called Floreana. There we went for a hike. 1. Brackish water, known for having flamingos. Except today. No flamingos today.
Under Water
I was planning on doing Photo Hunt today, but I grabbed the wrong theme, and didn’t know until I went to the hub to link up. Then I was going to show you some of my underwater vacation shots. I still am, but it’s waaaay past my bed time so instead of the long explanations I’d planned, I’m just going to fling these out there and let you all guess what they are.
The Charles Darwin Station
On the first day of our Galapagos trip we were taken by bus through the the town of Ayora Port to the Charles Darwin Station. This is a kind of combination research center, ecological rehabilitation center, and zoo. Most of the islands are part of a national preserve. They make no effort to save species that are endangered by natural forces – such as weather patterns – but they do try to counteract the damage done by man. Since men […]
My First Day in the Galapagos
Sorry, no PhotoHunt this week. I just couldn’t get my act together fast enough. Until I get next week’s ready, check out my vacation pictures. Well, some of them anyway. 🙂 We caught a morning flight from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to Baltra.
Galapagos Overview
New info about my trip has been added to the bottom of this page. By the end of the month I expect to be over it and ready to move back to my regular stuff. I’ve posted quite a few pictures so far, especially on Thursdays. If you’re at all interested in the Galapagos, check them out. I was there for just over a week. In that time I learned all kinds of things. For instance, the entire atoll was […]
Gone Sailing
I was going to say “Gone Fishing” but I have no intention of messing with a rod and reel, so Gone Sailing is more accurate. I’m off to the low-tech world of the Galapagos Islands, home of a million varieties of finch and turtle. The point is that I’m out of Internet range at the moment. At least I expect to be for the next several days. In the mean while, since you’ve bothered to click to my site, talk […]
Badlands, part 2
The thing about The Badlands is that they aren’t formed the same way regular mountains are. You don’t see them on the horizon the way you do the Rockies. Instead, they are carved out of the earth. The ground simply gives way to them. You look down at the peaks, rather than up. If you look real close, you can see Mr. Al in this shot. Planes and hills. Makes for an interesting combo.
The Badlands, Part 1
We hit The Badlands twice on our trip. The first time through we got there as the sun was setting. Ideally, this is the best time in which to take pictures of the place. Frankly, the color in the rocks washes out to a desolate gray during the day. Unluckily for me, or maybe luckily, a storm rolled in. We had no more than a few rays of sunshine, and then only while we were actually driving so I couldn’t […]
The Corn Palace
The Corn Palace in Mitchell South Dakota is an interesting diversion. I’d call it a tourist trap, but they don’t really work that hard separating you from your money. For a few decades now (40? I’d have to look it up) they have been gluing various parts of the corn plant to the outside of this building to create murals. Every year they scrape off the old one and put up a new one. That’s pretty much it’s entire claim […]
A Tiger at Vilas Zoo
You all know I was in Madison not too long ago. We hooked up with Heather and wandered around looking at monkeys, birds, and various four-footed type beasties. Probably the most gorgeous and photogenic was the tiger. When we arrived he was sprawled out in the shade of a tree, panting. So I wasn’t the only one who thought it was a hot and humid day. Once I saw him, I tried to take a picture. I could swear he […]
