We spent our day near the southern end of Isla Espiritu Santo, which edges Bahia La Paz.

After breakfast we loosed a few adventurous hikers, who trekked off to find a route to Bahia Bonanza on the far side of island. Others opted for gentler exploration. We walked a broad sandy beach along the edge of mangrove. Though sparse at first glance, closer inspection revealed the business of this beach:  here were jackrabbit tracks, there went the crafty ringtail, here was a packrat hiway. Indeed, the desert at night looks to be roiling with life. From a lagoon, hidden by the trees, we heard a splashy commotion. Peering through the foliage we caught glimpses of cormorants, pelicans, and egrets. Meanwhile, some thought the beach, with watery sandflats, made just the right place for constructing arenaceous castles, mines, and fortresses.

In the afternoon, some went kayaking. The water was calm and Caribbean-colored, the cliffs were a muted pink, and the mangroves were almost garishly verdant—quite a setting for a boat ride! Beneath the waves the colors were equally impressive. Snorkelers found fish glowing in intense blues and yellows.

Most took a ride in one of our expedition landing craft. We rode past massive cliffs. In their steep sides fig trees clung from improbable clefts, their roots cinereous tangles. Pelicans eyed us from the shore with a slight wariness that never interfered with their poise. We saw the remains of structures built for the pearl farm that once stood here—hard to believe that such a severe and wild place once bustled with hundreds of workers! But best of all were the frigatebirds. In the tops of a long string of mangroves sat hundreds of the birds, while their relatives wheeled overhead. White-headed juveniles stared about, looking a bit confused, white-chested females flapped by, and a few black males puffed up their famously gaudy red throat pouches in hopes of enticing a mate. Though mostly quiet, the birds clatter their bills and utter a faint wheezy scream, so the place was filled with a low-volume cacophony. Together the sights and sounds were an amazing spectacle.

Our experience today was reflective of Baja California a whole. What we saw was parched, severe, and at the same time remarkably rich. It is this seemingly contrary juxtaposition that adds much to the wonder of nature and culture in Baja California.