FUN-travel: Baja Wilderness & Whale Adventure – Guerrero Negro – Day 4
March 18, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Baja Wilderness & Whale Adventure – Guerrero Negro – Day 4
Whale Watching on Steroids!
- After another spectacular sunrise, we packed up, then savored our final meal here of mushroom cheese omelets and refried beans before embarking for our next big adventure. At 9:00 we boarded our boats and headed over to the Bahía de Los Ángeles airstrip for our flight to Guerrero Negro, located on the Pacific side. We made good time crossing the calm flat sea, so when we arrived in town we had time to explore. We walked over to the small museum that houses artifacts from the gold mining days. (Actually, yesterday those of us on the fishing boat had come here because Tom made a stop at the store)
- The local taxi van picked us up and by 10:30, after the federal soldiers checked our paperwork, we were airborne for our short one hour flight. Again we were lucky, as it was a nice, relatively smooth ride. We arrived at 12:30 (time change to MST) and after passing through security, which consisted of more armed federal soldiers checking bags on a folding table on the tarmac, were taken by van to see the gray whales in Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Scammon’s Lagoon).
- They packed us a lunch, which we ate on the way, so we didn’t waste precious time of our afternoon boat tour. Where we boarded was approximately 18 miles from the town and the gravel road took us through the largest salt-making facility on the planet. It produces more than 7 million metric tons of salt each year. The salt here is not mined, but extracted from ocean water by evaporation.
- Laguna Ojo de Liebre actually consists of two lagoons – an inner and an outer – which are part of the Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve UNESCO World Heritage Site. We arrived at the inner lagoon shortly before 3:00 pm for our first gray whale experience.
- After walking out in the shallow water to hop on our panga boat (the pier was damaged in the 2014 hurricane) we motored off to the middle of the massive lagoon to sit and wait for the whales to appear.
FUN-fact – Twenty-foot panga boats await you each day to take you out among the whales, which are often just offshore. These Mexican fishing boats are about half the size of a full grown gray whale, and enable you to be at water level in order to have direct contact with the whales as they swim in these pristine waters.
- Tom said, “You have to have good boat karma, and the whales will come.” And that they did! After a short wait, mom and her calf appeared. They dove and surfaced circling within 30 feet of our boat before venturing closer. It was apparent at that point they ready for us to pet them. For the next hour we sat in amazement as they splashed, sprayed, and played around us; returning repeatedly to every side of the boat for more pets.
- By 5:00, after an ice cold Pacifico, we were headed back to get settled in at the Casa Laguna B & B in downtown Guerrero Negro. We made one quick stop at the liquor store nearby to stock up on wine. We had all pretty much had our fill of margaritas at this point and they had a fairly decent selection.
- We were greeted warmly by Sophia, who was preparing our dinner, and given our room assignments. Ours was at the very end with a king size bed and private bath. We were so ready for a real shower! Only one small glitch, the power was out and there was no hot water. So we uncorked our wine, gathered around the table, and feasted on fresh guacamole, chips, and salsa.
- Fortunately the stove was gas and they were busy cooking up more delights for us. We started with carrot soup, followed by more local fresh fish, rice, and a lovely dessert. By then the power had been restored and we retreated to our room for a nice hot shower.
FUN-facts – Gray whales measure from 16 ft in length for newborns to 43–49 ft for adults (females tend to be slightly larger than adult males). The gray whale has a dark slate-gray color and is covered by characteristic gray-white patterns, scars left by parasites which drop off in its cold feeding grounds.
FUN-video: Baja Wilderness & Whale Adventure – Guerrero Negro
March 17, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-video: Baja Wilderness & Whale Adventure – Guerrero Negro
This is the video from the last three days of our Baja trip at Guerrero Negro interacting with the gray whales and their calves in Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Scammon’s Lagoon).
To see the photos scroll down to the next post.
FUN-photos: Baja Wilderness & Whale Adventure – Guerrero Negro
March 17, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Baja Wilderness & Whale Adventure – Guerrero Negro
- On February 26th, we flew from Bahía de Los Ángeles to Guerrero Negro for the second half of our adventure – to see the gray whales up close and personal. We had three separate boat tours over two days in Laguna Ojo de Liebre, which consists of two lagoons – an inner and an outer – and are part of the Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- We had no idea how massive the lagoons were or how many whales we would see. We were told that this is the week they do the official count and believe there were a record 2200 in this lagoon alone. The Mexican fishing boats, called pangas, are about half the size of a full grown gray whale, and enable you to be at water level in order to have direct contact with the whales as they swim in these pristine waters.
