Espiritu Santo Island Complex
The tiny harbor at Isla San Francisco was lit up like a city block as we passed in the dark of early morning, a sure sign that many vessels had taken refuge there and that the motion we had felt in the night was not just a hazy dream. And yet as the sun rose the sea was simply rumpled and only a light breeze blew.
The sky changed from star-studded black as the blue of morning washed across the quarter moon and the sun pushed its way toward the horizon. Bands of color, pale yellow, pink and baby blue, trailed behind like the wake of a ship. Clouds on the eastern horizon created a mirror image of the Sierra de la Giganta, just visible on our starboard side. Gradually the silhouettes of tiny Los Islotes, frosted in white, were distinguishable against westward dipping Isla Partida.
Dozens of bottlenose dolphins dashed toward the bow jostling with each other for the prime spot on the pressure wave. A smattering of sea lions joined the frenzied dash but lacking the cetacean’s skills, hesitated and simply porpoised through our wake. The blow of a whale was camouflaged by waves surging upon the shore and its flighty behavior confused us all until the islets loomed large and so did the gray-blue back of the largest animal of all. Blue whales were now old hat and we paid it little heed for an invitation echoed from the base of the cliffs. “Come and play,” they seemed to say. And so we did. Some slipped into the water to be shamed by the agility of these frisky pinnipeds. Others, armed with cameras, cruised around the rocks followed by frisky young sea lion flocks. Above brown boobies croaked and male blue-footed boobies whistled their courtship call while they displayed their cerulean feet.
Slipping south to the island of Espiritu Santo we focused on desert and sea. What better escape from winter’s woes than a sweeping white sand beach? Its arching arms embraced a turquoise sea where colorful kayaks bobbed. Cacti, agave and other thorny shrubs marched from the hillsides down to the shore, different vegetative assemblages preferring one or the other of the distinctive rocky slopes. The rounded granite boulders on one side of the active La Paz fault was home to some while the layered volcanic ash on the other hosted others. Chairs sprouted on the sand and welcoming odors enticed us to return for a delicious beach barbeque and friendly conversation round a glowing fire.
