Canal de Ballenas and Bahia las Animas
Through the night we traveled farther north in the gulf. By sunrise we were plying the waters of Canal de Salsipuedes in the Midriff region of the upper gulf. To the east lay Isla San Lorenzo, and to the west the sweeping mountains of the Baja Peninsula. Before the red orb of the sun had even peeked above the eastern horizon a fin whale was sighted, and by mid-morning we were in the company of a group of five fin whales, the second largest creatures on the planet. They put on a fine show, surfacing numerous times quite near the ship, their towering blows rising in the air as long sleek backs rolled across the surface.
In the afternoon we ventured ashore along the northwestern edge of a broad bay known as Bahia las Animas. Here a white sand and stony beach stretched away to the south. It was a beachcomber’s delight as there were many beautiful shells, worn stones, bleached bones and even a large, green sea turtle carapace cast upon these wild shores. The desert inland from the beach held healthy specimens of many classic Sonoran desert plants: teddy bear cholla cactus, old man cactus, cardones, pitayas and many others including the unusual elephant tree.
By late afternoon we lifted anchor and headed northeast into the Canal de Ballenas hoping to find more whales. We’d made it no more that a couple of miles when we were again in the company of several fin whales. As the evening sun drifted toward the mountain rims to the west, we were treated to many spectacular views of these leviathans surfacing time and again near the ship. Captain Kalbach was at the helm “cruising for composition,” and with gentle nudging of the ship, he positioned us with whale blows highlighted by the orange setting sun against the dramatic mountain backdrop of the peninsula. It was a spectacular finale to another fine day.
Through the night we traveled farther north in the gulf. By sunrise we were plying the waters of Canal de Salsipuedes in the Midriff region of the upper gulf. To the east lay Isla San Lorenzo, and to the west the sweeping mountains of the Baja Peninsula. Before the red orb of the sun had even peeked above the eastern horizon a fin whale was sighted, and by mid-morning we were in the company of a group of five fin whales, the second largest creatures on the planet. They put on a fine show, surfacing numerous times quite near the ship, their towering blows rising in the air as long sleek backs rolled across the surface.
In the afternoon we ventured ashore along the northwestern edge of a broad bay known as Bahia las Animas. Here a white sand and stony beach stretched away to the south. It was a beachcomber’s delight as there were many beautiful shells, worn stones, bleached bones and even a large, green sea turtle carapace cast upon these wild shores. The desert inland from the beach held healthy specimens of many classic Sonoran desert plants: teddy bear cholla cactus, old man cactus, cardones, pitayas and many others including the unusual elephant tree.
By late afternoon we lifted anchor and headed northeast into the Canal de Ballenas hoping to find more whales. We’d made it no more that a couple of miles when we were again in the company of several fin whales. As the evening sun drifted toward the mountain rims to the west, we were treated to many spectacular views of these leviathans surfacing time and again near the ship. Captain Kalbach was at the helm “cruising for composition,” and with gentle nudging of the ship, he positioned us with whale blows highlighted by the orange setting sun against the dramatic mountain backdrop of the peninsula. It was a spectacular finale to another fine day.
