“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and
the winds long to play with your hair.” ~ Khalil Gibran
We awakened this morning at anchor in Bahia Magdalena to overcast skies with light airs. Our morning was devoted to exploring the beautiful dunes of barrier island Isla Magdalena. The crew lowered expedition landing craft from the lido deck, we loaded up, and upon arrival to the shore, swung legs over the side and into the refreshing waters of the bay. Groups gathered and dispersed, one moving along the shoreline in search of birds to observe, while others made their way over the dunes to the Pacific on the other side. Along the way we marveled at the beauties of the desert. Sand, what an extraordinary shifting medium—constantly carved into new shapes, textures, and designs by the elements and creatures. Large clumps of plants sprawled along peaks and valleys, and huge piles called “middens” of shells lay strewn everywhere. My feet enjoyed the various textures of soft silk, hard-packed, and clumpy crunch sink-to-my-ankle. I heard the Pacific before I saw it, and as I took in the full beauty of the scene of the final dune my eyes detected movement and—wow!—a coyote walked slowly into view and then began loping and finally running south along the top of the dunes. I was quite a distance away, and as I came upon its tracks I tried to follow them, but got lost around some plants—there were so many coyote tracks. I descended the final dune towards the Pacific and saw the reason Bahia Santa Maria has been nicknamed “Sand Dollar Beach”… large sand dollars everywhere. Some hardy souls were body-surfing in the mid-60’s waters and I dropped my bag and joined them. Cold! Invigorating!
Local pilot Alejandro boarded midday and navigated the National Geographic Sea Bird through the shallow narrow channel of Hull Canal, where we began to see the gray whales. What a joy to see these mothers and calves in their winter home. Late in the afternoon we anchored at Boca de Soledad, the northern tip of Isla Magdalena and zipped to shore for another leg-stretch along the shoreline and dunes before returning to the ship for cocktails and our first Recap of the voyage. What a beautiful introduction to Baja California, where the desert meets the sea.
