Ecuador Part 4

A few more pictures of the Galapagos Islands...

Ecuador Part 3

Penguins and Pelicans

I spent the second half of my Ecuador trip in the Galapagos!   Hiking, snorkeling, mingling with tortoises, iguanas, penguins, etc. - nothing like it in the world!

Iguanas at the hotel

 

Galapagos Tortoise

Marine Iguana

Ecuador Part 2

Some of the villages were only accessible by water.   These pictures show how we traveled on the Napo River (a tributary of the Amazon River) to the village of San Rafael on an island. 

Ecuador! Part 1

I spent much of November in Ecuador.   The first half of the trip was with an organization called Timmy Global Health.   I traveled with 15 other Microsoft employees and five doctors, five nurses and three pharmacists to the eastern side of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador - the Amazon River Basin.  There we traveled to eight different villages to provide basic medical care.    The trip was amazing, the team was wonderful and the villagers were all beautiful, friendly and grateful that we were there.   The pictures below are of some of the villagers.

More Kayaking

I finally bought a kayak!   I have been looking and trying many different kinds for about a year and finally settled on a Tiderace Xcape.   It is a great boat, stable yet agile and it holds a lot for kayak camping.   Pictures below are on Lake Washington (with Mt. Rainier in the background) and on a weekend camping trip to Cypress Island in the San Juans.  

Lake Washington

Cypress Island Lunch Stop

View from top of Cypress Island

The Landing

My family ranch on the border of Oregon and California is a beautiful and remote place. My sister still lives on the ranch and raises cattle, horses and a multitude of orphaned animals.

Ali Gets Engaged!

During our visit to the Virginia Barrier Islands, Morgan proposed to Ali on one of the islands! He had his grandmother's ring put in a new setting and took Ali for a beach walk and presented her with the question and the ring :-). She said yes! Current plan is to finish their doctorate programs in about a year then start planning the wedding.