Bartholome Island

Beautiful morning, clear skies with the horizon cloudy, but distant. Bartholome Island, a stark landscape, yet with an attraction that is hard to quantify. Perfect place for describing volcanic formations since they are right there, exposed for all to see…tuff cones, cinder cones, spatter cones. The hidden living treasures show up after a while of quiet searching; lava lizards who leave their faint tracks in the volcanic ash. The coastline harbors other life forms. Penguins courting, a female east pacific marine turtle allowing the waves to push her further up the beach (to escape the amorous attentions of males?). That time of year is fast approaching, here in Galapagos. We are fortunate to have been given front-row seats in the on-going show of survival.