Calakmul

January 28, 2024January 28, 20241 Comment

Ancient Mayan City

Despite being one of the largest and most powerful Mayan city states, Calakmul has never gotten the same attention as Chichen Itza to the north and Tikal to the south. It does have UNESCO World Heritage status, but I’d never even heard about it until I started looking through my guidebook. Right now, the public transportation options are limited and there aren’t many group tours, so it’s challenging to get to. I chose to rent a car in Bacalar and drive many hours on pothole-filled roads. However, everything is changing: the Tren Maya is currently being built (all the heavy trucks contribute to the pothole problem) and will probably be done in the next year. This area will soon be inundated with tourists. The tiny 20-car parking lot is being expanded; the roads are being widened and repaired. Tourism and its impact on the area is about to explode.

Because I knew almost nothing about Mayan history and culture, I hired a guide for this tour and we met at 4:30 in the morning so that we could arrive in the park right when it opened. There were only a couple other people wandering around at that time and it is truly surreal to try and imagine the hustle and bustle of a once-thriving capital city when almost no one is around. The view from the top of the king’s pyramid (Structure II) is incredible: a clear view of miles and miles of trees. But 1500 years ago, there would have been settlements and roads in every direction. Even though the large structures of Calakmul have been excavated, the foundations of the old city remain buried beneath the trees.

from the top of Structure II, the home of the former kings of Calakmul and one of the tallest Mayan pyramids

The king’s palace actually has two levels and it is impossible to see the place where I’m sitting from the ground. The king’s quarters on top would’ve been relatively hidden from the common folks down below. He also would’ve had an elongated head because all of the elite Mayans had their heads tightly bound as children. Everyone in the elite class actually looked completely different from the rest of the people. Mayans also engaged in face scarification and wore a lot of heavy jewelry, especially in their ears.

view of the king’s palace from the bottom, a close up of one of the stelas that depicts a ruler standing on top of a slave who is kneeling

Stelae were often constructed to commemorate people and events. Many of the stelae at Calakmul are in bad shape. There are a few different ways to write in Mayan language: one way uses pictures to depict a specific meaning, another uses pictures to match the syllables of the word, and a third combines both of these together. Despite the complexities, experts can generally decipher most Mayan script today.

top part of stela showing the ruler standing above the slave, view of 5 stelae from the top of Structure I (pyramid that was probably used as a temple)

The pictures below show another large pyramid (Structure VI) where astronomical sightings were made. This building and others were built so that the sun would line up in specific places on the solstices and on the equinox. Some of the engravings on the sides of the stelae are still very clear even after all this time. Although the front and back of these stelae were removed by looters, the sides discuss the people involved as well as the dates of events.

view from bottom of the pyramid, view from top of the other two large pyramids, engravings on side of a stela

So far, at least four tombs have been found inside the king’s pyramid and even more tombs were found in other structures. Even houses of common folk have skeletons buried inside of them. The bodies of the elite class were buried with elaborate outfits and offerings to the gods.

Many graves not only have masks made of jade, but also necklaces, ear plugs, and other fancy adornments. There is no jade in Mexico, so all of this jade was most likely imported from what is now Guatemala, which shows the extent of trade in the region. All of these jade funerary masks below were found in Calakmul, but were removed and put into museums in the city of Campeche. (Side note: this is actually one of the reasons it took me so long to write about this, because I had to go to Campeche to see these masks.) The mask in the top right is the most elaborate and probably belonged to Yuknoom Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ, the ruler of the Mayan snake kingdom starting around 650 CE.

top row (l to r): mask of Yuknoom Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ, jade mask & ear plugs with cinnabar used on the mouth, another intricate mask depicting a few different animals
bottom row (l to r): a mask representing Yuknoom Ch’een II (the father of Yuknoom Yichʼaak Kʼahkʼ), another jade mask & ear plugs, jade mask probably for a priest with a second set of eyes representing his supernatural vision and the red lines on his cheek showing ritual scars

Calakmul Biosphere Reserve

After our tour of the ancient city, my guide took me on a short walk through the nearby protected natural area. Even wearing insect repellant, a swarm of mosquitos kept threatening to attack my face. There’s so much to see in the rainforest, but my guide started by showing me the chewing gum (chicle) tree. By cutting diagonal lines in the trunk, they were able to get the natural resin to flow and that was harvested and exported to make chewing gum. I also was introduced to the Mayan breadnut (ramón) tree which is used to make bread or a type of porridge. We came across a swamp and I could see a crocodile hanging out on a log. Perhaps the most exciting thing I saw was on our slow drive (avoiding potholes) back to the entrance, when a tayra crossed the road. I didn’t get a photo of it (but Wikipedia has some) and my guide said it was only the third time he’d ever seen one. Folks here call them the viejo de monte (old man of the mountain) because of their white heads.

top (l to r): chicle tree with scars, natural chewing gum, Maya breadfruit tree starting to grow from seed
bottom (l to r): papaya tree, Central American Gulf Coast toad, termite nest with holes most likely made by parrots that are living inside of it

Riviera Maya – Part 2

January 17, 20244 Comments

Playa del Carmen

Playa, as it is affectionately called locally, is a strange little oceanside town. It’s got an entire avenue (Quinta Avenida) dedicated to hawking souvenirs, tours, tequila, and sunscreen. “Mexican Disney” is how I described it to a friend. I get the appeal. There are nice beaches, lots of fresh and tasty food, and an entire English-speaking industry devoted to serving tourist needs. I understand why expats and digital nomads would decide to settle there. However, as an independent traveler type who is more excited about sea life than wave life and is looking for a bit more authenticity, I can’t really recommend the city.

