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Dec
12-21
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Galapagos
Islands
I visited the Galapagos Islands
on an 8-day tour with Ray, Serene, and Eu-jin. We traveled between
islands aboard the Monserrat II, a 29-meter yacht that holds 16
passengers. The crossings were done mostly at night, and could be a bit
rocky, but the intinerary was very relaxed and there was plenty of time to
catch up on sleep or read e-books after lunch. Between meals on board
we took small rubber rafts to the islands for nature walks or surrounding
coves for snorkeling. We saw hundreds of animals and took thousands of
pictures. Our guide, Williams, was very knowledgeable, and had a dry,
humorous style that grew more and more entertaining over time. All in
all, a memorable birthday trip!
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Sept
1-12
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Southern Utah
Southern Utah has all the stark appeal of true
desert, but it turns out to have quite a lot of water. This was lucky
for us because Hunter's interpretation of the recommended gallon of water per
day was to take one 0.5-liter bottle for two days in Bryce Canyon.
Cloudy weather saved us from dehydration that time, and we survived 19
miles at ~6,000 ft to reach a muddy red trickle called Iron Spring. We
had many other good bits of luck, like finding springs along the Subway Trail
and snagging the best backcountry campsites in Zion National Park (#6 at La
Verkin has a waterfall and #8 in the Virgin Narrows has a big grotto).
I was also glad that I didn't drop my camera while hiking through the
river in Zion,
though I slipped a few times.
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June 10
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Fenway Park
A tour of historic Fenway
Park! We were pretty
lucky because the tour usually costs money and is crowded, but ours was free,
with a small group. It was supposed to rain, too, but the weather was great.
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Apr 1-8
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Cozumel
We spent a week on this island in Mexico. I had my laptop, violin,
and a rented bike to keep me occupied while Hunter went scuba diving in the
mornings. In the afternoons we would play tennis and explore the
island. I got to try out the underwater capability of my new camera,
which was a good combination with new snorkel gear. On Friday we rented
a motorbike and Hunter drove us all the way around the island. We saw
the crocodiles in the marshes at the southern tip, some nice beaches on the
east coast, and Mayan ruins in the center of the island. Saturday I took
a Cessna 206 to Chichen Itza.
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Feb 24
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Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
I brought my new Olympus 720SW to this new museum and took some surreptitious
photographs (it’s not permitted in the galleries).
http://www.icaboston.org
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Feb
13-17
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Yosemite National Park
Hunter and I went to Yosemite for cross-country
skiing. There was just barely enough
snow to ski the backcountry trail to Ostrander Hut for the night. The weather continued to warm up, and on
the third day we hiked to the top of Upper Falls.
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