It's now about 10 days since I left Paraguay and South America behind. It was a trip that changed my perspectives in some pretty fundamental ways, and I'll try to share some more thoughts and images from that trip over the next few weeks. It takes a while to sort through the hundreds of pictures and thousands of little memories.
Of all the experiences I had, the one that was most overwhelming was visiting the cataracts at Iguazu, the largest falls in the Western hemisphere. The location is perhaps most famous to Americans as the setting of the Robert DeNiro movie "The Mission." But this place doesn't need to borrow any fame from movie stars; it's sufficiently impressive on its own. It's a wonder on par with the Grand Canyon, and little else in our hemisphere.
We entered Brazil in the usual way: A 4-hour wait at the border in Ciudad del Este for reasons that were never entirely clear -- then a brisk trip across the border as the "guard" waved across a line of dozens of cars, unchecked. We spent the night at a nice little 60's -era hotel up the road from the falls and headed for the park first thing in the morning.
Once inside the park, you leave your car and ride the comfy and modern double-decker buses virtually to the brink of the canyon. It's probably a little TOO convenient, as I'd think the approach is a good part of the overall experience. All things considered, I'd prefer at least an hour hike through the jungle to get to the falls; it would be worth the trip, and more rewarding. As it was, we decided to get off the bus a little way downriver and approach by the canyon path.
These are considered the "minor" falls, and I thought them more majestic than anything I'd ever seen -- and that includes Niagara Falls. I was somewhat in disbelief. It's difficult to really appreciate the scale of this in Web-friendly images. Just try to find a full-size tree to get your bearings.
This is my lovely wife standing on the industrial-strength walkway in front of an area called "The Devil's Throat." It's a point where water is coming in from about 270 degrees, or 3/4 of the compass. I remember thinking I wish nobody else was there but our little group. I spent a lot of time trying to tune out the wretched masses of tourists (of which, of course, I was one).
The Devil's Throat again, with no signs of human interference. There are no trees in this picture -- the rocks are covered with hearty grass-like lichens and mosses. Standing here, you can't help thinking thoughts about God, and our own hubris and insignificance.
I wonder what the first European visitors to this site thought and felt. The falls must have been well-known to the indigenous peoples... Did the Europeans believe the stories they heard? Can you imagine arriving here after a long, difficult boat journey in a time when there were no cities or roads over the horizon?
That evening, we had the chance to see the dam at Itaipu illuminated from the Brazilian shore. Itaipu is about 20 miles from the falls, and the two rivers merge. The dam straddles the river between Paraguay and Brazil, and each country owns half the output. The dam produces 94% of the power Paraguay needs, and it's still able to sell most of its half back to Brazil, so it's a huge economic engine for the country. I'm told the impoundment behind this dam flooded a series of impressive falls which, though smaller, were similar to Iguazu.
I have over a hundred photos of our trip to the falls -- these are just the best views. To see more,
check out Google Maps here.
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Last February, the Province of British Columbia, Canada, acted to preserve what remains of the Great Bear Rainforest on their Pacific Coast. Now, the Canadian government itself has decided to pitch in. 
This wilderness is the primary habitat of the Kermode Bear. The Kermode bear is a subspecies of black bears. Many of the bears are born with white fur. These are known as "spirit bears" and were believed by native peoples to be a reminder to humans of the misery of the ice age.