- And it was on our last trip out to the inner lagoon that I found my favorite whale. I named her Regina del Mar, as she was so regal, graceful, and queen-like. She gave me the most pets and was just such a sweet and gentle soul. I left thinking, “She is the reason I came and she made my adventure truly magical!”
Word Of the Week #553: Observation
March 11, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #553: Observation
Observation – something learned in the course of observing things.
What observations have you made in the last week? Do you like to learn things? Have you ever questioned why you believe what you believe? Has an observation ever changed one of your beliefs?
I watched “Hector and his Search for Happiness” this week and really liked it Hector is a quirky psychiatrist who has become increasingly tired of his humdrum life. He feels guilty dispensing recommendations to his patients that never change their conditions or make them any happier. So he tells his girlfriend, Clara, that he needs to go on a journey to research happiness. It’s pretty funny, thought provoking, and sweet. During his “research” he makes the following 22 observations:
- Making comparisons can spoil your happiness
- Happiness often comes when least expected
- Many people only see happiness in their future
- Many people think happiness comes from having more power or more money
- Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story
- Happiness is a long walk in beautiful, unfamiliar mountains
- It’s a mistake to think that happiness is the goal
- Happiness is being with the people you love; unhappiness is being separated from the people you love
- Happiness is knowing that your family lacks for nothing
- Happiness is doing a job you love
- Happiness is having a home and a garden of your own
- It’s harder to be happy in a country run by bad people
- Happiness is feeling useful to others
- Happiness is to be loved for exactly who you are (People are kinder to a child who smiles)
- Happiness comes when you feel truly alive
- Happiness is knowing how to celebrate
- Happiness is caring about the happiness of those you love
- Happiness is not attaching too much importance to what other people think
- The sun and the sea make everybody happy
- Happiness is a certain way of seeing things
- Rivalry poisons happiness
- Women care more than men about making others happy
- Happiness means making sure that those around you are happy
This week’s focus is on making an observation. How many of Hector’s observations rung true with you? Are there any that you had never given much thought to before? When was the last time you just sat quietly and observed the world around you?
This week’s picture incorporates a number of Hector’s observations that we had on our Baja Wilderness and Whale Adventure trip last month.
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FUN-travel: Baja Wilderness & Whale Adventure – Las Animas – Day 3
March 10, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Baja Wilderness & Whale Adventure – Las Animas – Day 3
Cruising and Clam Digging
Sea Lions & Seagulls Sunning
- Once again we were awakened by another magnificent sunrise. This morning’s breakfast was scrambled eggs, refried beans, and cheese quesadillas. We made sure we were sufficiently sated for our morning adventure on the sea. The good news was the winds were gone and the water was like glass. We were given the option of either taking the boat that was in search of more good fishing or the scenic cruise just simply enjoying the wildlife. I opted to try my luck at fishing and Chris chose the latter in hopes of getting some great photos.
Finback Whale
- At 9:00 we motored off and cruised out of our small cove headed to our first destination; a small island covered with sea lions and seagulls sunning on the rocky shoreline. Then within minutes of heading deeper into the Sea of Cortez we spotted a pair of huge finback whales.
- In our quest for finding another “feeding frenzy” we came upon a school of over 30 dolphins. As we approached, it became apparent that they were ready to play and frolicked in the wake of our boat, putting on quite a show.
- We dropped our lures in several spots but to no avail. The yellowtail just weren’t biting today. So as we headed back we detoured around several of the small islands that jut out of the sea and saw more blue footed boobies, cormorants, egrets, herons, sea gulls and pelicans resting and nesting on the steep, jagged slopes.
- Lunch was more great food with carrot soup as our starter followed by chicken tostados. Then it was a short siesta before our afternoon boat excursion to the opposite side of the cove to see the mangroves and to go digging for oysters and cockle clams.
- Today’s happy hour treat came from the fruits of our labor again; this time, two trays of clams and oysters, with fresh chips, guacamole, and salsa. That was followed by a spectacular sunset before we feasted on more marinated, grilled yellowtail with rice and a salad. Then we warmed ourselves around a beach bonfire before calling it a night.
Clam Digging
FUN-Finback Whale Facts – Second in size only to the blue whale, the finback reaches about 70 feet (21 m) in length and weighs up to 70 tons (64 metric tons). It shares with the blue whale the distinction of having the deepest voice on earth.
Spectacular Sunset