I traveled to Nicaragua with another Peace Corps Volunteer, Frank Iannone, to watch the eclipse from the coastal town of Corinto
Nicaragua '91 and '92
In 1991, I was serving in the Peace Corps in Honduras. Because of the Sandanista/Contra conflict in Nicaragua, Peace Corps Volunteers were not permitted to enter Nicaragua. That changed when Violeta Chumorra was elected President in 1991. Peace Corps Volunteers were allowed to travel to Nicaragua. The Peace Corps was also able to re-establish its program in Nicaragua. On July 11, 1991 a total eclipse of the sun occurred and was visible in parts of Central America. I traveled to Nicaragua with another Peace Corps Volunteer, Frank Iannone, to watch the eclipse from the coastal town of Corinto. The partial eclipse leading up to the total eclipse was visible, but just before totality clouds moved in to block the view. We were able to catch one brief view of the total eclipse in a short break in the clouds.
My second trip to Nicaragua occurred in 1992. I was attending Rutgers University and my advisor, Mike Carr, went to Nicaragua to collect volcanic samples for chemical and isotope analysis. We spent a week in the northwestern portion of the country collecting samples from the many volcanoes and lava flows located there.
Below are a few of the photos I took during both of these visits.
Click on the yellow bar to view the image.
Typical houses in the Nicaraguan countryside
Volcan Momotombo - an active volcano at the north end of Lake Managua
A tour bus in the city of Leon
A small cinder cone next to the larger cone of Cerro Negro
The west end of Cerro Negro's crater
The actively steaming crater atop Cerro Negro
Lava flows at the base of Cerro Negro
The train from Leon to Chinandega
One of the many churches in Leon
Large catheral in the center of Leon
Anti-American Sandanista mural in Leon
Partial solar eclipse - taken prior to the total solar eclipse
Partial solar eclipse - taken prior to the total solar eclipse
Last Updated: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 16:33:33 GMT
Notice: Unless otherwise noted, all images and graphics contained within are the property of Richard Harwood and may only be reproduced with permission from the author.
Image at left is of scoria deposits on the rim of Cerro Negro, Nicaragua
