As the yellow sun peeked over the eastern horizon at dawn, a group of short-finned pilot whales was found surfacing nearby. We spent our first leisurely hour of the day getting wonderful views of these sleek animals as they swam slowly southward. When breakfast was announced we headed inside and the ship returned to our original planned course towards Isla San Marcos. On our way there, Rikki Swenson gave a presentation on “Photo Essentials,” followed by an opportunity to learn more about each individual’s camera settings.
At Isla San Marcos, some people opted to go ashore for a hike up a narrow arroyo where numerous desert plants were in bloom. Others headed out in our fleet of inflatable boats to explore the rocky shorelines of the island. Brown pelicans, cormorants, brown boobies, and blue-footed boobies were roosting peacefully overlooking Sally lightfoot crabs scampering across the barnacle-covered rocks in the intertidal zone. On this very calm day, the hotel department then treated us to an outdoor lunch on the ship’s upper deck to enjoy the ample sunshine. Eventually, we lifted anchor and continued onward toward the nearby Baja Peninsula.
In the mid afternoon, we docked at the town of Santa Rosalia, and were able to walk into the bustling streets of this community that was originally founded by a French copper mining company in the 1800’s. Along the quiet waterfront, local fishing boats rested along the shore. Fishermen were bringing in their catch, all under the watchful eyes of pelicans waiting for any possible scraps. In the main streets of town, cars and trucks motored by, some blaring festive Mexican music from their open windows. We visited the curious metal church that was designed by Gustave Eiffel, and then gathered at the town’s historic bakery that was originally opened in 1901. On the prominent hill overlooking the main town, a building that once housed the headquarters of the “El Boleo” mining company, has been converted into a small museum containing many interesting artifacts and photos from the early mining operations.
We ended the afternoon with a visit to the historic Hotel Frances where we were warmly welcomed with chilled margaritas, and plenty of fresh guacamole. It was a joyfully festive end to a wonderful day.
