We drove across the high plain of the central Baja down to the bay of Angels. Leaving El Rosario, we made sure we are full of fuel because there are no petrol stations for 200 miles. The tarmac road is narrow and really scary when a big rig with the driver on bonus and wakey wakey pills barrels past. The old gravel track which was the only way south till recently runs alongside the new road for long stretches and is a magnet for off road racers.
The climate and growing conditions favour a really bizarre cactus, called cirios or boojum trees. It was described to us as a giant upside down carrot. When I saw the first one I thought “Yup, carrot!”
However these warm dry conditions were replaced by a wet, cold, windy and foggy day as we climbed to the abandoned camp site we planned to stop at. We drove through the Catavinia region next day. A giant jumble of boulders with the an amazing variety and concentration of cactus before hitting a dryer desert as we rolled down to the Bahia De Los Angeles. Our first glimpse of The Sea of Cortez was a pristine vision of clean islands and blue sky, then the reality of Mexico returned, abandoned enterprises, shacky dwellings and everywhere litter and rust.
We enjoyed most of what was there but the turtle rescue operation left me with mixed feelings I am sure this guy just wanted out.
Carol’s bit
Went whale watching in the Scammon’s lagoon near Guerrero Negro. We were out for about an hour and could see them from a distance, spouting and breaching the water. Looked like we were stuck with long distance filming. Then from nowhere appeared mother and baby Californian grey whales. They stayed for about an hour whilst we stroked them and took pictures.
Every now and them they would spray us for fun or roll on their backs to be stroked. Whales carry parasites, which could be seen clearly. They are like little mouths that kept opening and closing to breathe, quite sci-fi and very unpleasant.
The whales will rub them off on any available surface, which happened to be the bottom of the boat we were in. Quite unnerving, if she had misjudged the pressure.
They were completely non aggressive, and very calming. It would be easy to slide over the side of the boat and swim with them, without feeling threatened.
When it was time for us to go, they seemed to know and backed off from the boat, they gave us a final bow and drifted away.
When we got back to shore the tide was out, so the boat couldn’t tie up at the jetty.
So it was shoes off, trouser legs rolled up and over the side to walk back to shore in the sea. Wasn’t very deep and the water is very salty as the lagoon is situated in salt flats, so it was a very healthy wade back to shore.
It was a privilege for these beings to allow us to make friends with them, they are under no threat from humans here and hopefully never will be.
CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO CLIP.
John's bit
"Life history: Unlike other large whales, gray whales concentrate in shallow protected lagoons to have their young. The most famous of these is Scammon's Lagoon, named after the whaling captain who first discovered the calving areas. Breeding occurs mainly in late November and early December on the southward migration. A single calf is born in late December to early February of the following year, after a gestation period of about 13 months. Most females bear calves once every two years. Newborn calves are about 16 feet (4.9 m) long and weigh about 1,500 pounds (680 kg).
Gray whale calves grow very rapidly on their mother's milk (which is over 50 percent fat) and are about 28 feet (8.6 m) long by August when they are weaned. Growth slows as the whales reach sexual maturity at about age 8 but continues until the age of 40. Adult whales are about 36 to 50 feet (10-15 m) long and may weigh 16 to 45 tons (15-41 metric tons); females are larger than males at any given age. Although some may live as long as 70 years, 40 or 50 years is the usual lifespan." Author Kathy Frost
Our female looked to be one of the larger ones there and was a lot longer than our speedboat.
Charro’s bit.
Now where can I bury this lot?
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