Adios, Galápagos

We left the Bonita one last time this morning. The crew loaded our bags onto a dinghy and transferred them to a bus in Puerto Ayora. We followed their path, shortly thereafter. Our last excursion was a trip to the Twin Craters. Technically not craters, the giant sink holes are officially named Los Gemelos. We walked a dirt path, pocked with lava rocks and damp from the continuous moisture. The craters sit near the top of the island of Santa Cruz, where the condensation is continuous and clouds dominate the highlands. As we approached the first crater, I was surprised at the size. It was large in circumference and very, very deep. Along the darker lava walls of the crater, vines and vegetation clung to the side. At the bottom, trees stretched to reach sunlight, with two trees being particularly tall. I asked Gustavo what type of trees grew so much higher than the others, and he pronounced them avocado trees. I thought he was pulling my leg, but apparently they really do grow in the Galápagos and can reach heights of 90 feet. Of course, they are not endemic, probably brought to the islands by pirates or settlers. I pictured a pirate making a little guacamole and tossing the pits to the ground, resulting in these trees so many years later. It also reminded me of a story my mom told me one time. After she and my dad bought their house in California, they had a house warming party. They celebrated with food, and particularly, watermelon. My mom said that months later they had watermelon vines growing all over their yard, where people had spit out the seeds. I think many plants in the Galápagos got established here in a similar way.

But back to the craters that aren’t craters. I previously described lava tubes, and the craters have the same geology. Once these were not holes but solid, hardened lava covering the ground. Below the thin layer of lava rock, a tunnel was created by the lava running hotter and quicker underneath. At some point the top layer collapsed, creating a giant hole where the lava tunnel once ran. It is now filled with lush, green vegetation, which is in stark contrast to the desolate, dry landscape that dominates the south end of the island just a few more miles north down the road. You have to cross that same road to reach the second crater. It looks similar to the first sans avocado trees. Zach, from Moab, leaned over and observed that the first person who came across the holes probably didn’t live to tell about it. With the thick shrub, vines, and trees, it would be simple to never see the edge of the crater and just take a tumble into the hole.

We returned to Isla Baltra, where you have to catch a ferry to catch the bus to catch the plane. It’s impossible not to notice the numerous cement foundations and handful of dilapidated buildings on the island. Again, I asked Gustavo. At this point, he had become a human Google for me. I was embarrassed that I didn’t know (or remember) that the US established a base here to protect from a western approach to the Panama Canal. Baltra was chosen due to its flat topography, and construction of the airbase began in 1942. After talking with Gustavo, I got curious and did a little more research. It turns out the US constructed a mile-long airstrip, over 200 buildings, including barracks for 1,000 soldiers, hangars, office buildings, an outdoor beer garden, a cinema, and even a bowling alley (constructed after Eleanor Roosevelt visited the island and described conditions for the soldiers as “deplorable”). Even more interesting, at the end of WWII, the US turned the base over to the Ecuadorian government, which offered each head of household in Galápagos one of the buildings. Many families deconstructed their building to provide material for their own homes on both Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal islands. Additionally, Ecuador used the base to establish their own airstrip in the Galápagos, and commercial flights have been arriving here since 1963.

By the time we arrived back in Quito, it was time for dinner. We had traditional Ecuadorian food and then headed to the room to pack up for tomorrow. And, we were able to stream the CSU football game. Their win makes them bowl-eligible, which means we’ll be traveling again next month.Читать далее