Playing Catch-up

We have fallen behind on our blogging, so this is my attempt to abbreviate the last few weeks and catch-up to the now.

My first weekend home, Jonas (my college roommate), Dohnele and Emma Parker came up from Sutherlin, OR to visit. We hoped to do some shopping with them and then go to the Portland Zoo, however the rain prevented us from making it to the Zoo. Instead, after shopping at IKEA, we went to Multnomah Falls in the rain....go figure. Even with the rain it was still a great time and very pretty. Afterwards we decided to check out Powell's Books downtown, which is a ginormous (yeah that is officially a word now) book store. This place was impressive! So large even after we all split up for an hour we did not cover the entire store! We were happy to have the Parkers and hope they will come visit again.

Jonas and Dohnele with their daughter Emma

The next weekend Kari and I made the drive south to visit my parents in Alturas. My brother Zeke came up from the valley as well, so the parents had a full house for the weekend, with all their boys back at once. It was very nice to see the family and visit with everyone, even though it was a short weekend trip.

Kari and I decided to explore a little this past week and take a hike. I picked a rather easy hike in the gorge that leads to a nice overview, however before we left I realized the storm moving in would obstruct the views. Instead, we went to a nearby state park called Molalla River and walked the trail system there. It was nice to get outside and we practically had the trails to ourselves. The trails mostly paralleled the Willamette and then the Molalla Rivers, where we saw some waterfowl and plenty of deer tracks. This park is supposed to be home to the Willamette Valley's largest blue heron rookery, so we will have to return when the birds are there. All in all, a nice easy walk through the woods and along the rivers.

I told her we were lost in the woods and this is what I got.

Boobies, Beaches and Beer

So I have finally found the time to sit down and write my first blog post. Kari has done an excellent job of keeping you all up to date, but I decided to expand on my travels and our most recent adventures here in Portland.

In January I started my new job with Island Conservation and after a week in Portland for training, spent a few weeks in Ecuador on my first project. This was my first time visiting Ecuador and I was very excited to see some of this diverse country. We flew into Guayaquil and then drove to the small coastal town of Puerto Lopez, which was quite a tour as we went from big city to very rural towns. The poverty levels in some of the small towns we drove through reminded me of the prosperity we enjoy back in the States and how we should not take it for granted. After a day in Puerto Lopez spent finalizing our gear and supplies, we were ferried out to our final destination Isla de Plata. The "Poor man's Galapagos" as it is often called, is part of the Machalilla National Park and is an important breeding ground for several seabird species. In fact, traversing around the island consisted of wading through colonies of birds, who often were standing directly in the middle of the trail. Blue-footed and Nazka (masked) boobies were quite common, as well as Magnificent frigate birds and Red-billed Tropic birds. The island also hosts two species of Albatross (including the Waved, which is critically endangered) although they were not present during our time there. Additionally there are numerous passerines that were continually showing up on the island and a few residents that provided daily entertainment, such as the local mocking birds. In all, the island is a magnificent treasure with diverse flora and fauna that seemed to have something new to show you everyday. Our conservation work there should have a very positive impact on the bird life and our hope is that our efforts will aide in helping the island return to a more natural state.

After returning from Ecuador, I spent my time off moving Kari and our belongings across the country to Portland and unpacking boxes in our new home. Unfortunately I was not able to help with all the unpacking and settling in as I left again on my next tour, bound for Puerto Rico. This time our destination was a small island off the NW coast of Puerto Rico called Desecheo, which is part of the US National Wildlife Refuge system. Historically this island hosted the largest nesting colony of Brown Boobies in the world and several other seabird species, however the booby colony is now reduced to a sparse few that only roost on the cliff faces and other species visit infrequently. The island also has several endemic species including a species of anole that was quite prevalent. For this trip we flew into San Juan, drove across the island and parked it in Boqueron for a few days as we prepped for four weeks in island. On our departure day the weather decided to not cooperate and the wind shut down our helicopter operations (the easiest way to get on/off island is by helicopter). We were shut down for two extra days waiting for better weather, which I spent working hard on my tan at the beach. However, the weather finally cleared and we were off to work, not to return to civilization for four weeks. Our work there should have major impacts on all species and should aid in the restoration of the islands fragile ecosystem.

Now, you know about the months spent surrounded by boobies and the beaches....on to the beer! Kari and I joined two other couples last weekend for a nice trip to Portland's Spring Beer and Wine Fest. Portland is home to many breweries and the PacNW is a great place to be if you love good beer. Oregon's wine country is also situated close to Portland and many a local winery made the treck to share their lovely creations. We hopped on the Tri-Met (no drunk driving!) and headed down town. There was an amazing selection of breweries and vineyards, not to mention eateries and specialty foods (such as my fav. pickled garlic!). Needless to say we spent the entire day there and got our moneys worth! Kari enjoyed her wine sampling, while I stuck to beer. Although, there were also a few distillers, that had some specialty liquors. I would highly recommend Ben Distillery's "Mazama Infused Pepper Vodka", it is simply amazing. Also, Kari found a strawberry lemonade vodka cocktail (pre-mixed), called "Hello Lovely", that she enjoyed. Anyway, too many good beers to remember.....er maybe too many good beers equals loss of memory? Either way, we both enjoyed tasting the different varieties and had a great time. Check out some pictures from my travels at http://picasaweb.google.com/karibonham/SlideShow#