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Ron and Yalty met in boquete in 1969. Yalty is a member of an extensive Panamian family. Her grandmother who passed away at the age of 108 has more that 350 direct desendence living in this area. Yalty speaks fluent English and has a vast and personal Knowledge of the people and history of Boquete.

She clearly remembers spending her summer vacations as a child at her grandparent´s farm overlooking the Boquete valley. She would ride the old steam train up from the valley below. Her grandfather would meet her at the boquete train station on his white horse and together they would ride up the mountain to the farm. Ron grew up in northern Idaho. As a young man he spent his leisure time on the back of his trusty horse “Apachy” hunting, fishing and exploring the wilderness areas of that state.

In 1966 he enlisted in the U. S. military. After two years of intense training he became a member of the U. S. Army “Green Berets”. He was deployed to Panama in late 1968. On a long weekend pass Ron visited Boquete and met Yalty. It was, as they say, “love a first sight” and they married soon after.

Upon returning to the U. S. Ron taught school for several years. In 1979 Ron and his brother Russ, after receiving their U. S. Coast Guard captains licenses, started a salmon fishing charter business on the Seattle waterfront. The two families grew the business to include harbor tours, dinner cruises and private charters. In 1990, after seeing great opportunities in the cruises business in Alaska they moved the entire operation to that state. Along the way they purchased Windjammer Cruise on the Island of Maui. In 1996 Ron and Yalty wanted to move to Panama. They sold their half of the business to Ron´s brother and his wife and now enjoy life in this great little town.