where my heart lives

The first time I visited Cotopaxi, high in the Ecuadorian Andes, I was stunned. The magic lived on for me this summer. This is a place that calms me and energizes me a la vez. I wake up early and go to bed late. Days filled with hot tea, the smoky richness of wood burning fires, horseback rides through the páramo and majestic views in all directions. This is Cotopaxi. It gives me the feeling of home, and, when I think about my rural childhood, it's not that different. Take the flat canvas of my North Dakotan roots and give it peaks and valleys, throw in some Spanish and you might get Cotopaxi.