Capturing the Moment

  I had Christian put me onshore here to get this picture while standing in a natural rock arch. This visit to the Alaskan Native town of Akutan, out in the Aleutian Islands, was very unique. We had very nice weather conditions, and I had touched base with April, who is the head of the Akutan Native Village Corp. She told us that she wouldn't be there, but the general store should be open. She also mentioned that the museum hadn't been opened for many years. The town itself only has about sixty-nine permanent residents. All the houses are connected by a boardwalk. The locals use four wheeler ATV's to ride up and down on the boardwalk. I even ran into my friend Mark, who makes traditional skin wooden kayaks, who was in the village replacing all the windows. It was my first time going inside the store, as the only other time I walked town it was a weekend so the store was closed. My group was ready to help the local economy by buying hats, snacks, and some energy drinks. Ther...

  This was one of the spots where I was very excited to return to. After traveling around 100 miles, and across the equator, during the night, we arrived at Punta Vicente Roca on the northwestern tip of Isabela Island, here in the Galapagos archipelago. The volcanic geology of the island reminds me so much of Hawaii. Isabela Island is the youngest of the islands, along with Fernandina which we will explore this afternoon, and fresh lava flows happened as recently as three months ago here. Today the volcano was quiet, and the water a bit choppy, but not the big swells that effected my trip so much last time. The sun and shadows were perfect for this striking profile shot of a blue-footed booby. Flightless cormorants are endemic to the Galapagos Islands. I guess you don't need to worry about flying when your food is right next to your nest. It was funny to see them drying their wings just like their flying cousins on the mainland. Guide Dries took about nine of us out in the zodiac t...

  A magical world of fern and moss in the cave behind Twin Falls on the road to Hana in Maui. One of my favorite waterfalls on Maui is called Twin Falls. It is at the very beginning of the famous Road to Hana, and has pretty easy parking. The trail to the falls is lined with rainforest plants like wild ginger, bromeliads, and heliconia. It only takes about 20 minutes to get to the amazing falls at the end. The waterfall has a gentle pool that is great to swim in and cool off. But the real reason I love this waterfall is the fact that you can access a cave behind the falls. I think as a kid, I watched so many adventure movies where the characters walk through a waterfall and find a secret cave behind, that grew up always wanting to do the same. This is the closest I've ever come. The cave behind the falls is pretty wide, and provides some opportunities for stunning photographs. I got here pretty early, after a sunrise dawn patrol surf session at Hookipa, so the lighting was pretty m...