Beach 72 in Playa Del Carmen, famous Portal Maya sculpture, and a liter of passion fruit (maracuya) juice

Tulum

Word on the street is that Tulum was a lovely little town about 10-20 years ago and now has turned into the tourist destination du jour. I didn’t even go to the beach part of the town, but I did make it the Mayan ruins that gave the city its name. Probably called Zama (meaning sunrise/dawn) by the original builders, during the colonial era it got the name Tulum (meaning wall). As the city of Chitzen Itza declined in importance, Tulum came to prominence. The city has incredibly thick walls (16-26 ft deep) that surround three sides of the city and the last side faces the ocean. Tulum was well-protected because it most likely functioned as the port city for Coba with large ocean-going canoes making regular visits. Flint, ceramics, gold, salt, textiles, jade and obsidian were most likely being imported, while feathers and copper were being exported. Obsidian came from central Mexico, jade from Guatemala, copper from Honduras, and cacao beans from the Tabasco. There is also evidence of the city’s worship of the Descending God (or Diving God), seen in the photo of the temple below. This god is always pictured head-down, feet-up and may be the same as Ah Muzen Cab, the Mayan god of bees and honey.

top row (l to r): Black spiny-tailed iguana, House of Chultun, Temple of the Wind
bottom row (l to r): Temple of the Descending God, Temple of Frescoes (close up of corner carving), Dancing Platform

The entire Yucatan peninsula is dotted with cenotes, natural holes made from limestone collapsing. Cenote Yaxmulito was the first one I got to swim in, and I had it all to myself for the first 15 minutes I was there. This one was almost entirely enclosed with just a few holes allowing a bit of light in. I have to say, it is utterly surreal to swim amongst stalagmites in the dark.

Views of Cenote Yaxmulito

On the day I arrived at my hostel, there were large banners celebrating the anniversary of a local musical school. I didn’t think much about it, but that evening, there was a lovely neighborhood gathering to watch not only young performers, but also a few professionals do their thing. It’s such a gift to just wander into local events and meld into a crowd. Other kids came around and handed out streamers for us to wave in support. I took a video because the music is a bit different than I expected to hear.

Bacalar

The Laguna de Bacalar is one of only a few places in the world where stromatolites are still being formed. Stromatolites are natural structures built over time by cyanobacteria and are some of the oldest fossils we have. When I was biking across New York last fall, the fossil stromatolite I took home from the Herkimer mine was probably about 900 million years old. Of course, I got in a kayak and paddled myself around until I found some. Mostly, I just came to hang out and swim in this incredibly peaceful freshwater lake. It’s quite a ways off the beaten path, but was a nice layover en route to my next destination.

living stromatolites, view from the hotel, fossil stromatolite from Herkimer, New York

More photos of delicious food I’m eating:

mangos with chamoy, delicious vegetarian sopes across the street from the Tulum ruins, agua de piña y chaya (pineapple and chaya, which is also known as tree spinach)

Riviera Maya – Part 1

January 7, 2024January 8, 20242 Comments

It’s been awhile since I’ve written much here, but I’m back on the road. I tend to appreciate these reflections later on, so I’m going to try to write some more this year. I’m spending a month on the Yucatan Peninsula and I’m definitely stuck in the tourist circuit right now. There’s benefits to this, of course: good wifi, plenty of food options, safe pedestrian walkways, beautiful sights, etc. But there are also the downsides: never-ending asks on the street to drink tequila, go scuba diving, take a ferry; the endless hustle-bustle of noisy tourists; and a bit of price gouging. It’s all part of traveling, but I haven’t lived the backpacker life for a while, so I can feel my body and mind adjusting to life on the road again. This part of the trip was really about getting in the water and seeing cool marine life, so it’s mostly just photos of awesome underwater animals.

Puerto Morelos

All the guidebooks describe this as a sleepy, fishing town and that’s probably why I enjoyed it so much. The section of town near the ocean is tiny and can be walked from end to end in about an hour. It’s also right on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (the second largest barrier reef in the world) and I could snorkel right from the shore.

notable landmarks in Puerto Morales include Faro Inclinado (the leaning lighthouse), the fancy colored sign, and this lovely disheveled pier

Here are some highlights from a day of shore snorkeling and one boat trip to Parque Nacional Arrecife de Puerto Morelos (Puerto Morelos Reef National Park).

stoplight parrotfish, scattered pore rope sponge, rock beauty

Atlantic peacock flounder, brain coral, smooth trunkfish (this has to be one of my favorite fishes)

giant anemone, spaghetti worm, purple sea fans

Cozumel

One taxi ride and one ferry ride later, I was on the lovely island of Cozumel. I came for the snorkeling, but there’s also a really lovely bike loop that I wanted to ride. The loop is only 40 miles, but I added a 10 mile out-and-back trip to Punta Sur, the very bottom of the island.

the beach on the wild side (the east side) of the island, view from the top of the Punta Sur lighthouse, lovely palm tree

The rental bicycle wasn’t quite the right size, but the cyclopista is almost completely flat and is well-maintained. Punta Sur is a nature reserve and although one side is on the ocean, the other side is a brackish mangrove lagoon, which is home to several American alligators. I wasn’t sure if I should go, but I met some American bicyclists in the Rasta Bar and they convinced me my tires would be okay on the pothole-filled dirt road, so off I went.

black spiny-tailed iguana on the cyclopista, me next to Faro Celarain (lighthouse in Punta Sur), an American alligator in the nearby lagoon

There used to be a very nice reef on the ocean side of Punta Sur, but it has clearly seen better days. It took me awhile to realize that a buoy way offshore was the marker for the start of the old reef. Once I figured that out, I found a lot more underwater life.

snorkeling in Punta Sur: red cushion sea star (not red, definitely orange), queen conch (zoom in and you can see its eyes), Guilding’s sea star

I also took a boat tour out to El Cielo and the reefs we went to before it were just teeming with ctenophores. These comb jellies are incredibly difficult to photograph and all of the ones I saw were iridescent (not bioluminescent), but I only got clear colors in one photo.

ctenophore, yellow stingray, another ctenophore

netted barrel sponge (these are huge!), another red cushion sea star (definitely not red), and a brown encrusting octopus sponge (what a great name)

