Galapagos Journal - Day 7: Santiago

Puerto Egas - We traveled overnight to Santiago and set our anchor down in James Bay. At last we were at a location that Darwin had been!

Our early morning landing on the beach for a walk was welcomed by a heavily laden poison apple tree, its yellow fruit littering the sand. Though this sounds ominous it was an amazing sight. Soon we were walking in the footsteps of Darwin on a hard sand trail along the ocean carved lava coastline. Here the attraction was grottos, all manner of holes with views into underwater life, and the fur seals that found shelter and food here.

A few seals were lounging on the lava rock, comfortable on the hard and rough ledges with their thick fur coats. They are smaller than sea lions. Fur seals have larger back flippers proportionate to their bodies and more visible ears and are especially cute in appearance. They didn't have to do much to amuse us, merely lift a flipper to scratch an ear. We lingered there and with the smatterings of shorebirds and iguanas that dotted the coastline on our return to the beach.

After our typical breakfast on ship, we snorkled in the bay, 9 women drifting around a rocky point in very deep water, drinking in new visuals and remarkable encounters yet again. Alex snorkled with us, and dove at times which nudged wildlife into view. I saw an enormous sea turtle in this fashion - the closest encounter yet. Thanks Alex!

The lava formations included towers and I found it mesmerizing to float at the top of them. They were full of life and reminded me of an apartment building, though so much better. I stayed in place over one for ten minutes at least, watching colorful fish swimming in and out of crevices. Black sea urchins with dangerously long spines piled together in some of the spaces. The lighting was phenomenal and the parrotfish visiting these rock shelves were exquisite to behold at such close range.

Floating in the deep sections of clear water, we were all stunned by the layers of fish below us. Schools of various types of fish were positioned and moving at different depths. Even at the surface of the water, if one remembered to look there, countless little needle-nosed fish abounded. A few sharks passed by below, at comfortably lower depths.

Approaching the beach, still traveling along the rocky underwater cliff, we ran into other snorklers and especially playful sea lions. Here Meb had a deeply touching interaction with a sea lion who mimicked her movements, lifting its head simultaneously with hers out of the water to breathe, as she wasn't wearing a snorkle, just a mask. I had similar beginnings of a connection with another one of these exuberant yearlings, only to discover by sound that I was the last one left in the water. It was hard to leave and adhere to the requirements of our schedule.

Biking Into the New Year - the initiation of another winter bike commuter

It all started on Christmas eve. I was taking a little stroll near home and a bicyclist passed me by, wearing the same flourescent jacket I have for riding in inclement weather. The sun was shining, the roads were dry, the wind was minimal, and I was totally inspired by this intrepid nameless rider in the cold.

The next day, I took my first ever Christmas bike ride, bundled up in the same jacket. I spun around Northfield on a 7 mile loop amidst fields of snow and loved it. I've been so inspired watching those serious bike commuters through the winter months. Truly, I'd rather bike than drive. I had just broken through my own belief that I couldn't ride in winter. Really, it is just a matter of wearing the right attire and cleaning your bike afterwards. Because you are pedaling, your body stays warm! At least this was the case at 28 degrees. Not sure how much colder I'd want to go. The only thing missing was a pair of goggles - that would have made a huge difference on downhills.

I decided I'd continue to break through old beliefs and try to ride at least once each month before spring. During a little warm spell over the weekend I got best window on January, being most inclined toward fair weather riding. I actually commuted on my bike (bonus points!) and rode to Greenfield. It was overcast, above freezing, windless, with a storm forecast later in the afternoon. How satisfying it was to ride all the way, along empty back roads, following the new Franklin County Bikeway signs, 17 miles to Greenfield, so I could help out at the co-op. Afterwards, Meb and I went to the Y for a sauna, strapped the bike on the car in the rainy start of an all-night snowstorm and drove home.

Galapagos Journal - Day 6: Fernandina

Punta Espinosa - We landed in the mangroves, alongside a concrete dock of a few long steps. Immediately the sight and smell marine iguanas confounded the senses. They are a remarkable sight, alone or in piles, perfectly the gray asphalt color of the lava rock, with mottled skin where it is flaking off and a white crown of salt serving as camouflage amidst the bird droppings. Occasionally one will sneeze out salt water and take a little stroll or swim, but mostly they were piled together soaking up warmth from the sun.

