Islas San Jose & San Francisco
We awoke this morning anchored in protected Bahia Encantado, where we had a peaceful and calm night. As the call for breakfast was announced, the sun’s rays illuminated the volcanic layers of the Baja Peninsula in the distance, which made for an impressive sight. After breakfast, we were given information about the hike on shore called Arroyo Encantado ("Enchanted Dry Wash").Soon after, we boarded Zodiacs and went ashore. One of the first things we noticed was that the desert was in full bloom, with clinging vines and many species of flowering plants including desert nightshade, jimson weed, and indigo bush. With all the greenery, it would be hard to convince someone that we were indeed in a desert! There were also other species of desert plants that were seen as well as interesting rock formations and evidence of faulting, indicating that this island was uplifted from deep below the Earth's surface in the geologic past. The large Cardon cactus was prominent, but so were Bursera, Palo Adan, Palo Verde, Pitaya Dulce (organ pipe), Mammillaria sp., and Cholla cacti. There were many types of birds here as well, the most prominent of which were the large turkey vultures, soaring high above.
Most of us made it up the arroyo far enough to see the "S-curves," an area of rapid stream downcutting creating what geologists would call entrenched meanders. Here, the conglomerate-bearing walls of the canyon were at least 50 feet high, but the sides of the canyon were only six feet across. The floor of the canyon was not straight, but curved like the shape of a slithering snake. A side route up a ridge was followed to a lookout where there were superb views of the bay below and the blue water of the Sea of Cortez.
Once back on board, we had lunch as the National Geographic Sea Bird pulled anchor and headed south to a nearby island named Isla San Francisco. The wind started to pick up but we anchored in the calm of the appropriately named Half Moon Bay on the southwest side of Isla San Francisco. We had a variety of activities to choose from in the afternoon: snorkeling, kayaking, beachcombing, hiking across the salt flat, a walk with a naturalist, relaxing, or even partaking in fun activities on the beach such as flying a kite. Those of us who went snorkeling found the water clarity to be excellent and large schools of anchovies and many other exotic fish were sighted. There were frequent Zodiac shuttles from the ship to the shore, so many of us participated in several of the planned activities.
Meanwhile, the ship's crew had assembled the necessary equipment on shore for the evening's beach barbecue. Sangria and beer flowed freely as we all watched the sun set behind the Sierra de la Giganta mountain range on the Baja peninsula. It was easy to appreciate the unhurried pace of life on these uninhabited islands of the Sea of Cortez. The dinner on the beach was superb, with grilled fish and chicken along with mashed potatoes and all the trimmings. Later, a bonfire was started, and there was a feeling of camaraderie as both young and old roasted marshmallows together and enjoyed our surroundings into the evening.
We awoke this morning anchored in protected Bahia Encantado, where we had a peaceful and calm night. As the call for breakfast was announced, the sun’s rays illuminated the volcanic layers of the Baja Peninsula in the distance, which made for an impressive sight. After breakfast, we were given information about the hike on shore called Arroyo Encantado ("Enchanted Dry Wash").Soon after, we boarded Zodiacs and went ashore. One of the first things we noticed was that the desert was in full bloom, with clinging vines and many species of flowering plants including desert nightshade, jimson weed, and indigo bush. With all the greenery, it would be hard to convince someone that we were indeed in a desert! There were also other species of desert plants that were seen as well as interesting rock formations and evidence of faulting, indicating that this island was uplifted from deep below the Earth's surface in the geologic past. The large Cardon cactus was prominent, but so were Bursera, Palo Adan, Palo Verde, Pitaya Dulce (organ pipe), Mammillaria sp., and Cholla cacti. There were many types of birds here as well, the most prominent of which were the large turkey vultures, soaring high above.
Most of us made it up the arroyo far enough to see the "S-curves," an area of rapid stream downcutting creating what geologists would call entrenched meanders. Here, the conglomerate-bearing walls of the canyon were at least 50 feet high, but the sides of the canyon were only six feet across. The floor of the canyon was not straight, but curved like the shape of a slithering snake. A side route up a ridge was followed to a lookout where there were superb views of the bay below and the blue water of the Sea of Cortez.
Once back on board, we had lunch as the National Geographic Sea Bird pulled anchor and headed south to a nearby island named Isla San Francisco. The wind started to pick up but we anchored in the calm of the appropriately named Half Moon Bay on the southwest side of Isla San Francisco. We had a variety of activities to choose from in the afternoon: snorkeling, kayaking, beachcombing, hiking across the salt flat, a walk with a naturalist, relaxing, or even partaking in fun activities on the beach such as flying a kite. Those of us who went snorkeling found the water clarity to be excellent and large schools of anchovies and many other exotic fish were sighted. There were frequent Zodiac shuttles from the ship to the shore, so many of us participated in several of the planned activities.
Meanwhile, the ship's crew had assembled the necessary equipment on shore for the evening's beach barbecue. Sangria and beer flowed freely as we all watched the sun set behind the Sierra de la Giganta mountain range on the Baja peninsula. It was easy to appreciate the unhurried pace of life on these uninhabited islands of the Sea of Cortez. The dinner on the beach was superb, with grilled fish and chicken along with mashed potatoes and all the trimmings. Later, a bonfire was started, and there was a feeling of camaraderie as both young and old roasted marshmallows together and enjoyed our surroundings into the evening.
