Category: Travel
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Cucumber Gap Loop
Last week we had a chance to get in one more Smoky Mountains hike before the Labor Day Weekend crowds appeared. So Thursday we loaded up our packs and set out for Elkmont Campgrounds to hike the 5.5 mile “Cucumber Gap Loop Trail”. First, a word about those packs. On our last hike Rita took…
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Abrams Falls Hike
There must be something about the last week of August that causes us to lace up the hiking boots. In 2019 on this week, we were hiking in the Galápagos. 2018 found us exploring Greenways and parks of Knoxville, and in 2017 we were finishing up explorations around Cusco in Perú and about to tackle the Inca…
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Winter Strawberries
Rita and I recently returned to our home in Salinas on the southern Pacific Coast of Ecuador after our longest time away in the last five years. Between taking care of some business in the States, attending the International Living Boot Camp Conference in Santa Fe, and enjoying Thanksgiving with family, we were away from…
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For of Flying in Baños
There’s a moment of clarity, just before you begin, when you think calmly to yourself, “Why am I doing this?” Then the calm is shattered by sheer terror as you are flung out over the abyss. Now your brain is screaming “WHY AM I DOING THIS?!” This was my experience with the “Casa del Arbol”…
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Confessions of a Gumbo Junkie
I could feel the urge building over the last few weeks, and then this Sunday, it finally happened. I woke up with a raging gumbo-ner. I just had to make my favorite New Orleans meal. Gumbo is not something to be taken casually. It is not one of those “one pot” dinners that you can…
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A Non-Comprehensive List of Things For Sale on Ecuadorian Beaches
Another picture-perfect day in Salinas. May is a great month here, with most of the snowbirds gone, and kids back in school. We have a lot of days with blue skies, temperatures in the low 80’s, and cool breeze coming in off the water. Rita and I took a beach walk in Chipipe yesterday, and…
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Tips for Driving in Ecuador
Rita and I just returned from an 8-day road trip through part of southern Ecuador (hence the gap in blog posts), and we had a really wonderful time. We saw some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet, and met interesting people in some great cities and towns. We know several people who have…
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I’m Just Mad About the ‘Tad!
One thing I really enjoy about living in Salinas, Ecuador is when we have an excuse to visit the ‘Tad. That’s what Rita and I call La Libertad, which is the next town inland from Salinas, and the commercial center of the peninsula. We love to jump on a bus and ride into the ‘Tad.…
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Are You Going To Stay In Ecuador?
It is a question many people are asking themselves right now. For my wife and I, our answer is yes, we are staying. This is our home. Maybe we would feel differently if we were in one of the areas of destruction. Our hearts go out to those who are struggling to survive. We recently…
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Aftershocks and Aftermath – Ecuador Earthquake, April 2016
Things are very quiet here in Salinas, Ecuador today. As you can see in the picture, the beach is nearly deserted, only a few boats and jet skis out. This is a resort town for Ecuadorians, and most of them have left to go check on their homes and families in other parts of the…