Barro Colorado Island and the Panama Canal
Waking up on man-made Gatun Lake, we were greeted with a brief rain shower, a reminder to us that the locks of the Panama Canal depend highly on natural rainfall. Since the lake can expend up to 26,000,000 gallons of water into the ocean, we appreciated the precipitation and prepared for a special day within the canal locks.
Hence, with the skies clearing, we changed anchorage for an exclusive visit to Barro Colorado Island. Once a 4,000 foot mountain, the island was created when the Chagres River was dammed in 1914. The small island is now home to the Tropical Smithsonian Research Institute. Via two trail options and a Zodiac cruise, we explored the secondary rainforest and the bountiful wildlife, within, including the white-throated capuchin monkey and white-throated trogon.
With our Panama Canal pilot boarding the Sea Voyager, we returned to the ship and maneuvered among merchant liners to await our turn to complete the passage. As the sunset approached, our excitement grew and soon we were en route! Our Panamanian naturalist, took the microphone and eloquently narrated our journey crossing the final set of Gatun locks. As we sailed to Cristobal, we enjoyed our final evening together. Considering the will and determination of our ancestors to complete the Panama Canal, man accomplished much more than had ever been foreseen 100 years ago. This same vision for progress and invention drives the present day canal expansion project, slated to begin here in 2008. Yet so many questions still prevail, like international security and the limitation of just one location for canal passage when Nicaragua still offers the lowest pass anywhere on the Cordilleras from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Is Panama the best location for expansion? As in the past, we look upon the innovators of the present, and those who follow to succeed in the advancement of this global initiative.
Waking up on man-made Gatun Lake, we were greeted with a brief rain shower, a reminder to us that the locks of the Panama Canal depend highly on natural rainfall. Since the lake can expend up to 26,000,000 gallons of water into the ocean, we appreciated the precipitation and prepared for a special day within the canal locks.
Hence, with the skies clearing, we changed anchorage for an exclusive visit to Barro Colorado Island. Once a 4,000 foot mountain, the island was created when the Chagres River was dammed in 1914. The small island is now home to the Tropical Smithsonian Research Institute. Via two trail options and a Zodiac cruise, we explored the secondary rainforest and the bountiful wildlife, within, including the white-throated capuchin monkey and white-throated trogon.
With our Panama Canal pilot boarding the Sea Voyager, we returned to the ship and maneuvered among merchant liners to await our turn to complete the passage. As the sunset approached, our excitement grew and soon we were en route! Our Panamanian naturalist, took the microphone and eloquently narrated our journey crossing the final set of Gatun locks. As we sailed to Cristobal, we enjoyed our final evening together. Considering the will and determination of our ancestors to complete the Panama Canal, man accomplished much more than had ever been foreseen 100 years ago. This same vision for progress and invention drives the present day canal expansion project, slated to begin here in 2008. Yet so many questions still prevail, like international security and the limitation of just one location for canal passage when Nicaragua still offers the lowest pass anywhere on the Cordilleras from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Is Panama the best location for expansion? As in the past, we look upon the innovators of the present, and those who follow to succeed in the advancement of this global initiative.