While snorkeling around at the Money Bar, I found this brassy drummer defending what seemed to be its territory (a float in the water). It was aggressively fighting off any fish that came near and was showing the black and white dotted pattern. It eventually swam away and slowly lost its coloration, turning back into a shiny fish. I’ve never seen anything like it and now I want to know everything about how fish skin changes colors. I’ve taught about cephalopods and chromatophores for years but I had no idea that fish could do the same thing.

brassy drummer (in various stages of coloration)

And here’s the food update section since folks ask what I’m eating. Honestly this whole section of Mexico is very vegan / vegetarian friendly. There’s even raw food places in almost every town. I’m really enjoying the fresh fruit juices for 30 pesos (less than $2/liter).

chilaquiles and fresh juice in Cozumel, view from the Rasta Bar on Cozumel, delicious vegan tacos from Veggie Veggie Street Food in Puerto Morelos

Empire State Trail

December 17, 2023January 2, 20251 Comment

Buffalo to Brooklyn: Erie Canal Trail + Hudson Valley Trail

September 2023 – 762 miles

map of New York state with red dots showing stops along the way

Day 1: Buffalo Airport to Buffalo City

After flying a red eye across the country, I managed to assemble my bicycle in the airport. Yucky traffic and roads got me to the awesome Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House before I needed a long afternoon nap. 15 miles 🚲

Day 2: Buffalo to Niagara Falls

Crossed over the Peace Bridge and cycled along a nice bike path next to the Niagara River until I got to the falls, which really are better from the Canadian side. 25 miles 🚲

Day 3: Niagara Falls to Middleport

Cycled over the Rainbow Bridge and toured the American side of the falls before biking to the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum. (There’s a high probability your local favorite carousel was carved in the town of Tonawanda.) Finally made it onto the Erie Canal Trail and learned all about how they operated the locks. 42 miles 🚲

Day 4: Middleport to Rochester

The first part of today there was lots and lots of corn, reminding me very much of the Midwest. Today’s interesting trail feature was the only road that goes underneath the Erie Canal. Boba Count = 1 and that sunset is the view from my campsite right next to a lock. 55 miles 🚲

Day 5: Rochester to Lyons

This morning the nice Puerto Rican lock keeper gave me some chocolate sandwich wafers after sharing his life story. Figured I’ve been on my bike too long so I spent the morning in a kayak on the Erie Canal! Currently camping behind a fire department next to a biker bar. 3 miles 🛶 35 miles 🚲

Day 6: Lyons to Montezuma

Took a tour this morning and learned all about the peppermint oil business at the turn of the century. Then headed off the main trail on a pilgrimage to the birthplace of women’s suffrage in Seneca Falls. So proud to be able to vote and be a part of the legacy of these women and men who fought to empower more people through the ballot box. 43 miles 🚲

Day 7: Montezuma to Fayetteville

Chilly, rainy day of biking but I made it through one week!!! Today was made a little better by all the gorgeous fall colors on the trail. I took a long winding detour around Onondaga Lake to visit a Salt Museum near Syracuse. Salt used to be a huge industry that paid for nearly half the Erie Canal through tolls. The brine they used to make the salt came from glacial melt dissolving halite that they then pumped up to the surface. 55 miles 🚲

Day 8: Fayetteville to Herkimer

Lots of time right next to the canal today which made for relatively flat and fast riding, which was good because it was a looooooong day. First Erie Canal on top and the current version of the Erie Canal on the bottom plus some flowers because sometimes my butt needed a break. 😊 77 miles 🚲

Day 9: Herkimer

Rest day. Hung out next to a creek and mined for some Herkimer “diamonds” (quartz crystals) and a stromatolite fossil across the street. My legs are very thankful. Back to the grind tomorrow. 0 miles 🚲

Day 10: Herkimer to Amsterdam

It was a bit hard to get myself back moving again this morning, but I did it. Stopped and saw the Arkell Museum (favorite painting was the Winslow Homer pumpkin piece) and had relatively smooth off-road riding much of the day. Tonight I’m staying in a freaking castle just because I can. 🏰 59 miles 🚲

Day 11: Amsterdam to Waterford

Beautiful weather with a nice lunch stop in Schenectady. It’s my last day on the Erie Canal. I’m camping tonight next to Lock 2. Tomorrow I turn south towards New York City through the Hudson Valley. 39 miles 🚲

Day 12: Waterford to Hudson

Headed out early with a short detour to see the State Capitol Building in Albany. The bike route today follows an old electric train route between Albany and Hudson. But soon after I left Albany, the rain just started to come down and it was relentless. After a few hours of being completely soaked (even with all my cool waterproof gear) I caved and got a hotel to dry out all my stuff. 51 miles 🚲

Day 13: Hudson to Poughkeepsie

Chilly, rainy, windy morning on roads with fast moving traffic had me doubting my life choices. My right shoe has been slowly coming apart and today I couldn’t click out properly because of it and ended up falling over on a hill. I got just one good bruise out of it. Then the rain stopped and I had a glorious afternoon of rail trail riding through forests changing colors and losing their leaves. Also two big bridge crossings over the Hudson today. (And I got some ShoeGoo so I’m working on a shoe fix for the last couple days.) 65 miles 🚲

Day 14: Poughkeepsie to Briarcliff Manor

The Duchess Rail Trail is, in fact, as beautiful as everyone said it would be. See that gorgeous scene up top, wouldn’t you stop to take a photo? Well I did and when I stopped the bottom half my shoe got stuck in the pedal and the top half came off. That’s right. All my ShoeGoo action from last night didn’t help much. (Apparently you gotta wait at least 24 hours) I’ve had these shoes for over a decade so I think I’m going to let them go in peace. They’ve lived a good life. In the meantime, I’m rocking sneakers and I’ve got one day to go. Boba Count = 2. 62 miles 🚲

Day 15: Briarcliff Manor to BROOKLYN!!!

