Sierra Negra

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Sierra Negra is an active volcano located on the south side of Isla Isabela.  It has the second largest caldera in the world.  The south side of the volcano is lush in vegetation and has over 100 family farms.  The northern side, however, is quite the opposite -- dry with cacti growing out of lava rocks.  

Volcan Chico, from my interpratation of what the guide was telling us, is the name for the northern part of Volcan Sierra Negra.  This is the area where lava flows from recent eruptions reached the sea.  

Our 11 mile hike began at ~8:00 a.m. on the sourthern side of Volcan Sierra Negra.  It was cool, foggy, and with periods of light rain.  We hiked up to the caldera and walked along the eastern ridge heading north.  Upon reaching the northern side of the caldera, the conditions quickly cleared up and the temperature was much warmer.  We headed down towards Volcan Chico and the terrain quickly changed to a drier landscape filled with lava rock and cacti.  As we headed down the caldera we walked on lava rock ranging in age from 5000 years old to that of the most recent eruption in 2005.  We saw several lava tubes, fumaroles that release hot humid air, incredible lava formations, mini volcanoes, and what many describe as a Mars-like landscape with colors ranging from red, orange, yellow, and black.  As we returned to our starting point, the afternoon soon burned off the morning fog allowing us to view the caldera in its entirety.  

This was truly and amazing hike.

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Hike to the southern side of the crater started with light rain
The northern side of the crater, which is where the recent lava flows have taken place, is called Volcan Chico.
Saw this guy having a snack on our hiking path. Turtles are making a comeback

Unsuccessful Photoshoot

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Before her 1 year birthday, we wanted a little photoshoot to hopefully capture a great family shot.  To our surprise, the days of having a cooperative child for photoshoots were long gone.

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Then her desire to climb up the stairs and crawl began...

What to do but leave her be

After letting her climb up nearly a hundred steps, we thought we would give it another try.  Nope.  She still wanted to crawl.

In the end, she had fun doing what she wanted; crawling, playing with rocks, and more importantly, getting dirty.

Better luck next time

Clear Morning

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When mornings are clear here in Quito, which is not often, all of the volcanoes are visible and the views are incredible.  This morning was relatively clear, and since we are up early these days, we headed to the rooftop of the building in front of us for some fantastic dawn pictures of the volcanoes and the valley below.  I never tire of taking these types of pictures.  These views will sorely be missed.

To view the entire album, yes I did an album since there are so many pics, click here.

Volcan Cayambe to the far left
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Volcan Antisana in the background
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Far right is Antisana
Glass doors to the elevator on the right. Annika loves playing on the rooftop grass every day.
Annika joined us for the morning view of the volcanoes

Antisana Ecological Reserve

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What should have been a short drive from Papallacta to the Antisana Ecological Reserve was anything but. Unfortunately there is no direct route to Antisana so we had to drive through some very interesting towns, but in the end, it was well worth it. Once inside the park, the road leading to Antisana had some breathtaking views even with Antisana surrounded by clouds. Although Antisana and Cotopaxi are not very far from each other, the paramos looked different. We shall return to hopefully get a clearer view of her soon enough.

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Clouds obscuring our view. We shall return though
Andean Bluebonnets (Michelle knows their true name).

Cabañas San Isidro

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About an hour east of Papallacta, down a windy road on the eastern slopes of the Andes, is Cabañas San Isidro. It was the first time that Julia and I have travelled to the eastern Andes. Cabañas San Isidro is a reserve that lies between two national parks and has well-marked and maintained forest trails where one can see various species of birds and Colibris (Hummingbirds). We started our hike into the humid cloud forest and, as the administrator told us, "In the rainy season it rains all the time but in the dry season it rains every day", it began to rain. For the most part, the thick forest protected us from the downpour. At the end of the trail there was a hummingbird watch station where there was some intense feeding activity as the birds were not bothered by the rain. To view the entire album click here.

Some Videos

Papallacta

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Just 40 miles east of Quito, and at an altitude of 10,800 feet, are the Termas de Papallacta, the hot springs of Papallacta. With Vince and Michelle having just arrived to Ecuador, we figured the hot springs would be a great way for them to get aclimated to the altitude. Vince and I did a little bike riding and it turns out he was in no need of aclimating. I, on the other hand, gave up after ascending just 500 feet at roughly 12,000 feet. We did manage to do a little hiking along the entrance to Reserva Ecológica Cayambe Coca and although it was cloudy, we got some good views of the Cascada de Baños. To view the entire album, click here.

Noche Buena and Christmas in Quito 2014

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As it was peanut's first Christmas - and she is just so damn photogenic - we took a million pictures. Looks like Santa needs to bring more memory cards and backup drives next year. We spent Noche Buena with good friends from the Embassy; it was a great evening complete with homemade spaghetti, old fashioneds, and tons of excited kids. We returned home to start our own new Christmas traditions. We must have been good this year as Santa came overnight and filled Annika's stocking, bringing her a little toothbrush for her 1/2 of a tooth. Santa also brought a train set that scared the bejeezus out of her.

We had a relaxing low key Christmas day starting with mimosas and ending with a candlelit dinner. We enjoyed our first Christmas as a family of 3 but missed spending time with our family.

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R&R 2014 Part III: New England

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After being on the road for nearly two weeks, we found refuge in the warm and welcoming Scanlon home in Killingworth, CT. And thus began a week filled with lobster. And family. And more lobster. And more family. Again we were treated to incredible hospitality, and Annika was in heaven with all the toys! Annika also had the opportunity to meet her Great-great Aunt Sil, Great-great Aunty Jean and Great-great Uncle Hop, lots of Wiltse cousins, Kristen, Matthew, Meghan...the list goes on! Even her Great-Aunt Linda drove down from Maine. Annika met future husband Sebastien (and his parents) at Mystic. We are blessed with great family and would like to thank everyone for making the effort to spend time with us. We are deeply appreciative of all of the hospitality offered to us throughout the trip...from meals to places to stay. We enjoyed your company tremendously and are so happy we could share a little time with you. To view the entire album click here

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R&R 2014 Part II: New York: Little Peanut in the Big Apple

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From the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO to the High Line and Ground Zero...Annika got a nice taste of New York, and her dad got more than a few photos. Nate, Gigi, Dave, and Seth made cameo appearances. We picked up the Grand-MiMi, who had just flown in from Africa after hanging out with adorable baby elephants. We were fortunate to spend time in the city with "new" New Yorkers Sandy and Dan, and seasoned New Yorker the Gotham Girl herself (now known as Auntie GG). After leaving the city, we made a quick stop in Old Greenwich to catch up with Jordan and meet Harrison and Bennett (so photogenic!). To view the entire album click here.

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Cotopaxi Part Deux

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One of the things we love most about Quito is its proximity to incredible scenery such as that found at Cotopaxi national Park. So we made our second trip to Cotopaxi, this time with the little peanut in tow. We were lucky to catch clear weather that permitted unobstructed views of Ecuador's second-highest volcano and the highest active volcano in the world. I may have taken a few too many photos of the peak, but it's not often that Cotopaxi comes out of hiding from the cloud cover. To view the entire album click here.