Aug 28, 2013 | root_ks8kzico

Dreams Do Come True

In the latest issue of Sketches, Karen Straus of San Diego Audubon Society writes about her recent visit to the Galapagos Islands.
For this Avian Adventures traveler, dreams did come true in June of this year when I traveled to the Enchanted Isles of Galapagos on a trip sponsored by San Diego Audubon and operated by eco-friendly Holbrook Travel.  I wanted to walk in Charles Darwin’s footsteps, seeing what he saw on the voyage of the Beagle in 1835. I longed to see Darwin’s finches, the little drab birds whose famous beaks show evolution and natural selection alive and in action. And I wanted to see some of the beautiful Galapagos scenery filmed for the epic sea-faring yarn “Master and Commander.” But mostly I traveled to Galapagos for the animals...
Read the full article on page 5 of Sketches (PDF).

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A Galapagos Penguin mid-jump over volcanic rock and seawater.
A llama stands on a path with the stone walls of an archaeological site in the background.
A woolly monkey balances in the branches of a tree, its limbs outstretched and tail wrapped around a branch overhead.
A group of Holbrook staff members pose and smile at the camera outdoors.
Multiple people on a forest trail look through binoculars and scopes at something outside the frame.
Side view of an adult hippo and calf partially submersed in water.
An elevated walkway surrounded by low trees and shrubs with a lake in far background and blue sky with puffy clouds.
Staff member Jamie DeVoe poses on an overlook with a volcano and town in the background.
Office building with elevated deck and tiered landscaping.
Selfie of staff members Kevin Van Dien and Sandy Schmidt smiling.
A motmot perches on a tree branch.
Upward view of 12 people standing in a circle, smiling down at the camera, with an ornate ceiling above them.
A Geoffroy's tamarin sits on a tree branch with its mouth open.
A golden lion tamarin sits on a tree branch.
Close-up of a king protea in bloom.
Staff member Jill Hays standing behind a conference table decorated with Holbrook-branded signs and handouts.
Selfie of Holbrook guide Iván Castillo in the rainforest.
A sea turtle uses its fin to grasp onto another turtle in the water.
Underwater shot of a person snorkeling near a large school of fish.