I made it! And I saw some friends including Emily, Anand & Jena. So grateful to all the people I met along the way and so thankful that my body and mind are healing. I said goodbye to some shoes and hello to a bunch of beautiful bruises and saddle sores. But I didn’t give up and I made it to NYC, biked over the Brooklyn Bridge, and couldn’t be happier. 49 miles 🚲 Total Miles = 762!

Seattle to San Francisco Bike Ride

May 13, 20232 Comments

Throwback to Summer 2018

This bike ride happened in the summer of 2018 right before I started this blog. At the time, I posted daily on Facebook and I finally got around to collecting all those photos and commentary in one spot. During my 18 days of riding, I met only one other solo woman rider who was doing a much shorter trip and one group of women doing the ride. These rides are both extremely intense and also stunningly beautiful. I learned so much about how to align my body and my mind in really challenging conditions and still find space to laugh and love and appreciate. To track my progress and cheer me up along the way, my friend Glen made an animation of my daily progress:

Day 1: Seattle to Potlatch State Park

Ferry ride! Annoying flat until I finally removed the cause. Shoutout to Leo in Gorst who hooked me up with some shade and company while I fixed it. 37 miles. 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 2: Potlatch State Park to Twin Harbors State Park

Unfinished nuclear power plant, delicious smoothie, pick-your-own blackberries, a deer in my bike lane, and some really dirty roads. Made up my own route today but let’s say 78 miles.(Way too much for my second day, but I’m still moving.) 🚴#seattletosf

Day 3: Twin Harbors State Park to Bay Center

Started the day biking into Westport for breakfast. Lots of views of bays, rivers and estuaries. Some cool iron sculptures in Raymond. Don’t get in a fight with blackberries, they will win, I have the scratches to prove it. 60 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 4: Bay Center, WA to Seaside, OR

The scary, mean Astoria bridge into Oregon is really as bad as everyone said it was. After four miles and a huge climb, my bike jacket was soaked with the sweat of exhaustion and fear. So happy to make it into Oregon, where there seem to be slightly better shoulders, but a lot more traffic. Seaside has an awesome aquarium and beautiful ocean views. 52 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 5: Seaside to Cape Lookout

Scary tunnel. Lots of hills. Nice views of Haystack Rocks. (Remember these from the Goonies?) Delicious ice cream dinner courtesy of Tillamook Creamery. I’m going to sleep well tonight. 61 miles. 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 6: Cape Lookout to Beverly State Beach

2800 ft of elevation gain but some beautiful ocean views. The worst gallo pinto I’ve ever eaten. Oregon State Parks still has the best hot, free showers. 62 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 7: Beverly State Park to Honeyman State Park

Walked over one bridge, rode through a bunch more. Saw sea lions and pitcher plants and apparently famous lighthouses. Also that mile marker shows that I’m officially over half way through Oregon! 61 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 8: Honeyman State Park to Sunset Bay State Park

Woke up in the Oregon Dunes and set out on a day of taking care of business. Fortunately, not too hilly. I did decide to walk the crazy Coos Bay Bridge and had a totally acceptable veggie burger at BK for dinner. 56 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 9: Sunset Bay State Park to Humbug Mountain State Park

Climbed the Seven Devils in the fog. Ate a giant pizza for lunch because my dad told me yesterday I needed to eat more. 🍕 The last few miles were absolutely stunning views of the ocean. 57 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 10: Humbug Mountain State Park to Brookings

Another foggy morning commute. Short day with a giant hill in the middle. Got a hotel tonight so I could do laundry, eat delicious Thai food, and generally feel refreshed again. California is only 6 miles away! 50 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 11: Brookings to Elk Prairie Campground

Woo hoo! I made it to California. Went through the Easter Lily capital of the US. Then biked a huge hill and my reward was this awesome photo with Babe the Blue Ox. There are elk and laundry happening in my beautiful redwoods campsite tonight. 63 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 12: Elk Prairie to Eureka

Today was supposed to be easy, but riding on the 101, and then crazy gravel roads off the freeway really took its toll. Curses were muttered, tears were shed, but I made it. Pretty scenery in some parts though. 😊 53 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 13: Eureka to Burlington Campground

Followed some beautiful bike trails to some beautiful rural roads (and Victorian gingerbread houses) and ended in the amazing Avenue of the Giants. Definitely one of the nicer biking days of this trip so far. 56 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 14: Burlington Campground to Standish-Hickey State Park

Redwoods are beautiful and shaded to bike through. Being away from the coast is really hot, so hot I had to have a milkshake. 😊 Best part of the day was hanging out on the Eel River in inner tubes with Enrique and Glen. ❤ 47 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 15: Standish-Hickey State Park to Van Damme State Park

Hardest part of today was saying goodbye to my friends this morning after they made me the best breakfast I’ve eaten on trail. Went over the nefarious Leggett Hill (1950 ft) and then the rest of the day was chilly, cold, foggy riding on Hwy 1. I miss the warmth. 55 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 16: Van Damme State Park to Gualala Point Regional Park

Beautiful scenic views on rolling hills all day long with no fog. 49 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 17: Gualala Point Regional Park to Tomales

Started off from a beautiful campsite next to the Gualala River. Midday stop to see the first Russian settlement in California. Lots of elevation but I made it. One more day! 64 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

Day 18: Tomales to HOME!

Peaceful morning next to Tomales Bay. Took this beautiful bike trail across Marin before crossing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge without crashing into any tourists. Probably the fastest bike day of the whole trip. So happy to be home! 58 miles 🚴 #seattletosf

St. Thomas

July 7, 2021March 9, 20253 Comments

This island was first Ciboney land, a subgroup of the Taino people who also settled Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. They were later supplanted by the Arawaks and the Caribs. In the late 1600s, Denmark decided to claim the island as their own, bringing disease and decimating the local population. The first settlers belonged to the St. Thomas Reformed Church, which is how the island was given its name.

