Saturday Snapshots

I'm definitely not a photographer like Miss Nelson but I was cleaning out my digital picture folders today and found some pictures from a trip I took the the Galapagos Islands the summer before my first ever teaching job. I decided they were too good not to share. If there are any nature lovers out there, this is THE trip you must take. This is a vacation unlike any other. 99% of the islands are uninhabited, which means the wildlife is virtually untouched by modern-day standards. You can get up close and personal with animals that exist nowhere else on earth! Put it on your bucket list. Right now. Here are a few of my favorite shots from that trip. It was hard to choose so I'm warning you there are a LOT. My bad.

 Marine Iguanas - These are EVERYWHERE! They are the only iguanas that swim in the ocean.

 Albatros

 Sally Lightfoot Crab

 Of COURSE I had to show you a flamingo

 Saddleback Land Tortoise stretching his legs.

 The Pacific Ocean

Whale watching

 Surfing Sea Turtles

 Sea Lions (not seals)

 Albatros and egg

 That's me in all my amateur photography glory, a LOT younger. I was recovering from foot surgery, fresh off my crutches and still managed to hike miles of rocky paths every day. I also don't tan worth sh.... Ever. May I add that there is actual REAL 35mm film in that camera. You know, the kind you have to take to a photo developing place and wait a day to see what your pictures actually look like...I have a digital now too but film is still my favorite.

 Sea Lion

 Swimming with these guys is so much fun. They are very playful and love to zip in and out, up and around you.

 Sea Turtle tracks

Galapagos Penguins

 Just so you can get an idea of the numbers we are talking about...

 Flightless Cormorant. I used pictures of these guys when we studied adaptations. These birds have no natural predators and they don't migrate so they don't really NEED the ability to fly. They are kind of like ducks I guess. They swim and dive for food in the ocean.

More whale watching

Me straddling the Equator in Ecuador.

This one is not actually on the islands (see all the man-made stuff).