Cotopaxi, Ecuador's top mainland national park, is second only to the Galapagos in the annual number of visitors. South of Quito in the Andes at roughly 18,000 feet in elevation, Cotopaxi sits in a line of tall peaks known locally as 'Volcano Alley'. While passing this region to visit Laguna Quilotoa and Banos earlier, we were only able to see large cloud formations surrounding this monster. Leaving Banos we turned to the park and headed toward Hacienda El Porvenir, a ranch at the park entrance. The last 18km. of road were old cobblestone and we arrived in the dark, with the stars beginning to emerge from thick cloud. Chandler ordered perhaps the best meal we have had in Ecuador, a tenderloin served and finished on hot volcanic rock with a chimichurri sauce. We were settled in after a grueling drive. Excited to see what the land would look like in the daylight, we crashed hard. As we checked in to our room earlier in the evening, we laughed about the size of our small broom closet bathroom. Visiting the bathroom in the middle of the night provided an unexpected surprise. A window-ceiling gave us incredible views of the moon and stars. Waking up before dawn, we took a hike to set up for sunrise photos, and Cotopaxi delivered for us! We ended up with a four hour window of visibility before the clouds moved back in! A small lake near the base of the volcano is home to several migratory birds, and this Solitary Sandpiper was working the banks of the lake to search for food. From here we head to the cloud forest!
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