The wildlife highlights here stretched to infinity. In the distance, blue-footed boobies were diving straight into the water in small group formations. Two pairs of flightless cormorants were nesting near each other on the rock at our feet, their sea green eyes set like gems in an articulated array of gray feathers. A small sea turtle from Palau napped on the rough gravel sand of narrow beach. A dozen young sea lions were body surfing in a small cove, their golden brown bodies streaking through the sun lit waves until they arrived right at the jagged shoreline, then turned back towards the sea to repeat this performance again and again. Shorebirds of various species including ruddy turnstones and wandering tattlers posed on scattered outcroppings. Two bull sea lions got into an argument on the beach over a sensuous female posing for photographers, disrupting the photo shoot. Iguanas were draped everywhere and it took mindful footfalls to avoid stepping on them. We stood amidst this pristine beauty in the glow of the afternoon sunlight and lingered as long as we could soaking up Eden.

Galapagos Journal - Day 6: Isabella

Urbina Bay - For our early morning walk today Alex took us to Urbina Bay, a place that did not exist until 1954, when a section of sea floor rapidly uplifted on the edge of the island. A mangrove forest was killed, you can see the remains of the larger tree trunks. The beach is made of a composite of volcanic sand and broken down shells. This former sea floor stretches back a quarter mile or so on the level and we followed the trail laced with iguana tracks all the way back to the original beach where larger rounded stones and pebbles delineated a clear change of terrain.

The area is a shrubby tangle now that most goats have been eradicated. Cats and dogs are also a problem on this island, preying upon young land iguanas. Because of the soft soil, iguanas have established themselves at this lower elevation. We saw many burrows along the trail, where they sleep at night. We also found solitary iguanas here and there, maybe six or seven in total, including one big male sprawled in the path.

They are distinctly ochre on this island. I found a piece of iguana skin and with closer examination could see it was the whole top of a foot. Nothing can be taken from the islands here, so I carefully put it back. Skulls too, and bones abound: goat, cat, sea lion, tortoise. We saw two basketball-sized tortoises along our walk - Alex said they are about twenty years old.

Yesterday as we sailed past Vulcan Alcedo, I could make out narrow paths high up - tortoise trails! The shape of the tortoise shell on this island is particularly appealing to me. While still young, the plates of the shell show articulated rings that mark approximate age.

We also heard the Dark-billed Cuckoo, whose voice brings the rains. Yellow warblers and small tree finches and one Galapagos dove were present.....the temperature was milder, making our walk easier today.

After breakfast, snorkling in the bay was well worth it. Our group of morning snorklers has dwindled to eight women. We saw a wildy diverse array of marine life as usual. My thrills were swimming with millions of small silvery salema fish, following a ray, and catching a glimpse of a small octopus hauling itself along the sea floor and stuffing itself into a hole in a rock. The sea floor is covered with roundish chunks of lava, often broken or with holes that life clings to and moves into. We all found different things there. Lynn saw a lobster. Meb saw a moray eel. Judith saw a flightless cormorant swimming under water. Everyone noticed the sea urchins with rocks collected and stick them on their spines making a wildly bizarre garden.

Galapagos Journal - Day 5: Isabella

Punta Moreno - This morning we went for a walk on the black lava, 500 years old. Red mangroves line the edge at the sea, believed to be first plant to take hold on the rough landscape. We are surrounded by seven volcanoes here, including one on Fernandina which is visible. There is a lava cactus and a type of grass (or possibly a sedge) and Darwin's Daisy also found in a few spots.

A vast flat land of barren lava spans the distance to Volcano Cerro Azul and Sierra Negra. It is a wild field of broken and ropey lava, some of which clinks where loose and stepped upon. We visited several lagoons, filled by the sea at high tide, where even a few sharks, snappers, and other fish can be found isolated from the ocean temporarily. Another type of fish known as mullet lives more permanently in these oasis ponds surround by mangroves in the hot and dark lava expanse. They are transported as eggs via bird droppings, at least originally, a form of distribution I had not imagined. We also found a few white-cheeked pintail ducks and some gallinules. Meb with her quick eyes spotted two pie-billed grebes, a more unusual find according to Alex, though we know them well in coastal New England. Four gloriously colored flamingos were the treasure at the heart of the walk, preening and backlit in the early morning sun. And finally, a really huge marine iguana - the size I have expected them to be - was basking in the sun.

The Cromwell ocean current approaching from the west upwells here from submarine levels, making for a rich feeding ground for marine life. The water is murky with nutrients. After breakfast we snorkled with sea turtles! If you float they do not startle and if you paddle gently you can even swim with them for a bit. It is the Pacific Green Sea Turtle we see here in great numbers. Some are quite huge and Meb even saw a couple of fast moving small ones. I only found the big ones and their movements are slow, deliberate, graceful. In two instances I observed one turtle reaching downward to eat algae off the rocks. The water here is colder than our previous snorkling locations, but not as frigid as Alex had predicted. I was able to stay in the whole time, and towards the end, a few of us spotted three or four penguins in the water. I was able to spot them above water first, then get a quick but clear view of them speeding by underwater. I feel quite fortunate about this. Swimming with sea turtles and penguins and tropical fish has to be one of the most unique experiences I'll ever have.

