Five things I learned on a trip to the island of Antigua: When the whole island is a cozy 12 miles across, accurate maps and road signs are not much of a priority. Great for locals, not so great for visitors. I still get seasick.   At least the expert diver captaining our transport boat, … Continue reading →

It's "year in review" week! There's just enough time between the Christmas holiday and New Year's Eve for people to get bored, but it's not a good time to launch new TV shows or announce new political initiatives, so we have to have something to keep us entertained. (As a kid this meant me listening to … Continue reading →

As a part of the trip to Oregon, we took the opportunity to see some sights along the way, including Yellowstone National Park, Mt. Rushmore, Grand Teton National Park, and neat little towns like Deadwood, South Dakota. The most memorable and terrifying part of the trip was our stop at Badlands National Park.  We should … Continue reading →

Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel's immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way. I can't agree enough with this quote by Ralph Crawshaw.  I am always … Continue reading →

In May, Kelly and I took an amazing two and a half week trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in South America.  We spent a little time in the capital city of Quito, but otherwise we were off enjoying the jungle lodge in the cloud forest of Mindo, exploring the Galapagos on a small … Continue reading →

This entry is part 15 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsAfter a long day and a half of travel that took us through the markets of Otavalo, back through the beautiful mountains to Quito, through long lines and paperwork at the airport, and then to Atlanta and Dayton, Kelly and I … Continue reading →

This entry is part 14 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsWe might have mentioned that Banos is located at the base of a volcano, Tungurahua (which means "throat of fire" in the local tongue). Well, literally at the moment we were pulling out of town this morning, that volcano erupted. As … Continue reading →

This entry is part 13 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsThe spoiling of ourselves continues.  After our "perfect day" we decided it was time to challenge ourselves a bit, so we'd signed up for a whitewater rafting tour on the nearby river Pastaza.  We were a little nervous about it (okay, … Continue reading →

This entry is part 12 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsIn our last post, we were obviously a little travel weary, thus the declarations of permanent residence in Banos, Ecuador.  The travel weariness has worn off, but we're still ready to declare Banos a prime destination for other reasons: it's truly … Continue reading →

This entry is part 11 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsWe are currently at the foot of an active volcano in Banos, a small town deep in the Andes that is part Santa Fe, part Boulder, and part San Luis Obispo, with an Ecuadorian twist. We're so glad to be here … Continue reading →