Galápagos tourism; Adirondacks memories

Tourism runs wild on the Galápagos

Two years ago, when my tour group first arrived in the Galápagos, I looked out into the waters of San Cristóbal and swore I was in Catalina instead of an exotic group of islands about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador.

The sight of boats, yachts, catamarans and even two cruise ships floating in the harbor shocked and dismayed me.

In her article [“Evolution Runs Wild,” Sept. 2], Carol Stogsdill should have heightened her discussion of the serious perils facing this remarkable place.

If he were alive today, Charles Darwin would be horrified to see the Galápagos tourist mecca.

--Lori Wolf, Thousand Oaks

Hidden jewels in the Adirondacks

The focus on Lake George, N.Y. [“East, for Eden,” Sept. 2], was a great reminder of our family’s wonderful 15 years on the shore near Hague. Swimming and sailing in the summer and skiing in the winter provided a blessed retreat when we lived in upstate New York, then in New Jersey. That area is a little-known jewel worth visiting.

--Dick Ettington, Palos Verdes

The best way to see the early foliage in the Adirondacks is to fly to New York, spend the night in Manhattan and take Amtrak (the Adirondack) the next day to Lake George.

--Dennis Arntz, Laguna Niguel