By 1673, the Danes had brought enslaved Africans to the island to work sugarcane plantations. For awhile, the largest slave market in the entire world was on St. Thomas. This was one of the corners of the triangle trade where sugar was sent to New England to make rum, which was sent along with other goods to Africa to buy more slaves. Slaves were emancipated here in 1848.

Fort Christian

In order to protect the land they had occupied, the Danish built a giant fort right at the bay. The tour guide told me that its placement was a joke, easily overrun with no ability to lookout for potential attacks.

inside, outside and a cannon on top

In 1874, the fort was turned into the local jail and used for that purpose until 1983. The most interesting part of the tour was the discussion of the bathrooms and how they had only a tiny opening for someone to squeeze into so most people had to drop their drawers in full view of the officers. The female shower was outdoors and was in a perfect line of sight from the main office.

1 - floor showing a tiny opening to a bathroom, 2 - me looking sad and holding onto a gated door, 3 - a cavernous room with only one small window shining light

remnants of walls built showing the outline of the bathrooms, me locked up in a jail cell, room for 5 female prisoners

Mangrove Lagoon

One of the most beautiful sights on St. Thomas is a well-preserved red mangrove lagoon on the south side of the island. Mangroves are important for helping to prevent the most disastrous effects of tropical storms, especially storm surge. Boats actually come into the mangroves for shelter when hurricanes are coming. Unfortunately, these aren’t always enough. In 2017, Hurricane Irma hit the Virgin Islands then just a few days later Hurricane Maria came through. The first one had tons of high winds and the second brought endless rain. All of the islands are still recovering from the devastation.

Mangroves also do a great job of filtering pollution out of the water and prevent land from being lost to erosion. They also providing a protective nursery for small creatures that contributes to the larger coral reef ecosystem. I’ve seen mangroves before, and always thought of them as swampy and full of muck. However, the mangrove lagoon I swam in was crystal clear and it turned out to be an absolutely delightful experience.

top: four-eye butterflyfish, banded coral shrimp, beaugregory damselfish
bottom: blunt spine brittle star, bristle ball brush algae, red cushion sea star

Water Island & Secret Beach

There are three main islands in the United States part of the Virgin Islands – St. Thomas, St. Croix and St John. However, there is another island, just south of St. Thomas, known as Water Island – which is the fourth largest. There are a bunch of other islands that are even smaller including the island known as Little Saint James, which Jeffrey Epstein converted into his private island of sex trafficking horror. More than one tour guide pointed it out.

While hanging out at Honeymoon Beach on Water Island, I started the snorkeling-oriented part of my vacation. It’s always fun to find organisms that I’ve never seen before. Squirrelfish were new for me and so was this cool looking fireworm, a type of segmented polychaete worm with sensory bristles. When frightened, most bristle worms can release them as a defensive maneuver and the bristles are apparently quite painful when they get lodged into human skin.

saddled blenny, common squirrelfish, orange fireworm

After finishing up on the rocky side, I swam out into the middle of the cove and came upon a couple of turtles that were just hanging out eating seagrass. Much to my surprise, they also had animals hanging out on them! These are remoras, a type of fish that have a giant sucker that can attach to the skin or shell of another organism. At first scientists thought they were cleaner fish eating algae and detritus on the surface of the host, but apparently they mostly consume the feces of their host organism. I’ve seen photos of these on sharks and whales, but never on turtles. What was really interesting for me was watching them detach when the turtle came up to breathe, which is every 5-10 minutes, and then reattach when the turtle came back to the seafloor. For this reason, turtles must be a less than ideal host.

remoras on a green turtle, green turtle, more remoras

There’s a lot of beautiful beaches in St. Thomas, but Secret Beach is pretty great. There is good snorkeling on both sides of the cove, a good restaurant, and not too many people. I found some nice corals and got to see a flounder swimming which is always fun.

top: closeup of great star coral, closeup of great star coral, boulder brain coral
bottom: critically endangered elkhorn coral, peacock flounder hidden in sand, peacock flounder swimming

Birmingham, Alabama

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020Leave a comment

Note: I took this trip during Thanksgiving break last year, but am just getting around to posting about it now.

My good friend Shane moved to Birmingham after getting fed up with the rising prices of the Bay Area. He grew up about an hour away and was ready for a new beginning.

Panoramic view of the city of Birmingham

Birmingham made its name from the production of iron. The geology of the surrounding area contains not only iron ore, but also coke (a type of coal), and limestone. This unique combination of locally sourced material, made it an ideal place for business. All three of these ingredients were put into a blast furnace and heated up to high temperatures. The melted iron would be directed into molds. Before they were broken apart, these molds shaped the iron into blocks looked like small piglets suckling the mother pig, which is how the name pig iron was derived.

pig iron ingots, 56-foot high statue dedicated to the Roman god Vulcan, molds for making pig iron

Sloss Furnaces

One local company that produced that iron was Sloss Furnaces, which was open from 1882-1971. For years, Sloss used Black convict labor to undertake the backbreaking and exhausting work of feeding the blast furnace. Make no mistake, this was slavery under a different name. Local white cops worked in collusion with the company so that whenever workers were needed, the police would arrest people under the charge of “vagrancy.” They then had to work off their supposed violation at the furnaces where injuries were common.

view of Sloss Furnaces

Shane told me that back in the day, this place was used for raves and even now, a haunted house is held there every Halloween. The furnaces are now open to the public and visitors can wander into almost every part of the old industrial site.

bottom of furnace, elevator to dump off raw materials to the top of the furnace, side of blast furnace

Shane and I underneath some factory equipment, Shane looking cute, Sloss water tower

Ruffner Mountain

Shane sent me out on a day of wandering on one of his favorite nature spots in the city, Ruffner Mountain. This was an old iron mine that was generating at its peak about 200 tons of iron ore for Sloss Furnaces. It was originally going to be developed into apartments, but a group of local activists got together and now it is a private nature reserve.

