Isla San Jose/Isla Catalina
We awoke at the spectacular, fossil filled cliffs of Punta Colorado on Isla San Jose, where eroded layers of gray and blush sandstone form gorgeous natural sculptures along the water’s edge. We all headed to shore for pre-breakfast natural history walks and to create photographic images in the morning light. The morning’s gray clouds graciously retreated to reveal patches of bright blue, contrasting beautifully with the rusty red rock walls of the arroyo. Along the way, we enjoyed great views of giant tarantula-hawk wasps grazing in milkweed blooms, a chuckwalla sunning itself between eroded layers of the tuffaceous rock, and fast-moving whiptail lizards with long turquoise tails. Even the speckled rattlesnake was seen by a few, although its coloring was so similar to the granitic rock it was almost impossible to see without Adrian’s assistance. Whale and sea turtle fossils were found along the shoreline as well as vividly colored Sally lightfoot crabs.
We returned to the Sea Bird and set sail north for Isla Catalina with the hope of finding marine mammals on the way. It wasn’t long before our diligent “eyes” on the bow and bridge decks found dolphins ahead of the ship. Bottlenose dolphins, battleship gray, were breathtaking to see as they bow-rode the ship. After a minor “dolphin delay,” Richard began his talk, “The Photographic Narrative,” which was interrupted when a group of long-beaked common dolphins were found. After seeing great leaps from these magnificent animals, Richard returned to finish his talk. We learned about putting together a compelling story with images, and I couldn’t help but think of the many images of “details” logged in my memory that would form the narrative of this day.
As we continued to sail on the lovely calm seas towards Isla Catalina, those on deck were rewarded with some terrific though somewhat fleeting sights including mobula rays, a Ridley sea turtle, and hammerhead sharks.
After Stewart’s geology talk, we went ashore to explore this oceanic island. Immense cardon and endemic giant barrel cactus lined the arroyo. Long hikers followed Alberto up to an overlook of the east side of the island. Medium hikers were lucky to see the endemic rattleless rattlesnake. There was no shortage of subjects for photographers, and our late “last boat” allowed us the luxury of photographing the superbly scenic sunset.
All-in-all, what a great day to explore today’s assignment, “Finding Foreground.”
We awoke at the spectacular, fossil filled cliffs of Punta Colorado on Isla San Jose, where eroded layers of gray and blush sandstone form gorgeous natural sculptures along the water’s edge. We all headed to shore for pre-breakfast natural history walks and to create photographic images in the morning light. The morning’s gray clouds graciously retreated to reveal patches of bright blue, contrasting beautifully with the rusty red rock walls of the arroyo. Along the way, we enjoyed great views of giant tarantula-hawk wasps grazing in milkweed blooms, a chuckwalla sunning itself between eroded layers of the tuffaceous rock, and fast-moving whiptail lizards with long turquoise tails. Even the speckled rattlesnake was seen by a few, although its coloring was so similar to the granitic rock it was almost impossible to see without Adrian’s assistance. Whale and sea turtle fossils were found along the shoreline as well as vividly colored Sally lightfoot crabs.
We returned to the Sea Bird and set sail north for Isla Catalina with the hope of finding marine mammals on the way. It wasn’t long before our diligent “eyes” on the bow and bridge decks found dolphins ahead of the ship. Bottlenose dolphins, battleship gray, were breathtaking to see as they bow-rode the ship. After a minor “dolphin delay,” Richard began his talk, “The Photographic Narrative,” which was interrupted when a group of long-beaked common dolphins were found. After seeing great leaps from these magnificent animals, Richard returned to finish his talk. We learned about putting together a compelling story with images, and I couldn’t help but think of the many images of “details” logged in my memory that would form the narrative of this day.
As we continued to sail on the lovely calm seas towards Isla Catalina, those on deck were rewarded with some terrific though somewhat fleeting sights including mobula rays, a Ridley sea turtle, and hammerhead sharks.
After Stewart’s geology talk, we went ashore to explore this oceanic island. Immense cardon and endemic giant barrel cactus lined the arroyo. Long hikers followed Alberto up to an overlook of the east side of the island. Medium hikers were lucky to see the endemic rattleless rattlesnake. There was no shortage of subjects for photographers, and our late “last boat” allowed us the luxury of photographing the superbly scenic sunset.
All-in-all, what a great day to explore today’s assignment, “Finding Foreground.”
