Isla San Ildefonso
A brisk wind blew out of the south as we sailed for Isla San Ildefonso. A gentle swell began to grow and slowly consumed our morning plans. One of the great advantages of these expeditions is that we can change our schedule quickly. Our trips evolve. Lindblad Expeditions is resilient, searching constantly for new jewels to place in our crown of destinations. Places where the print of man has not ground out the wildness. This morning is a good example of that. We decided to venture into a canyon none of the staff has had time to fully explore, a place for all of us to get excited about.
After breakfast we split into groups and entered a complex branching canyon. We walked along a broad sandy wash, wound up and around and through ironwood and palo blanco trees, and passed the purple blossoms of desert lavender and rama parda. The reddish volcanic rock of the canyon enveloped us. The walls told the story of violent volcanic events, catastrophic landslides, and showers of red-hot ash. As we hiked farther into the canyon, the sides became steeper and rose up hundreds of feet. One area looked like a miniature Zion National Park, complete with thrones and towers that scraped the sky. About 1-1/2 miles up, the drainage became even narrower, and large boulders and a rock face stopped our progress. A few continued past these barriers and soon arrived at a slot canyon with huge chock stones wedged into it. Above this, steep smooth walls ended in what was once a waterfall. A pool of fresh water was at its top. On our descent we found a small cave with a blackened ceiling and shell fragments, possibly a site once used by local Indians. A fresh water source like the one we found would have been a priceless commodity.
In the afternoon the winds partially died, and our chance to explore Isla San Ildefonso arose again. We anchored and were soon cruising by Zodiac in the rich, guano-fertilized water. Pelicans and boobies dominate this island. The former may nest on the tops of shrubs upon stick nests that often hide their prehistoric-looking white chicks. Boobies stand near their white, fluffy chicks high up on the rocks or within shallow caves. We also found a raven's nest with four black, partially-feathered chicks standing and looking out from a pile of sticks. Yellow-footed gulls sat upon piles of seaweed, tightly brooding eggs just above the shoreline. A green sea turtle approached one Zodiac but dove after about 15 seconds of viewing. All too soon our time was up, and we were back on the ship preparing for our barbecue dinner.
A brisk wind blew out of the south as we sailed for Isla San Ildefonso. A gentle swell began to grow and slowly consumed our morning plans. One of the great advantages of these expeditions is that we can change our schedule quickly. Our trips evolve. Lindblad Expeditions is resilient, searching constantly for new jewels to place in our crown of destinations. Places where the print of man has not ground out the wildness. This morning is a good example of that. We decided to venture into a canyon none of the staff has had time to fully explore, a place for all of us to get excited about.
After breakfast we split into groups and entered a complex branching canyon. We walked along a broad sandy wash, wound up and around and through ironwood and palo blanco trees, and passed the purple blossoms of desert lavender and rama parda. The reddish volcanic rock of the canyon enveloped us. The walls told the story of violent volcanic events, catastrophic landslides, and showers of red-hot ash. As we hiked farther into the canyon, the sides became steeper and rose up hundreds of feet. One area looked like a miniature Zion National Park, complete with thrones and towers that scraped the sky. About 1-1/2 miles up, the drainage became even narrower, and large boulders and a rock face stopped our progress. A few continued past these barriers and soon arrived at a slot canyon with huge chock stones wedged into it. Above this, steep smooth walls ended in what was once a waterfall. A pool of fresh water was at its top. On our descent we found a small cave with a blackened ceiling and shell fragments, possibly a site once used by local Indians. A fresh water source like the one we found would have been a priceless commodity.
In the afternoon the winds partially died, and our chance to explore Isla San Ildefonso arose again. We anchored and were soon cruising by Zodiac in the rich, guano-fertilized water. Pelicans and boobies dominate this island. The former may nest on the tops of shrubs upon stick nests that often hide their prehistoric-looking white chicks. Boobies stand near their white, fluffy chicks high up on the rocks or within shallow caves. We also found a raven's nest with four black, partially-feathered chicks standing and looking out from a pile of sticks. Yellow-footed gulls sat upon piles of seaweed, tightly brooding eggs just above the shoreline. A green sea turtle approached one Zodiac but dove after about 15 seconds of viewing. All too soon our time was up, and we were back on the ship preparing for our barbecue dinner.
