Gray Whales in Baja Mexico

 

Whale Spy-Hopping

My wife and I have always been fascinated with whales, starting with our first trip to Hawaii, and then living close to Monterrey Bay once we moved to California. We spent many pleasant mornings or afternoons on whale watching tours from Moss Landing, Santa Cruz or Monterrey harbor, year round, since Humpbacks, Gray and even Blue whales pass thru or stay to feed in the bay.

We had always been interested in visiting the breeding lagoons for the Gray Whales in Baja - the videos of the whales interacting with people (except for kissing the whales) were amazing. There are a number of touring companies which offer trips to Baja, which included National Geographic/Lindblad so the choice ws simple for me - stick with NG. 

This trip started on the East side (Sea of Cortez) of Baja, in the city of Loreto. From there, we were bussed over to the Pacific side to San Carlos in Magdalene Bay where we boarded the ship. Once again, as a single, I was in steerage, at the waterline. Not so bad - great cabin, with easy access to the mud room at the stern, where you board the zodiacs. Nice view from my port holes too.

The first two days were spent chasing whales, cruising around the bay in local fishing boats (pangas), and a visit to a local fishing village. The whale chasing was fun and interesting, but the whales were just not as friendly as I was hoping for. No photos of whales leaning into the boats, and I never got to use my new GoPro to capture underwater shots. Darn. But I did get some pop-up head shots, and it was fun riding along in the bay with the local fishermen. Maybe next time.

Local fishing boat (Panga)

For the remainder of the trip. we followed the coast line around back to the Sea of Cortez, stopping to chase Humpback whales or anything else of interest - that's the cool thing with National Geographic. The schedule is always flexible depending on the weather and wildlife. 

One big mistake I made prior to this trip, was my selection of camera gear. I was focused more on underwater photography for the Gray whales and snorkeling. I had been planning on purchasing a new, longer zoom lens later in the summer, but did not think I would need it on this trip. A big mistake. As we continued south along the Baja coast, we saw quite a few active Humpback whales, some with calves, breaching. There were quite a few passengers with 400, 500 and 600MM long lenses, who captured some excellent photos. All I had was a 300MM - not long enough. And as always with whale photography, you never know when something exciting will happen. I was on the wrong side of the ship when a really large whale breached right along side the ship. There were passengers on their balconies, that suddenly had a whale a few feet away..airborne. Amazing. At least I got to see it. 

And at least I did not have whatever they had for lunch.

Our next stop once we turned the “corner”, and headed into the Sea of Cortez, was a small village which had switched from fishing to eco-tourism - this was a real success story for rebuilding the fish populations in the area. There is also a large sea lion colony there, which has become a major tourist attraction, where you can swim alongside the colony and interact with the sea lions. They are used to people, and seem to enjoy showing off. I was all set for capturing a close up, which I had missed in the Galápagos Islands. We loaded up the Zodiac boats and pulled up to the colony - amazing number of barking sea lions, many of them swimming around the boats. Sort of like pulling up to a colony of Golden Retrievers. I got myself organized, held onto my camera setup, and stepped off the boat..right on top of a sea lion. We were both surprised. We stared at each other for a minute, and before I could get the camera up, it swam away. Yet another lost opportunity. So once again, no close ups. Crap. 

The rest of the trip included some hiking - nothing spectacular - we spent some time with the National Geographic photographer finding things to shoot along a beach hike, and did a nice strenuous hike up a gully for a view across to the Pacific. Along the way, a group of locals were working their way down the trail, with big sacks of mollusks across their shoulders. We walked over to their village afterwards (a nice open air bar), and found out that they do this to get the bait for their lobster and crab traps. Unbelievable amount of work! The trail on the other side is extremely steep. 

The last stop of interest was a visit to the coastal city of La Paz, where they were having the annual festival. The tour scheduled a special event for us, at the local historic theatre - an amazing dance/music troupe that did a series of dances, wearing traditional dress. At the end, we were paired off with the dancers and led off through the crowds to a restaurant..kinda cool (and very embarrassing). At any rate, it was a fun evening.

We eventually disembarked where we started out, in Loreto, and had to hang around for most of the day at a nice hotel on the waterfront, until we could go to the airport. This is a very small city, with an equally small airport - there are very few flights in and out. Once again, I made it home very late due to very long lags between flights - this time, I had to wander around LAX for about 5 hours. Overall, a fun trip, but disappointing in terms of photography. I did fall in love with Baja - the landscape, mountainous desert hitting the sea, the culture and people were incredible. I already have a return trip scheduled.

 

Bored in January - How about a trip to Yosemite

 

After returning from Ecuador, I was back alone at home, with over two months to kill before my next big trip (Baja with National Geographic). The holidays were difficult for me, since this was the first since my wife had passed, and the memories from out last Thanksgiving and Christmas were hitting hard. I did make a few trips back to the South Bay to be with friends, which helped to some degree. Once New Years was passed, I was depressed and bored, needing something to do. I’m not a skier anymore, and did not feel like driving back to the coast, so I thought hard about where I could go to get away, and do some winter photography. I was planning to try my luck at Mono Lake, but looking at the drive and distance, realized that I could just as easily make it to Yosemite. January was turning into a dry month, and the roads (and valley) to the park were clear of snow. And a miracle occurred - I was able to get a room at the Lodge at Yosemite Falls. That can be difficult any time of the year. So, I loaded up the Forester with winter gear, including chains just in case, and headed off to Yosemite.

