Isla Espiritu Santo and Los Islotes
After traveling north all night, we awoke just north of La Paz, near the island of Espiritu Santo, one of the many desert islands in the Sea of Cortez. Our morning began, like usual with wonderful options. Those of us who chose to "do it all" got the opportunity to both sea kayak and hike from the beautiful bay known as Ensenada Grande. The sea kayaking allowed us to enjoy the peacefulness of this island, while cruising quietly along the rocky shoreline. The clarity of the water provided glimpses of the underwater world as well, with many fish seemingly undisturbed by our presence.
The hike was an excellent introduction to the desert plants and their amazing adaptations to the limited water. The abundant wildflowers were a nice surprise, and an indication of a wetter than usual winter. We also got our first introduction to the cacti of the area, seeing cardon, galloping cactus, prickly pear and organpipe cacti. Many of us were surprised that these seemingly barren islands could support so much life and be so green! While admiring the pinkish rocks and the contrasting greens, we found another inhabitant of the island – the speckled rattlesnake – its pinkish body with speckled black bands nearly perfectly camouflaged against the rocks surrounding it.
After lunch, we traveled slightly north to Los Islotes, a tiny island north of Espiritu Santo that is home to California sea lions, blue-footed boobies, brown boobies, yellow-footed gulls and magnificent frigate birds. Zodiac cruises around these rocks provided the sounds (and occasionally smells) of the sea lion and bird colonies. This afternoon seemed to be a good time for the sea lions to take siestas. Their sleep was occasionally interrupted by another lying down on top of them, a barking argument with their neighbor, or lifting their head to look around.
To top off this wonderful day, the galley provided us with an incredible dinner barbecue on the beach. As it was getting dark, we were fascinated by the appearance of a ring-tailed cat. This nocturnal raccoon relative that is typically known for its secretiveness, seemed unbothered by our presence as it ate fruit from the wild fig tree and roamed the cliffs near the beach.
After traveling north all night, we awoke just north of La Paz, near the island of Espiritu Santo, one of the many desert islands in the Sea of Cortez. Our morning began, like usual with wonderful options. Those of us who chose to "do it all" got the opportunity to both sea kayak and hike from the beautiful bay known as Ensenada Grande. The sea kayaking allowed us to enjoy the peacefulness of this island, while cruising quietly along the rocky shoreline. The clarity of the water provided glimpses of the underwater world as well, with many fish seemingly undisturbed by our presence.
The hike was an excellent introduction to the desert plants and their amazing adaptations to the limited water. The abundant wildflowers were a nice surprise, and an indication of a wetter than usual winter. We also got our first introduction to the cacti of the area, seeing cardon, galloping cactus, prickly pear and organpipe cacti. Many of us were surprised that these seemingly barren islands could support so much life and be so green! While admiring the pinkish rocks and the contrasting greens, we found another inhabitant of the island – the speckled rattlesnake – its pinkish body with speckled black bands nearly perfectly camouflaged against the rocks surrounding it.
After lunch, we traveled slightly north to Los Islotes, a tiny island north of Espiritu Santo that is home to California sea lions, blue-footed boobies, brown boobies, yellow-footed gulls and magnificent frigate birds. Zodiac cruises around these rocks provided the sounds (and occasionally smells) of the sea lion and bird colonies. This afternoon seemed to be a good time for the sea lions to take siestas. Their sleep was occasionally interrupted by another lying down on top of them, a barking argument with their neighbor, or lifting their head to look around.
To top off this wonderful day, the galley provided us with an incredible dinner barbecue on the beach. As it was getting dark, we were fascinated by the appearance of a ring-tailed cat. This nocturnal raccoon relative that is typically known for its secretiveness, seemed unbothered by our presence as it ate fruit from the wild fig tree and roamed the cliffs near the beach.