beautiful finds on Ruffner Mountain

sunset on Ruffner Mountain

Civil Rights Movement

In addition, Birmingham is known for both the victories and tragedies that occured there during the Civil Rights movement. After being arrested during a protest in April 1963 and frustrated that other clergymen were not engaging or supporting direct action, Martin Luther King published his infamous Letter from a Birmingham Jail. One line in particular continues to echo forward in time: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

boiled peanuts, Birmingham Jail, shoes from a girl who was killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing

The famous photo of a teenage boy being attacked by a police dog is from those 1963 Birmingham protests, as are numerous photos of fire hoses being turned on young people. After a solid month of filling the jails with protestors, sometimes with young kids like in the Children’s Crusade, the city eventually agreed to desegregate lunch counters, restrooms, drinking fountains and fitting rooms and to hire black people in stores.

Later that year, angry members of the KKK blew up the 16th Street Baptist Church that killed four young girls: Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair. I’d heard of this moment, but it wasn’t until I was in Birmingham in the Civil Rights Institute that I could feel the weight of that loss. People had fought so hard and had finally made change, only to watch these young members of their community be murdered in reactionary violence. The similarity to what’s happening today is eerie. The echoes of the past continue to resonate today.

Mono Lake

January 8, 2020Leave a comment

After taking a full year off of teaching, going back into the classroom at a new school has been full of challenges, the biggest one being that we didn’t have a principal for two months. However, work life has stabilized a bit and I’m looking forward to blogging a bit again about my adventures in this world. They will, of course, be a bit more spread out and like this one, a bit delayed.

For my birthday last year, a couple of friends and I drove up to Mono Lake which is near the Nevada state line, right next to Yosemite. I heard of this place back when I was on a research cruise to Antarctica when we pulled up a really strange mineral called ikaite. This green block of hydrated calcium carbonate forms in anaerobic, very cold conditions in marine sediment. When the team was pulling up cores, we found a few of these and we had to pop them into the freezer immediately. Once the water in them melts, the whole structure falls apart and there’s nothing left to look at.

While we were looking at the ikaite, one of the professors told me there was a version of this rock on land found at Mono Lake. The tufa towers found on the outskirts of the lake are also made of calcium carbonate, but the molecules are arranged in a slightly different manner and are thus, much more stable.

: gorgeous view of Mono Lake from a canoe

These towers are actually formed in the same way that Lac Abbé in Djibouti were made. It was surreal to think about these unique formations being made on opposite sides of the world. The major difference between the two is that the chimneys of Mono Lake still sit near the lake, whereas the waters in Lac Abbé have continued to recede over time and is quite far away.

tufa towers at Mono Lake

The story of Mono Lake is a true heroic effort of grassroots activism. Since the 1940s, the government had been diverting tributaries to the lake to supply water to Los Angeles. In the late 1970s, a group of researchers realized that this continued practice was eventually going to mean that the lake they studied and loved was eventually going to disappear.

Together, they formed the Mono Lake Committee which was devoted to preserving the lake and its unique habitat. A group of lawyers decided to press a case around the idea that the state has a legal responsibility to take care of and maintain navigable waterways. This was a statute of common law that had never been used in court in this way. However, the California Supreme Court ruled in their favor in 1983: “The public trust…is an affirmation of the duty of the state to protect the people’s common heritage of streams, lakes, marshlands and tidelands…” Since then, water levels have stabilized and have even increased since their lowest point. However, they are still almost 25 feet lower than they were in the 1940s.

today’s Mono Lake

Due to its alkalinity and salinity, very few creatures live in Mono Lake’s extreme environment. There are lots of brine shrimp swimming around, which are similar to those that live in Utah’s Great Salt Lake and the San Francisco Bay. However, I think the the most interesting is the alkali flies (Ephydra hians). They create a bubble around their heads and then swim down to the rocks in the shallow waters and lay their eggs. They basically create a mini oxygen scuba tank around their heads. And they don’t bite humans!!!!

the black dots in the water are the flies; brine shrimp; and Glen, me & Ilana posing with the tufa

One other really awesome fact about these flies are that they are edible and rich in proteins and fats. The Kucadikadi are the band of Northern Paiute people who traditionally lived in the area and used to dry the pupae in the sun, rub off the shell, and then make the small yellow remnants into a soup. These flies were a source of food and were traded across the Yosemite region as a delicacy. Today, the Kucadikadi are still working to achieve federal recognition as a distinct tribe.

The name “Mono” most like came from another group of natives, known as the Yokut who at that time lived near Fresno. Mono is supposedly derived from a Yokut word that means “fly eater” and because colonizers encountered the Yokuts first, they used the Yokut name for people in the area. More information about the Yokut people, including their current work and their history can be found at the Tule River Indian Tribe site.

sunrise at Mono Lake

Panama: Panama City & Panama Canal

August 12, 2019August 12, 20191 Comment

I stopped in Panama on my way back from Chile, because a three-day stopover didn’t cost any more than flying straight home. After a few weeks of other miscellaneous trips to see friends and family, I’m finally getting around to sharing some highlights.

