After a peaceful night anchored at Puerto Gato, the ship got underway shortly before sunrise and headed north. A broad mantle of sculpted clouds was covering the sky above us, with a fringe of open sky turning pink to the southeast. Just before 7:00 am we encountered a large group of short-finned pilot whales. We paused the ship, and soon the whales paused to come swim around us. We had some wonderful views right down their blowholes as some of the whales surfaced right alongside the ship. Possibly this was the very same group that we had been with farther south two days earlier. We continued northward searching for marine life. During the morning we were treated to a presentation on “The Improbable Sliver: The Historical Geology of Baja California” by Dr. Steve MacLean. We circled the island of Monserrate, and by lunchtime we had arrived at our next destination, Isla Santa Catalina.
In the afternoon, some of us took again to the water for a snorkeling view of the undersea world at Isla Catalina. There were many types of tropical fishes like the dazzling king angelfish to be seen, as well as an interesting variety of sea stars and other marine organisms. Later in the afternoon we ventured ashore to explore the desert on this magical island. Some fishermen were cleaning their day’s catch on shore, and large gatherings of yellow-footed gulls were vying for the remains. Atop the cardon cactus by the beach several ravens were perched waiting from their turn at the spoils. Inland, Catalina is home to a particularly beautiful array of desert vegetation. Statuesque cardon cactus grow here in great profusion, rising high above the endemic giant barrel cactus, as well as their more diminutive spiny cousins (first photo). There were even some cacti in flower, including the barrel cactus and the chain link cholla with its bright pink blossoms (second photo). Some people went on a long vigorous hike, while others chose to amble leisurely along the lovely desert arroyo surrounded by fascinating plants. Many of us stayed ashore until after the subtle sunset finished its final blush. Back onboard we dined, and then had a lively presentation by Rikki Swenson telling us about “Thinking Out-of-the-Shoebox: Creative Projects for Your Photos,” giving us many ideas of interesting ways to share our many photos with others. During the night we rocked our way farther northward.
