Isla Monserrat
Morning arrived around midnight for many aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird. Deckhands rapped on the doors of those who had requested an early wake-up call to see the full lunar eclipse. The earth’s shadow crept across the full moon over a period of several hours. When fully shadowed, the moon was an eerie copper color. Once the bright moonlight dimmed, the stars became especially bright and dazzling, with Orion, the hunter, high overhead. What a treat for the solstice!
At dawn the full moon dropped towards the Baja Peninsula and set just before breakfast as the ship prepared for our day at Isla Monserrat. This island, sometimes spelled Monserrate, is one of five within Loreto Bay National Park. The anchor dropped at the north end where we disembarked for hikes up a dry river canyon, or arroyo, to explore inland. It was a wonderful introduction to the Sonoran desert. Many kinds of cacti caught our attention, from the towering cardons to the tiny nipple cacti that clung to the volcanic rocks on the slopes to either side of our path. Trees such as the palo blanco and desert ironwood provided shade along our way, although the morning temperature was quite comfortable for walking. Hikers discovered a variety of animal life, including side-blotched lizards, a hairy tarantula and birds such as the loggerhead shrike, ash-throated flycatcher and Costa’s hummingbirds. Everyone returned to shore in time to catch a Zodiac back for a pasta buffet lunch.
While we ate, the officers relocated the vessel to another sandy beach farther to the west, where we planned to spend the entire afternoon. We wandered the secluded beach to search for colorful shells and other treasures. Hermit crabs slowly scuttled across the sand in contrast to the ghost crabs that raced top-speed on tiptoes. We found bones from pelicans, sea lions and even a moray eel, still looking quite fierce after death. The upper beach abutted yellow cliffs and ancient ocean sediments that contained numerous fossilized shells.
Kayaks launched from the white sand through the lapping waves to investigate this desert country near the sea from another perspective. Snorkelers swam along a rocky area in search of a variety of reef fish, sea stars and other invertebrates. The bright electric blue of immature damselfish was hard to miss. Schools of barred Panamic sergeant majors flashed silvery, black and yellow-green in the sunlight. There was still plenty of time for simply relaxing or reading a book.
As darkness enveloped the landscape and we gathered for cocktails and the evening recap in the lounge, a russet-orange moon rose in the east.