Galapagos Journal - Day 4: Floreana

This day started well before dawn. I couldn't sleep and stole up to the deck. The ship was lit up in its own lights, anchored in Punta Cormoran. Circumnavigating our ship, I almost stumbled over the bird I've most wanted to see here, resting on the deck, face against the white wall. The red-billed tropicbird - with its long tail stretching across the walkway. I dropped here, maybe 8 feet away to sit with this visitor...resting or injured I wasn't sure.

About ten minutes later, Lynn emerged onto the deck, noticed the tropicbird, then leaned over the railing in delight. I stood up and looked out. Sea lions! Rolling and poofing alongside the Mary Anne. We enjoyed viewing them for awhile in the illuminated water, then I saw the hundreds of small silver fish scatter before the sea lions and realized all this activity was stimulated by the lights shining into the dark ocean. Perhaps this had drawn in the tropicbird as well.

Alex appeared in the doorway and we showed him our avian guest. He disappeared and reappeared quickly with a towel and scooped up the bird, setting off a volley of protesting shrieks. He felt it for injuries, then walked to the bow of the boat and let it fly. Unexpectedly a door opened nearby and a crew member emerged from the front hold with a small white bird in his hands. Alex identified this as a red-necked phalarope. After a quick examination, this tiny bird with a very sharp black beak was soon too flying off towards shore. So it was that my first two birds of the day were birds in the hand.

I might have had an omen in these two disoriented visitors, for much of the day for me was out of sorts. Though we had a lovely walk on Floreana to a turtle nesting beach and witnessed a female returning to the sea after laying her eggs -and also experienced incredible tropical fish and sharks while snorkeling at Devil's Crown - I spent the rest of the day with a walloping headache.

Snorkeling in our own human school, floating over thousands of one type of fish with another dozen species of fish in view - this was the most amazing snorkeling experience yet. White-tipped sharks - mostly 3-4 feet long - appeared here and there, looking sinister despite their small size. A sea lion graced my vision in one twist of its body ahead of me. For awhile I floated with an enormous puffer fish, then a swaying school of colorful king angelfish as they traveled together locating good feeding spots, clustering at one rock, then filtering off to another.

Later, when we were traveling westward to Isabella, we spent a good 20 minutes or so in the company of hundreds of common dolphins. They kept their distance, leaping and splashing steadily...

...and later yet, after dinner, in the dark of night, when my headache was on the wane, once again the lights of the ship attracted feeding visitors. A clicking call off deck as we traveled onward inspired one of our passengers to investigate. White birds flying alongside the Mary Anne turned out to be swallow-tailed gulls! We actually got to witness the world's only nocturnal gull night feeding!

Galapagos Journal - Day 3: Espanola

After breakfast we took a panga ride to a beautiful white sand beach and walked among sea lions of all ages. I am amazed at how easy it is to accept the closeness of wild animals. They are acclimated to humans after years of national park regulations. Still it is an emotional experience to step onto the sand and have them not respond, not be nervous, not perceive us as a threat. They are completely relaxed. A few roll and grunt, event sit up and look around, strike a pose, then flop over again.

They must be exhausted after some period of play or hunting. Alex says the mothers leave the pups on the beach with the rest of the colony while they swim off to feed for a few hours, sometimes even a few days. The pup and mother find each other by voice, calling back and forth. We saw one pup traveling the length of our beach walk, searching for its mother, then later, a mother and pup swimming side by side.

Swimming in this water was divine, a perfect temperature and high salinity, totally clear, reflecting turquoise. Few sea lions were swimming, in fact, we had seen none in the water, when I looked out from the beach and saw one streaking toward me underwater. It lifted its head out 2 or 3 times as it swam in a direct course toward me. As I stood there in the water I really began to wonder if it was going to crash right into me. Just before it reached my legs, I moved and it veered by me, heading to shore. Wow!

We four human friends frolicked in the water for some time offshore from a long sleeping pile of sea lions and eventually a few of the older pups began to slide into the ocean, presumably to cool off. It was only 7am but already hot. Lynn was floating in the small breaking waves and a curious yearling spent a few minutes in her presence, rolling near her. We are allowed to approach wildlife to about six feet, but not to touch anything. I was beginning to wonder now, what if the wildlife touched us?