I’ve been to this park a couple of times in the spring and summer. My wife and I went in early summer at the peak of the waterfall “season”, and hiked up to the top of Nevada falls - a long but beautiful hike. I had a work trip to the park once, but did not do a heck of a lot other than watch all the younger Googlers get drunk at the hotel. And then there was my assault on the Half Dome cable route….a true adventure. My memories from the past all included large crowds, pretty much everywhere you go.

Winter on the other hand, can be relatively deserted. I managed to hit it at one of those times. It was very cold, but completely snow free in the valley and most of the trails. 

The Lodge at Yosemite Falls is aptly named - it is located a short walk from the base of the lower falls. And when you walk out of your building in the morning, the first thing you see if you look up is an amazing view of the upper falls.

Early in the morning, there is a frost arrowhead around the falls - never seen that before. I spent a few early mornings at the base - it’s not really photogenic there, but it’s an amazing place to just sit and enjoy the beauty and solitude. Only in the winter. In the summer, this spot is a zoo. The early morning I wandered over, I had the place to myself for an hour. The fact that it was only 5F may be why it was deserted. But, it was almost a religious experience to be in such an incredible place, without the usual hordes of tourists cramming around the viewing area to take selfies. A great place for some morning meditation.

Morning at the Lower Falls

The nice thing about staying at this location (aside from a really nice bar and restaurant...and a Starbucks), was the proximity to a number of great spots for photography....within walking distance. I discovered the first day, a great spot for capturing reflections of the Upper Falls in quiet spot along the Merced River, by the Swinging Bridge. It was about a 10 minute (brisk) walk from the hotel. This was another spot where bus loads of tourists stop for selfies - I had it for myself most of the time.

Mirror Image Reflection

So I spent a wonderful couple of days, wandering around the park, taking lots of photographs in the morning and evenings, and hiking a couple of trails as well. 

It's hard to stop taking pictures there. Another great feature of digital cameras. 

I did have one of those moments where I had to remember that I am not 25 years old anymore. I was interested in doing the trail to the top of the upper falls since it was free of ice and snow. The trail head was just a half mile from the lodge, so I decided to give it a try. I think it's just 5 or 6 miles to the top, but most of it is switch-back rock steps. Not a good thing for a bad knee. I trucked along quite a ways, and started thinking about how much this will hurt going back down. When a very young couple came running down the steps, without skipping a beat, I figured this would be a good place to turn around. Good move on my part.

I wish I had booked another day or two, but I was tired enough to head home. I felt recharged again and I was close enough to my next trip to start thinking about working on a packing list. Mission accomplished.

In search of Darwin - National Geographic "Expedition" to the Galapagos Islands

 

My wife and I had a long list of places to visit in our "golden years" - mine was a bit more on the adventurous side, while her interests were more around culture, food and tennis. But we had a lot of overlap, and the Galápagos Islands were one of those. So, as I started to peruse the many tour catalogs I had received, it was an easy pick for me. We had looked at National Geographic before - Jan was not into cutting costs/comforts, and the NG/Lindblad trips had it all. So, I signed up for a fall trip, leaving plenty of time to start gearing up!

National Geographic/Lindblad tours are quite a bit different from traditional cruises - their ships are all relatively small, so there are fewer guests, only one dining area, no shows or casinos, no pools or playgrounds for children - just the basics, but these are all extremely well done. The focus is all on exploring the destination, and providing the tools and guidance you need to get the most out of the experience. The ships are packed with zodiac boats for getting you out to shore for hiking, snorkeling gear, kayaks, paddle boards - pretty much everything you need for the adventure. The staff includes National Geographic photographers, naturalists, and locals who know the culture and history of where you are going. They cover all the bases.

So, off I went to Ecuador (they own the islands) for my first solo trip. I was OK with the travel, since I was used to that from years of consulting, but absolutely petrified about being on a small ship, with 84 perfect strangers. I knew I was going to have to walk up to a table in the dining area and ask "May I join you?" What if they said no? My fears were totally unfounded. Pretty much anyone on a NG trip is there for the same reasons, be it photography, snorkeling, hiking, and for the most part, enjoy making new acquaintences. By the time we boarded the ship on Isla San Cristobal, I had already met 5 or 6 couples, and a few others who were interested in photography. After a day or two on board, I was usually invited to join groups for lunch or dinner rather than having to wander around to find somewhere to sit. 

The problem with touring the Galapagos Islands is that there are at the very least 11 islands worth visiting, spread out over an extremely large chunk of ocean. You have to cross the equator to visit a few of them. And you can spend more than a day on each of these islands - they really are amazing. This particular trip covered the eastern islands, which included two of the inhabited islands. The largest island, with the active volcanos, is included in a different tour. I'll catch that the next time I go there.

