Isla San Francisco
We awoke this morning to another beautiful Baja California sunrise off the south coast of Isla San Francisco. Taking advantage of the high tide accompanying the new moon, we took our Zodiacs into the hidden passages of the mangrove of Bahia Amortajada. Cruising almost silently in the tranquil backwaters, we spotted snowy egrets tucked in the mangrove branches and caught tantalizing calls of the elusive mangrove warbler. Brown pelicans dove around us and eared grebes bobbed up and down in the water as puffer fish and stingrays skimmed the shallow bottom below.
Leaving the mangroves, we took a leisurely stroll through a magnificent cactus garden, dominated by stately cardons, sprawling pitahaya agrias, and grotesquely branched chain-fruit chollas. We marveled at the profusion of leaves on the elephant trees and limberbushes, and a few palo adans were even in blossom, thanks to this year’s El Nino conditions. Oyster shells we found far from shore reminded us that Isla San Jose was inhabited by Pericu Indians, that the entire Sea of Cortez was explored by Spaniards searching for riches, and that pearl fishing was a major industry for nearly 400 years.
After a hearty lunch on board the Sea Lion, we anchored at Half Moon Bay on beautiful volcanic Isla San Francisco. Setting out in our fleet of kayaks, some of us paddled the turquoise waters of the bay while others walked along the fringes of a playa looking for the island’s cryptic reptilian and insect life. Our efforts were rewarded by the discovery of several specimens of the common chuckwalla, the nocturnal leaf-toed gecko, and some large and handsome scorpions.
As the sun descended behind the mountains of the peninsula, we were treated to a scrumptious barbeque on the beach by a blazing campfire. As darkness descended, the stars appeared with a brilliance and profusion that can only be found under a truly dark sky such as ours, far from the lights of any city or settlement. It has been another great day in the Sea of Cortez.
We awoke this morning to another beautiful Baja California sunrise off the south coast of Isla San Francisco. Taking advantage of the high tide accompanying the new moon, we took our Zodiacs into the hidden passages of the mangrove of Bahia Amortajada. Cruising almost silently in the tranquil backwaters, we spotted snowy egrets tucked in the mangrove branches and caught tantalizing calls of the elusive mangrove warbler. Brown pelicans dove around us and eared grebes bobbed up and down in the water as puffer fish and stingrays skimmed the shallow bottom below.
Leaving the mangroves, we took a leisurely stroll through a magnificent cactus garden, dominated by stately cardons, sprawling pitahaya agrias, and grotesquely branched chain-fruit chollas. We marveled at the profusion of leaves on the elephant trees and limberbushes, and a few palo adans were even in blossom, thanks to this year’s El Nino conditions. Oyster shells we found far from shore reminded us that Isla San Jose was inhabited by Pericu Indians, that the entire Sea of Cortez was explored by Spaniards searching for riches, and that pearl fishing was a major industry for nearly 400 years.
After a hearty lunch on board the Sea Lion, we anchored at Half Moon Bay on beautiful volcanic Isla San Francisco. Setting out in our fleet of kayaks, some of us paddled the turquoise waters of the bay while others walked along the fringes of a playa looking for the island’s cryptic reptilian and insect life. Our efforts were rewarded by the discovery of several specimens of the common chuckwalla, the nocturnal leaf-toed gecko, and some large and handsome scorpions.
As the sun descended behind the mountains of the peninsula, we were treated to a scrumptious barbeque on the beach by a blazing campfire. As darkness descended, the stars appeared with a brilliance and profusion that can only be found under a truly dark sky such as ours, far from the lights of any city or settlement. It has been another great day in the Sea of Cortez.