Panama City

Panama’s City’s skyline is bigger than San Francisco’s and probably most cities in the United States. The skyscrapers stretch along the edge of the the Pacific Ocean. A giant road called the Cinta Costera was built above the ocean so that cars can avoid going through the busy streets in old town. Fortunately, city planners also added a path for bicycles and pedestrians with great views of the old town and the new city. Walking along the road was a lovely relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of the city itself.

view of downtown Panama City from the Cinta Costera

I visited MAC Panama, the contemporary art museum in Panama City and saw an entire exhibit by the Venezuelan op artist Carlos Cruz-Diez. He spent most of his life exploring color and the movement of color. Due to his commercial success, he is one of Latin America’s most well-known artists, but sadly, just a couple weeks after I saw this exhibit, he passed away.

works by French-Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez

I honestly didn’t eat much Panamanian food while I was there, but I did get some delicious fancy vegetarian food at a lovely restaurant in old town called Tio Navaja. On my last day, I stopped by a street vender to buy a passion fruit raspado, full of icy goodness.

vegan patacones, tacos, and a creamy passion fruit raspado

Agua Clara Locks

Of course, the main thing I wanted to see in Panama was the Panama Canal itself. It’s the 51 mile shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that most cargo ships take to shorten their journeys. Because of the topography of the land, locks are needed to move boats safely from one side of the isthmus to the other. They need to go up 3 sets of locks and down 3 sets of locks.

Panama Canal diagram (link to original on Wikipedia)

I visited the Agua Clara Locks which were expanded a few years ago to allow more and bigger boats to go through, while doing a better job of recycling the water needed to run the locks. Guides to the locks will say that the Panama Canal expansion is good not only for the global economy, but also for fighting greenhouse emissions. First, taking the canal route alone cuts down the amount of fuel needed to get from one ocean to the other. Instead of going around the long way, they wait around for about a week and then go through the canal once their turn arises in the queue. Second, this expansion allows bigger boats to go through (the new Panamax style) that can carry 120,000 tons of cargo, which means less boats need to be coming and going.

I’m not sure I buy their arguments, mostly I think it just means more ships and more stuff will be going through the canals. It’s like when cities build more roads to accomodate more cars, but then the roads fill up with even more cars. This is called induced demand and although I’m glad they’re doing work to make these locks more energy efficient and water efficient, my guess is that there’s still a net positive of carbon emissions after these were created.

The locks, regardless, are fascinating to watch in practice. On the big new Panamax ship in the photo below, it took six tugboats to properly align the boat with the lock, two on each side and one at the front and back. When the boat enters the canal, a Panamanian captain takes control for the duration of the canal transit. There’s just a couple feet of safety room on either side so the captain is in constant communication to all the tugboats while maneuvering the boat into the lock. Once inside the locks, the tugboat at the front and back stay with the boat until it exits. This boat in this photo was on its way out to the Atlantic Ocean and had started its journey in Hong Kong.

: new Panamax cargo boat transiting through Agua Clara locks with support tugboats

One of the coolest parts of being near the canal is watching the different types of boats go by. Some carry oil, some carry containers, some carry natural gas, and some carry cars! The boats that carry cars are completely enclosed so that the cars arrive in pristine condition. They are are called RORO because cargo is rolled-on, rolled-off.

: RORO cargo boat entering the Panama Canal from the Atlantic Ocean (view from right before the old locks near Agua Clara) and leaving to the Pacific Ocean (view from my hotel)

It takes about 8-10 hours for a ship to go through the Panama Canal. I saw the boat above enter the locks on the Atlantic side in the morning around 7am and then around 4pm, I watched it head towards the Pacific from my hotel balcony in Panama City.

Boats generally arrive up to a week in advance and they wait around until they are directed to go through. Although tiny private vessels go through for a few thousand dollars, the big ships cost around half a million. Apparently, the current record is around $1.2 million for one of the new Panamax ships loaded down with cargo. One guy swam through a while back and under the old rates was charged 36 cents, which was calculated based on the carrying capacity of his stomach. 🙂

recent view of Panama Canal traffic (from www.marinetraffic.com)

Last fun fact about the Panama Canal: It was almost built through Nicaragua instead because the land topography meant less digging would be necessary.

Fort San Lorenzo

This fort is on the Atlantic side of Panama and was originally built in the 1500’s to protect the treasures arriving from the Camino de las Cruces, the earliest colonizer route across Panama. Some of you might remember reading about the silver mines in Potosí, Bolovia. All of that silver (along with gold from other parts that were being plundered in South America) was shipped up to the Pacific side of Panama and then transported along this route by people, mules, and boats to the other side. Once they arrived at this fort, the precious metals would stay there until the annual “treasure fleet” set sail back to Europe, traveling in a convoy for protection.

Eventually, the pirate/privateer Henry Morgan (yes, Captain Morgan rum is named after him), attacked the fort and left it in ruins, but it was rebuilt ten years later.

Fort San Lorenzo entrance, moat, and the view out over the Panama Canal

Monkey Island

Panama is home to amazing wildlife and rainforest. I would love to come back and see more of it. The only glimpse I got was a visit by boat in pouring rain to briefly see Monkey Island, where we got to spot some capuchin monkeys. They were cute though. 🙂

white-faced capuchin monkey

Chile: Total Solar Eclipse & Rapa Nui

July 20, 2019July 21, 20192 Comments

Now that I’m starting teaching again in August, I’ve been debating whether or not to continue blogging. I decided the wanderlust isn’t going away, so I’m going to keep writing and sharing for now. 🙂

La Serena, Chile

I was just in this beautiful country in December, so it seemed a little crazy to go back, but there was a total solar eclipse! I had some frequent flier miles to burn (thanks to some credit card scheming) and some good friends to visit again. After two long flights, a bus ride and a five hour car ride, we arrived in our beautiful condo for the weekend that looked out over the Pacific Ocean. Cata (who you may remember from my trip to Valparaiso) introduced me to brazo de reina, which is basically really thin cake covered in dulce de leche and then rolled up.

beautiful sunset, me and Cata, brazo de reina

Total solar eclipses are pretty rare. I traveled to Shanghai in 2009 and Kansas City, Missouri in 2017 and both of those eclipses happened to be clouded out. Fortunately, the weather cooperated and I was finally able to see one. It’s a truly spectacular sight and it’s hard for me to put into words my excitement at witnessing such a beautiful phenomenon after so many attempts. The next one in the United States is April 8, 2024. Put it on your calendar now so you can make plans.

total solar eclipse photos

Rapa Nui

Sometime when I travel, I have a really difficult time. Transit is hard, hotels are expensive, the world feels very lonely. Rapa Nui (called Easter Island by colonizers) was the complete opposite of that and I had a magical time there. I stayed in a dorm bed in a hostel and ended up meeting a couple of French guys (hi Maxime & Guillaume!) and we all ended up renting a car and touring the island together. The whole trip restored my faith in hostels, since I’d had some disappointing experiences this past year.

