I finally got through all my pics on my recent trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos. Bullwinkle was a stow-away in my luggage! He was some happy to get out after 11 hours flying!
He joined me for a drink on the patio of the lodge we stayed in located in the mountains above Quito. Our room was in the bulding located at the top of the hill...at 10,000 feet we were both pooped by the time we got from the lodge patio to our room!
The view from the cabin...Bullwinkle insisted he was back in BC!
The next day we went for a hike in the mountains...with the lack of oxygen at 12,000 feet Bullwinkle agreed he was no longer in BC.
At the end of along day of hiking, Bullwinkle couldn't wait to get in the pool!
Bull was embarrised by the murals on the wall of the pool.
Ahhh...a relaxing afternoon on the deck.
One day I introduced Bull to his long-lost cousins.
and some more South American cousins...Vicuna
We were amazed to see snow-capped volcanos!
I swear, Todd, you missed your calling as a professional photographer. Wonderful shots!
Looks like great digs too. Must have been a a fabulous vacation for both of you. Bullwinkle is now a World traveler. He's a lucky guy!
So glad for the updates on Bullwinkle's and your adventures. I agree with Don - great pictures.
Ann
Hi Todd,
Glad you got to see the volcanos before they melted. One has already disappeared this year, leaving villages with no rivers or water. - in Peru. Sounds like great great trip.
Ginny
Good to see Mr B had a SUPER trip with Mr T :-)
LUV the snow topped volcanoes ^_^
~M~
Todd
I agree ! Great photo's!
Bullwinkle is a lucky guy.
Did you get any cocoa tea at the 12000 ft level?
Folks I have talked to said the tea really made a big difference in the altitude adjustment.
Ann
No one offered it to us.....wish they did as the altitude really got to me. Bull took it all in stride!
Fabulous shots, Todd!! I'll just bet the high altitude made Mr. B giddy lol
btw - did I miss something? Where are the gnomes?
-Susan-
The gnomes offered to stay at home to take care of my garden while I was gone....they are such life savers!
We are now off to the Galapagos...here we are awaiting to be shuttled to our boat.
Here's Bull enjoying the ocean breeze as we cruise to Santa Cruz Island
Spectacular sand beaches!
We even saw tracks made by sea turtles as they came ashore to lay eggs.
This message was edited May 16, 2009 7:57 AM
Lots of Blue-footed boobies to keep us entertained
the Nazca Boobies were nothing to sneeze at!
my favs were the Waved Albatross but Bull was wary he might be lunch! I assured him they only eat fish!
Meanwhile, the Sally Lightfoot crabs MIGHT take a piece out of Bull if he got too close!
Just in time, a friendly sea iguana chased the crabs away!
Once again, great pics. Bull must have been SO excited by all that water. How did you keep him from jumping overboard? I didn't seen any sign of the restraints we had to use here in Ontario.
Very cool pictures. Love those Boobies; especially the ones with the pretty blue shoes! ;)
wow - it's amazing the colours Mother Nature gives her flora/fauna! Who woulda thought that Boobies would have baby-blue footsies!?!?!
The turtle tracks were neat - I've never seen anything like them. How'd you know they were turtle tracks - did you see them "marching"? lol
Keep up the good work & photography, Todd - they're fabulous pics!
-Susan-
Wow - what wonderful photos, Todd! I've never been anywhere quite so exotic - I'm SO enjoying the tour!
Isn't that just like Bullwinkle to sneek into your luggage and leave the other two to toil in the garden, the rascal.
Sandy
Todd:
Thanks so much for this account of your trip. I've surely enjoyed seeing the photos - and I'm sure we'll see some spectacular plants before the trip is over, too.
Thanks for sharing,
~marilyn
Thought I'd share a few orchids I saw in the wilds of Ecuador. This is a Crytochilum.
An Oncidium
A Maxillaria
A Trichopilia
Sobralia rosea
A Phragmipedium...a South American Lady's-slipper
a star-like Epidendrum
and I'll end with this bizarre genus called Acronia. The flowers are microscopic!
Wow, Todd. They are gorgeous!
