Isla San Jose, Punta Colorada
Words hang limp like wet laundry on a clothesline, lifeless and dull as we attempt to choose the adjectives, adverbs or superlatives to describe our incredible voyage these past two weeks in the Sea of Cortez. Oh-my-gosh gorgeous would be a lame attempt to convey the hues of peach parfait that washed across the clouds and reflected in the standing pools of water on Isla San Jose at sunrise this morning.
On our walk we came across a small lizard working on its morning meal as it thrashed a centipede into submission. An inquisitive chuckwalla peered down with a wary eye from its perch high above us. Precious jewels of brilliantly colored flowers lay nestled in the shade of palo blanco; the deep royal purple of Ruellia, brilliant red sprays of Baja fairy duster, and the orchid-like blossoms of Carlowrightia.
Back aboard ship and underway, we joined a placid group of bottlenose dolphins that let us lounge around with the pod, milling about the ship with no apparent intention other than to people watch on occasion. A group in the near distance was splashing about, porpoising towards a destination with a bit more intent. Dolphins seem to have been cheated in the verb department. Why do they have to porpoise? Why are we not saying that the dolphins splashed away, merrily dolphining?
The finale that left us in a futile search for adequate words was the blue whale. A superlative creature in and of itself, this behemoth was apparently feeding, staying fairly close to the surface with a dive time of close to 4 minutes. The most incredulous parts were the flukes. With each and every dive we experienced the thrill of seeing the massive flukes gracefully lifted skyward and slip dripping into the sea.
Have you ever seen a blue whale? Have you ever watched killer whales swim under your bow? Have you ever watched a Bryde’s whale feed alongside your ship? Have you ever looked eye to eye with a Gray whale? Have you ever experienced the silence of the desert? Have you ever had your expectations met, and then delightfully exceeded? Have you ever been to Baja? If not, you’re overdue.
