Isla San Marcos
Well, that’s Baja for you. Long-beaked common dolphins greeted us at sunrise. With coffee and cameras on the bow, we watched as they swam around the ship and rode the bow wave to usher in the day.
Soon after breakfast we approached Isla San Marcos, a layered landscape of multicolored volcanic rock that rises out of the waters of the Gulf. We hiked an arroyo steeply lined with the kaleidoscope formations and found nesting ospreys, a small rookery of nesting great blue herons, passionflower and morning glory in luscious bloom and even a quiet rattlesnake coiled under a blooming palo verde. An ash-throated flycatcher delivered spiders and butterflies to its nest in a tall cardon that sang with chicks inside, and lizards displayed in the warm sun as we passed by. Kayakers plied the waters of the bay, exploring the colorful waterside cliffs and shallow turquoise waters. Pelicans soared in formation and stood on the rocks as we quietly slid by. Occasionally, an osprey dove toward the water, reaching with talons toward fish easily seen in the crystal clear water.
Afternoon found us cruising in culinary wonder as Linda Burback detailed the many edibles and usables we had encountered during our desert walks. As many of us tasted our first sweet-nutty sample of ground mesquite pod, a blow was sighted ahead of the ship. We came to the bow as bottlenose dolphins were simultaneously finding the bow wave, escorting us to a group of about eight fin whales ahead. The water was perfectly flat and silvery in the afternoon’s muted light. We turned the ship and watched fin whales surface close by, then while we waited for them to come up again, we’d watch dolphins jump and cavort.
And if that wasn’t enough, we moved a little further on and came across several sperm whales that breathed at the surface and then fluked as they dove. Then, as we waited for them to come up again, we’d go back to the dolphins, or perhaps spy a few beautiful Sabine’s gulls, or a shearwater. Then we’d see some more whales and on it went into the sunset. The silvery water turned golden as the sun sank lower and then finally, the sea and sky were deep pink. Dolphins splashed in our wake, completing a very full day in Baja.
Well, that’s Baja for you. Long-beaked common dolphins greeted us at sunrise. With coffee and cameras on the bow, we watched as they swam around the ship and rode the bow wave to usher in the day.
Soon after breakfast we approached Isla San Marcos, a layered landscape of multicolored volcanic rock that rises out of the waters of the Gulf. We hiked an arroyo steeply lined with the kaleidoscope formations and found nesting ospreys, a small rookery of nesting great blue herons, passionflower and morning glory in luscious bloom and even a quiet rattlesnake coiled under a blooming palo verde. An ash-throated flycatcher delivered spiders and butterflies to its nest in a tall cardon that sang with chicks inside, and lizards displayed in the warm sun as we passed by. Kayakers plied the waters of the bay, exploring the colorful waterside cliffs and shallow turquoise waters. Pelicans soared in formation and stood on the rocks as we quietly slid by. Occasionally, an osprey dove toward the water, reaching with talons toward fish easily seen in the crystal clear water.
Afternoon found us cruising in culinary wonder as Linda Burback detailed the many edibles and usables we had encountered during our desert walks. As many of us tasted our first sweet-nutty sample of ground mesquite pod, a blow was sighted ahead of the ship. We came to the bow as bottlenose dolphins were simultaneously finding the bow wave, escorting us to a group of about eight fin whales ahead. The water was perfectly flat and silvery in the afternoon’s muted light. We turned the ship and watched fin whales surface close by, then while we waited for them to come up again, we’d watch dolphins jump and cavort.
And if that wasn’t enough, we moved a little further on and came across several sperm whales that breathed at the surface and then fluked as they dove. Then, as we waited for them to come up again, we’d go back to the dolphins, or perhaps spy a few beautiful Sabine’s gulls, or a shearwater. Then we’d see some more whales and on it went into the sunset. The silvery water turned golden as the sun sank lower and then finally, the sea and sky were deep pink. Dolphins splashed in our wake, completing a very full day in Baja.
