Isla San Marcos
By breakfast time, we anchored on the east side of Isla San Marcos. The rising sun painted soft pastels of pink, orange and yellow across the rugged cliffs. Once ashore, everyone wandered off excitedly in pursuit of something. All our walks started from the mouth of an incredibly fertile-looking arroyo. There was an abundance of vegetation such as “old man” and towering cardon cacti, palo verde, palo blanco and iron wood trees almost every step of the way. An assortment of birds, bees and butterflies accompanied us as we noisily marched up the gravelly sand floor.
The wind had picked up a bit while we were ashore, so we decided to reposition our ship to the calmer side of the island. After a delicious lunch of tacos with all the fillings, we once again set ashore. The beach was just the place to launch our sea kayaks and soon, the colorful crafts were headed out to explore the adjacent coastline. Yellow-footed gulls, endemic to the Gulf of California, had built their nests close to the intertidal zone and their persistent cries warned us away. Nimble Sally Lightfoot crabs skirted this way and that across the rough rocks. The snorkelers charged into the refreshing water and discovered Panamic sergeant majors, king angelfish and a large green moray eel. Several colorful invertebrates adorned the alga covered rocks such as Bradley’s bright red-orange sea star, the tan star and even a chocolate-chip star.
As the light faded from the sky, we could see the lights of Santa Rosalia twinkling softly. Not a bad way to spend our first day in the Gulf of California.
By breakfast time, we anchored on the east side of Isla San Marcos. The rising sun painted soft pastels of pink, orange and yellow across the rugged cliffs. Once ashore, everyone wandered off excitedly in pursuit of something. All our walks started from the mouth of an incredibly fertile-looking arroyo. There was an abundance of vegetation such as “old man” and towering cardon cacti, palo verde, palo blanco and iron wood trees almost every step of the way. An assortment of birds, bees and butterflies accompanied us as we noisily marched up the gravelly sand floor.
The wind had picked up a bit while we were ashore, so we decided to reposition our ship to the calmer side of the island. After a delicious lunch of tacos with all the fillings, we once again set ashore. The beach was just the place to launch our sea kayaks and soon, the colorful crafts were headed out to explore the adjacent coastline. Yellow-footed gulls, endemic to the Gulf of California, had built their nests close to the intertidal zone and their persistent cries warned us away. Nimble Sally Lightfoot crabs skirted this way and that across the rough rocks. The snorkelers charged into the refreshing water and discovered Panamic sergeant majors, king angelfish and a large green moray eel. Several colorful invertebrates adorned the alga covered rocks such as Bradley’s bright red-orange sea star, the tan star and even a chocolate-chip star.
As the light faded from the sky, we could see the lights of Santa Rosalia twinkling softly. Not a bad way to spend our first day in the Gulf of California.
