Machu Picchu Here We Come! (Almost)

We got to the train station in pouring rain this morning and took a two hour bus ride to Ollantaytambo to pick up the train... only to be told there was a "delay" with the train service.    So we wait... with three trainloads of passengers at a station designed to barely handle one!

Then came word that there had been a landslide on the tracks going towards Machu Picchu and they were trying to clear it.

It looked good when suddenly a train pulled in from the affected direction, but it was filled with people who had been hiking the Inca Trail (a 4-day trek that follows the original path to MP) and those who must have been stranded above the slide.

The porters quickly unloaded the tents, and support materials and the train was gone.

After another hour they finally cancelled train service for the day. We boarded the bus for the trip back.

At least it had stopped raining, so we got to see more on the way down... terraced ruins above Ollantaytambo and farms and cities along the river.

We were able to rebook for tomorrow, so here's hoping they got the slide cleared.

We only get one more chance.

We're in Peru

We flew from Miami to Santiago on Friday,
then turned around and flew north to Peru on Saturday.
After a brief stop in Lima's airport, we arrived in Cusco.











We are staying at Amaru Hostal -- an old colonial house in the San Blas neighborhood of Cusco.  The hostal is tucked into a narrow street on a hill, so there are several levels of rooms situated around flower-filled courtyards that attract hummingbirds like magnets.

This shot is us trying the local remedy for altitude sickness - coca tea.  (Cusco is at 11,000 feet, so it does take a little adjustment.)

We then ventured out down our street to the main square -- the Plaza de Armas.  On the block below us is an example of how the colonial city was built on top of the Inca city.  Incredible Inca mortarless masonry is topped by a Catholic church.

On the walkway between buildings, a local tour guide explains about the Incas.  (Behind him you can see some natives in their colorful dresses... everywhere around are natives descended from the Incas... their colorful hats and woven materials.)

Some even bring their llamas to work!

Plaza de Armas, Cuzco

Sunset Celebration

Key West celebrates sunset every day from Mallory Square.  We joined the throngs one evening and were rewarded with a great view and even the green flash.

Key West

One of our favorite places in Key West is the Butterfly Conservatory... a huge greenhouse full of birds and butterflies amid tropical plants.  They flit about... even landing on shoulders or hats!

We really enjoy trying to catch pictures of the delicate beauties.  

The picture below is the world's largest species of moths... it lives only 4-6 days, so we were lucky to see it.  To show you how big this guy is, check the picture below it.

Atlas Moth

This brown beauty

is even prettier when it opens its wings!

There are so many species... it's hard to capture it all!

Winter - From Two Perspectives

We've had a bit more snow than normal this winter... but nothing like the 27 feet that Cordova and Valdiz have.


Just before we left, we had one crystal clear day -- the kind where the ice crystals on the trees make every shaft of sunlight sparkle like diamonds.

Denali from Mi 6 on the Spur

It was 22 below when we left Talkeetna and headed south to the beach house.  Instead of warmer weather, we were greeted by blinding snow on the pass between Portland and the coast.  There was even snow in a couple of places along the coast -- but none at the house.  The gales continued after our arrival, and, at one point, we found three of the four highways from the coast to the central valley were closed due to landslides, flooding or snow.

We had some debris around the house -- mostly pine needles and small branches.  In one of the lulls we got out and cleaned up a bit.

We finally got one nice day for a walk on the beach... and could not believe the debris!  Driftwood we expected, but a TV?  There were whole trees, and even some pilings from a pier.  The power of the ocean is amazing.

The wind-whipped waves were churning up the foam, and pieces would break off and drift across the beach like little sandpipers.  And the wind was sculpting the dunes.