This was our last morning at the lovely Rancho Las Cruces, southeast of La Paz. We have had several wonderful days of making images, photography instruction, and enjoying superlative meals. But now, it was time to board the National Geographic Sea Bird in La Paz and to apply our newly acquired photographic knowledge to new landscapes and wildlife.
Windy conditions precluded the possibility of searching for whale sharks in La Paz Bay. However, after the mandatory abandon ship drill and meeting Captain Kay and a few of the officers, we set sail for the south end of Isla Espiritu Santo. Along the way, we scanned the seas for marine creatures, but not too many of our fellow guests felt like venturing out.
We reached the south end of Isla Espiritu Santo and went ashore for natural history walks. Later, a gorgeous moon rose from the eastern sea. As we watched, a humpback began to breach. Then, we were joined by bottlenose dolphins, who swam in to catch a free ride on our bow wave. A mellow yellow sun dropped below the Baja Peninsula and darkness wrapped us like a soft flannel blanket.
Before dinner, we had our first Recap, a Lindblad tradition. I gave a very quick overview of the region's geology and Carlos gave us tips about photographing dolphins and whales. During dinner, we arrived back in La Paz; and afterwards, the photographic team led a night photography city walk with a mandatory stop at the locally famous ice cream shop.
