The original blue cobblestones (adoquines) of Old San Juan were cast from iron furnace slag. The slag was brought as ballast in the bottoms of Spanish merchant ships in the 1700s.

The 16th c. citadel of Fuerte San Felipe del Morro was built to protect the citizens of colonial San Juan.

This is the Capilla del Santo Cristo, and its resident flock of pigeons. Built in 1753, believers come to pray for health and healing. Inside hang all the tiny, silver milagros they bring, each in the shape of the petitioner’s ailing body part.

Everything in El Yunque seemed ultra saturated and jewel bright, like this brilliant little spider.

While an insect can only spin one type of silk, a spider can product up to seven types of silk, each with its own specific use cases. Dragline silk in particular is extremely strong — a given weight of spider silk is five times as strong as the same weight of steel.

With so many photos of them, can you tell I love these little hunters?

The rain touched absolutely everything in the forest, and left behind these tiny gems. Hydrogen bonds are a beautiful thing.

El Yunque is the only tropic rainforest in the US National Forest System and the US Forest Service. There is also no wet or dry season in El Yunque — it rains year round.

Given its position on the northeastern end of Puerto Rico, winds flying in from the Atlantic hit the mountains, and lead to an excess of rainfall — about 240 inches (6.1 m) per year.

During one of the downpours, we got a little turned around and came upon a narrow, overgrown path. An eerie, heavy mist and deep quiet surrounded us as we walked forward, leaving us to wonder about what creature haunted this area — a trail that was both unsettling and beautiful.

Flying in an ultralight over the Río Grande de Arecibo valley was magical. At sunrise, the valley is painted gold, and flocks of white egrets take to the air below you, like tiny white sheep moving across a lush green meadow.

With the sun behind us, I got to see a beautiful glory and the shadow of our ultralight looking for all the world like a gigantic bird. Behind the mist is a limestone cliff with a very unassuming little hole, also known as Cueva Ventana.

The hike up to Cueva Ventana took us through limestone passageways, past ancient Taíno petroglyphs, and finally out to this breathtaking view of the Río Grande de Arecibo valley.

The ocean has so many moods. While there was a storm brewing out on the open ocean, with stunning shards of lighting dancing among the cumulonimbus, the water was calm and gentle closer to shore. Perfect for a sunset ride.

In Spanish, they are called Rabihorcado, meaning “forked tail”. The term Magnificent Frigatebird came from the French La Frégate — frigate or fast warship. English mariners called the bird Man-of-War.

A peaceful reminder of sunset in Aguadilla, right above Crash Boat Beach.