My Favorite Morning in Galapagos

The day we were on Isabela, we spent the morning (from 8-1:30) walking up and back from "Volcan Chica" in the Sierra Negra.  It drizzled part of the way up, and rained steadily at least half of the way back.  The mud was not fun, nor was being drenched when we got back.  But oh my, it was good to walk, and the scenery was stunning (well, once the fog lifted).

(This is Galapagos Cotton)

Some of the openings from the lava are so warm that it's like standing by a wood stove...

 Our guide--Daniel, seen here--explained that they can tell how long ago an eruption happened partly by how much plant growth there is.  For example: this cactus only grows about 1 cm./year.

This picture shows the different eruptions--the reddish clay is from the older eruption (that's where cacti and other plants grew).  The black is from a 1979 eruption, with hardly any plant growth anywhere.

It's amazing to me how such a harsh environment can be so beautiful.

One of my favortie pics of Sam, trying to get a safe shot of one of the canyons.

Mr. Bobo, of course, made an appearance

Wee Anya was tired by the time we were returning, and got to ride a horse for much of the way back.

Good walk.  Grubby sneakers.

Ended up throwing these out.

A good trip.  A unique environment.  I'm glad we went.