Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida
We awakened this morning as we approached a protected inlet known as Ensenada Grande, a nicely tucked away location on the western shore of Isla Partida where we would spend the last full day of our Sea of Cortez exploration. Many aboard have been reflecting on this experience and the new perspectives and opportunities it has afforded us in this place of remote beauty and stark contrasts between desert and sea.
Today many took a long morning hike up a picturesque arroyo with thoughts of magnificent vistas as a prize for their efforts. This opportunity however offered many more insights than we could have possibly hoped as we climbed between boulders and among precious short lived wildflowers. The rains that had soaked the ground over a week ago gave rise to a show that few here get to enjoy as butterflies and bees busily worked from flower to precious flower. Suddenly from the distance a rattle in the brush, many in the group had the privilege to view the rarely seen black jackrabbit; found only on Isla Partida and adjacent Isla Espiritu Santo, it was a fine sighting indeed as the group continued up the arroyo. Suddenly the landscape cleared and the Sea of Cortez became visible. We had crossed the island and were looking down hundreds of feet to the crashing surf below as many took stock of their experience and relished their final day of exploring the Sea of Cortez aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird.
Many chose to snorkel or simply take in the dramatic landscape born of catastrophic volcanic beginnings millions of years ago as pelicans fished around us, then lazily rested on a nearby rocky ledges.
We awakened this morning as we approached a protected inlet known as Ensenada Grande, a nicely tucked away location on the western shore of Isla Partida where we would spend the last full day of our Sea of Cortez exploration. Many aboard have been reflecting on this experience and the new perspectives and opportunities it has afforded us in this place of remote beauty and stark contrasts between desert and sea.
Today many took a long morning hike up a picturesque arroyo with thoughts of magnificent vistas as a prize for their efforts. This opportunity however offered many more insights than we could have possibly hoped as we climbed between boulders and among precious short lived wildflowers. The rains that had soaked the ground over a week ago gave rise to a show that few here get to enjoy as butterflies and bees busily worked from flower to precious flower. Suddenly from the distance a rattle in the brush, many in the group had the privilege to view the rarely seen black jackrabbit; found only on Isla Partida and adjacent Isla Espiritu Santo, it was a fine sighting indeed as the group continued up the arroyo. Suddenly the landscape cleared and the Sea of Cortez became visible. We had crossed the island and were looking down hundreds of feet to the crashing surf below as many took stock of their experience and relished their final day of exploring the Sea of Cortez aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird.
Many chose to snorkel or simply take in the dramatic landscape born of catastrophic volcanic beginnings millions of years ago as pelicans fished around us, then lazily rested on a nearby rocky ledges.
