1978 Jeep Cherokee

1978 Jeep Cherokee

I bought this truck in Wichita Falls from an individual in 1990 while I was in high school, and before I started taking a lot of pictures of my cars....and before I had a lot of cars for that matter. I had owned a 1980 model that was very similar a couple years prior and missed having it around. This thing was big and mean. It had a 360 and was full-time 4x4 with the Quadra-Trac system. It was a two door with a removable back seat, and was automatic with AC.

The truck had a huge grill guard on the front that housed a remote controlled 10,000 lb winch. For fun, my friends and I used to take it out to the country and try to get it stuck. We knew we could just hook the winch cable onto something and pull right out, but we never had to. People would call me on occasion in the middle of the night because they were out mudding, had gotten stuck, and needed a pull. I once pulled a Jeep up a 10-foot ravine it had slipped into the night before.

This thing was a lot of fun and pretty reliable. I never had a problem with it that I couldn't fix myself. It was in pretty good shape too. It had been painted just before I got it and the interior was clean. It was loud and rough on the road but I never had to go too far in it. I kept this vehicle for a couple of years, but got rid of it before heading to law school in Houston.

2004 Hummer H2 (#2)

2004 Hummer H2 (#2)

As the title suggests, this was my second 2004 H2, and third overall....and the worst of the three. It looked good, but unfortunately didn't drive as well as it looked. A friend of mine named Dave fixed the front end and rear hubs which helped, but it had some other issues so I didn't keep it long. It had over 90K miles on it when I bought it, so maybe it was just abused. 

It had 20" Weld's, which looked good, but made it ride a little worse than the factory package. 

It had a huge 13" screen that never got used. Screens were a big thing back in the day, but with smart phones and iPads today, you really don't need them. One thing that was nice about this H2 was that it had the spare mounted on the outside which opens up some valuable room in the back of the truck. However, this one also had the third row seat, which takes it away again. My biggest issue with these things was that they were compromised for rear cargo space for such a large vehicle. 

 

1998 Audi A4 1.8 Turbo Quattro

1998 Audi A4 1.8 Turbo Quattro

This A4 was different from the previous one I had owned at the time I bought it in that it had the 1.8-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder instead of the V6 and it was a manual. I preferred the smooth power delivery of the V6, but I have to admit that the stick was fun to drive in this car. It had about 78K miles on it, but you couldn't tell.

The car was in great shape but wasn't around too long. I don't remember driving it much to be honest, and can't remember who I sold it to. These are simple cars that make great transportation options for folks that like driving. Knocked another one off my list with a super-short post!

Ecuador 2022: Galapagos - Part 2

Ecuador 2022:

Galapagos - Part 2

The last few days of our Galapagos visit was spent in San Cristobal, which meant a couple hour ferry ride that tested more than a few people's seasick tolerance level. I thought it was fun, but I don't get motion sickness and never have. Everyone made it though, and we checked into our interesting hotel near the water.

San Cristobal is really cool.....and overrun by sea lions. They're adorable to watch, but they get cranky with each other and they smell!

We took it easy here, and just enjoyed some island time. I thought the town was a little nicer than Santa Cruz, and the beaches were a little nicer as well, aside from the local residents who didn't sweat you at all if you were in their way.

One thing we did decide to do was go deep sea fishing. Nel and I chartered a boat, and one of our tour mates joined us. We trolled around and caught some tuna, which local restaurants would prepare for you if you wanted, but we decided to just give them to the crew.

I'll say this about the Galapagos as well: If you're expecting limited accommodations or dining options, think again. There are many fine dining establishments that serve fantastic food, especially if you like seafood. 

After a couple of days in San Cristobal, we bid farewell to the Galapagos and headed back to mainland Ecuador to finish our tour. If you like nature or you're an avid diver, I think the Galapagos have to be on your list.

 

To put a bow on our Ecuador trip, we spent a day or two back in Quito before flying back to Houston. We stayed pretty low-key, but Mike and I did do a little work with some of our friends from Airbus, etc. Ecuador was a very interesting and diverse place. It's poor, and I wouldn't think driving around on your own would be a great idea, but I enjoyed our tour and it made me want to visit more of South America. 

Pretending to work - even though our company didn't really want us to. It turned out to be very fortuitous that we were down there.

We decided to eat at a Mexican restaurant (for some reason). They didn't short us on the cheese!

Peace out, Ecuador!

 

Ecuador 2022: Galapagos Part 1

Ecuador 2022:

Galapagos Part 1

The next part of our trip, and the one I was most interested in, took us to the Galapagos Islands. The only way to get there is to fly from mainland Ecuador as the islands are a very protected national park.  

Nel's ridiculous hat aside, it was an easy travel day. The highlight for me was the dog checking luggage when we landed in Baltra. They lined up all our luggage and then had the pup walk all over every bag checking for primarily plants and seeds, etc. When he was satisfied, the officer threw a ball into the crowd and the little guy mingled with us for a few minutes. Awesome.

From the airport, it was buses and boats to get to our destination of Santa Cruz, but not before a stop for lunch at Rancho El Chato with the islands most famous residents, the giant tortoises. 

We spent the rest of the evening checking out the decent-sized town of Santa Cruz. There were plenty of activities and restaurants. 

We decided to book a diving and snorkeling trip for the next day. I was the only one diving from my group, but there was a couple of Israeli military members doing their year-long walkabout (or whatever they call it) that joined us that would be diving as well.

Our dive master - great stach! The dive ultimately turned out to be amazing, but started out kind of sketchy. The four of us diving jumped in and I headed to the bottom as instructed. The Israeli girl wasn't an experienced diver, and the conditions were terrible where they dropped us in, so she couldn't get down. I was left alone at the bottom about 40 feet down, surrounded by a dozen or so sleeping sharks no more than 10 feet away and all around me, for about 15 minutes. Finally, another dive group came along the bottom and were shocked to see me there just chillin. They made sure I was alright, and then I was finally joined by my dive master and friend. The rest of the dive was amazing and full of aquatic life. 

 

After we dove and snorkeled for a while, the crew dropped us in the water in the middle of dozens of young sea lions. It was amazing! I would describe it as a mass of curious juveniles that wanted to play with us and nibble - mostly our fins, thank goodness. It was one of he highlights of the entire trip.

We spent another couple days in Santa Cruz before moving on to the island of San Cristobal. 

Getting around Santa Cruz is super easy. These white trucks are everywhere, and work like taxis. Just flag one down and they'll take you anywhere you want to go for $1.50.