The most special moment occurred when I signed up for a stargazing trip. I learned about how Polynesian sailors used to navigate at night using the stars. Researchers think this is how the first people came to Rapa Nui in double hulled boats, most likely from the Marquesas Islands which are almost 2,200 miles away. This is a dying skill but there are still some Polynesian elders on other islands who are expert navigators and are trying to pass this tools on to young people.

There are two main ways to find south in the sky, both methods using the Southern Cross. The first way is just to extend the Southern Cross 4.5 times and the tip of that will roughly land at the celestial south pole. The easier way for me was to connect the two pointer stars with a line, then imagine a line perpendicular to the original line. Where that perpendicular line meets the Southern Cross line is a point a bit above the celestial south pole. It seems more complicated, but was much easier for me to visualize. Once the navigators had established south, they could accurately orient their boat in whichever direction they wanted to travel even after the sun had set.

diagram courtesy of Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences

After all this time traveling in the southern hemisphere, I still struggle to recognize constellations. With so little light pollution, it was easy to see the bright stars and Milky Way. However, the main attraction was still to come when the guides took us to Anakena Beach. There they took photos of us with the moais and the celestial sky.

One of the guides starting singing a Rapa Nui song his father had taught him, using two rocks to make a beat. As he was singing, a rainbow appeared over the moais, made from the light reflecting from the moon and the moisture in the air. This “moonbow” hung in the air as the guide was singing and just as he finished, we could hear a set of hooves stampeding through the sand behind us. I turned and saw a herd of wild horses running along the beach. Music. Moonlit rainbows. Mesmerizing horses. Magic. Pure magic. Definitely a moment I will remember for a long, long time.

me and the moais, lunar rainbow over the moais

Like many people, I came to Rapa Nui to see the mysterious moais. They are supposed to be representations of revered ancestors who were supposed to be looking out for the best interests of the islanders. They started out small and got bigger over time. Many of the moais were placed onto specially designed altars known locally as ahus. During a hiking tour of the northern edge of the island, I got to see one of the earliest moais that was actually carved from the igneous rock basalt.

early moai, a giant ramp ahu (the only one like it on the island)

Most of the moais are sculpted from tuff, basically volcanic ash that has hardened and is much easier to carve. The later moais had tattoo carvings on their backs that were probably painted. Over time many of these tattoos have eroded away due to wind and rain. They also had topknots (pukaos) made of red scoria. Once the moai was moved and placed upon its ahu, coral eyes were added with pupils made of black obsidian or red scoria.

reconstructed moais showcasing tattoos and eyes

A giant quarry at Rano Raraku was used to construct these moai and then oral tradition says they were walked into place. There is still contention about how they were moved, but the distances were great and an average moai weighed 14 tons. (The biggest moai ever moved and erected weighed 82 tons). The pukaos themselves each weighed 1-2 tons.

moais still in the quarry at Rano Raraku

Once placed upon their ahu, the islanders believed that their ancestors would make sure their needs were met. When colonizers first visited the island, they wrote in their journals about the moais still being upright on their ahus.

Ahu Tongariki

However, over time, the islanders begun to have issues and grew unhappy with their ancestors not providing for them. Many researchers attribute this to overpopulation and a lack of resources, specifically related to deforestation. There was certainly internal conflict on the island and the end result was that the moais around the island were toppled and the worship of ancestors ceased. The quarry at Rano Raraku is still full of semi-completed moais that were never moved from where they were carved.

toppled moais with a few of their pukaos

In recent years, several of these ahus have been restored and some of the moais have been placed back onto their altars so that visitors can understand what that would have looked like. Many others have been left facedown on the ground where they were pulled down years ago.

moais more recently restored onto their ahus

Most islanders used to live in houses made of rocks and plants. The igneous rocks were carved with small holes that the support beams were wedged into. Then palms were added to the outside. The boat shape held up well against the wind and the plants protected the residents from the elements.

reconstructed house, stone remnants of houses found all over the island, inside of a house

In one part of the island known as Orongo, stone structures were built instead. This is because the winds were quite strong here and the other houses wouldn’t have lasted long here. These were also built much later, after the moais were taken down. This village was the home of the annual competition of the tangata manu. This event was part of the birdman cult in which Rapa Nui men competed to collect the first sooty tern egg from the island of Motu Nui and then swim it back to the Orongo village. That man would then be made the leader for the following year, although sometimes potential leaders chose a representative to compete in their place.

stone house at Orongo, the far island in the photo is Moto Nui, another stone houe

At this time, there were many petroglyphs carved all over the island. Some of the most common carvings included Make-make, the chief god of the birdman cult. Many also featured giant tunas and boats as well as carvings of vulvas, known as komaris.

petroglyphs of Make-make, giant tuna, and a closeup of vulvas

On another hike to a restricted area known as Poike, we were take to a cave that had even more carvings. Women stayed in this cave from time to time for religious purposes and representations of their deities are carved in the wall. Also found on the wall were petroglyphs of sweet potatoes covered in small root hairs (apparently now only found at a couple houses on the whole island).

top: me while posing, female deities, sweet potato and stone tool
bottom: gorgeous coastline; a rock carved with a face; me, my hostel roommate Camille and our guide Yoyo

By now, you all know I love to see what’s under the water, so I spent one afternoon with my new French friends at the beach and we found a bit of marine life. The lizardfish was definitely a new one for me.

top: flounder, black sea cucumber, lizardfish
bottom: yellowfin goatfish, purple sea urchin, yellowstripe goatfish