I could probably write a few pages about this trip, but that was not my intent for starting this blog, so I'll just cover a few highlites of the trip:

If you are familiar with Charles Darwin, and his Origin of Species, you know about the finches, and the variations of the same species found on different islands. Not much has changed other than the extinction of many of the animals due to human presence. Ecuador manages the islands as a national park, so there are very strict rules on tourism, and who gains entries to  the remote islands. This is not a place to party on the beach. Because of these rules and the lack of more recent human activities (whaling, hunting, etc) the animals have no fear of us, and basically ignore you as your group meanders along trails. It is bizarre. On one hike, we were able to gather around a female sea lion feeding her newly born pup…from a foot or two away. Birds nest on the trails, and completely ignore you as you step over or around the nest. Large iguanas just about sit still as you walk right up to them to snap a photo. At one lagoon, an immature flamingo wandered through our group, on the way to the beach.  I was sitting on a rock at one stop, photographing a pelican, when a big sea lion waddled up to me, stopped a few feet away and checked me out, then waddled away. I’ve never quite seen anything like that before. It is a birder’s paradise - there are so many species of birds, and it is so easy to spot and photograph them. Here are a few shots of some of the beasties we saw:

Yup...they have flamingos

Mother sea lion and newborn pup

Waddling over to say Hi

Taking a snooze

Sea iguanas

Blue Footed Boobie

Brown Pelican

Red Footed Boobie babies

Blue footed baby

The tour also included a stop at the Darwin Center on Isla Santa Cruz - this is one of the locations where they breed the giant tortoises. We also visited a "ranch" where the tortoises are wild, doing there thing. Which is basically lumbering slowly around, eating grass, and then fertilizing on the other end. Rubber boots are a must.

Racing along...

Doing what they do best - eating

We had a few snorkel opportunities on the trip - the water is quite cold there, even with the proximity to the equator, thanks to the Humbolt current passing through from Antarctica. At a couple of locations, we were lucky enough to have visitations by playful juvenile sea lions. They just enjoy showing off. We also saw penguins in the water (and on the shore). 

And finally, here is the ship, sitting in the middle of an enormous volcanic caldera (flooded obviously)

And there were some spectacular sunsets as well

The trip was fantastic, and I survived being on my own for 10 days. I did learn something else about travel from my wife. First or business class is the only way to fly. Worth every penny. It takes the pain out of flying.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Coming Soon

 Here are the next posts I'll be adding:

The first pass on the blog includes posts for all the significant trips I have been on in the years since my wife passed. At some point in time, I may merge in some posts from another blog I maintained for a while. Going forward though, I intend to keep on traveling and going on local hikes, so I should have enough interesting stories to add to the blog.

Future/Planned Adventures:

• Local adventures - Mt. Shasta, Humpbacks revisited - June/July
• Alaska Inner Passages (National Geographic) - September
• Antarctica (National Geographic) - November
• Glamping with the Gray Whales in Baja (Baja Jones) - 2026
• Big bears  - Kodiak Island (WWF) - 2026

First trip - Into Thin Air

 No, I did not try to climb Everest on my first foray into this new life of mine. After coming out of what amounted to shock after my wife passed, I had plenty to do in terms of busy work - there are so many things you have to take care of when your spouse dies, aside from the obvious (funerals). It's exhausting. All of these while you are suffering through waves of smothering grief. OK...too sad. At any rate, later in the summer, I decided it was time to get out of Dodge for a while, and accepted an invitation to stay with our close friends back in Colorado (Denver suburbs). My wife and I lived there for decades - it has always been home for us - we always seemed to return there when work forced us to live elsewhere. 

Through the many years we lived there, I was always drawn towards alpine sports - we were both obsessive skiers, and took the alpine obsession to a higher level - rock climbing, back country skiing, ice climbing, and hiking the Colorado Fourteener's (14K peaks). We lived at over 5000', and I spent countless hours at much higher elevations. Heck, even our golf trips were at ski resorts. Needless to say, we were both well acclimated to life in thin air.

Whatever that actually means from a physiological viewpoint (more red blood cells), that seems to last for quite some time, even when you move to sea level. I found that the altitude was a problem when we moved away for a year or two. 

Now fast forward to September, 2024. I had been living at almost sea level for about four years. I flew into DIA, drove out to my friends house in Aurora, and scheduled a number of hikes for the week, starting with a drive up Mount Evans (Bluesky now). That's a 14,000' peak, a state park, just West of Denver. You can drive up pretty close to the summit, and then hike up a path the last 150' to the top. So, my friend and I motor up to the top, I get out of the car, and walk about 10 steps before gasping for air. I tried making it to the top, and did not get close. This was depressing - we had moved back to Denver during COVID, and we both walked up to the top without any problems - this was 2 weeks after I had heart surgery.

14,254' on Mt. Evans

We gave up on the summit, which did not really care about, and I staggered around for a while photographing the friendly Mountain Goats for a while. That's all I really wanted to do anyway. I also decided that maybe I should spend some time at a lower elevation for a while, before heading up to the high country again. Good idea.

Mountain Goat on Mt. Evans/Bluesky

Colorado a number of great state parks along the foothills, all at more reasonable altitudes (6000' or so), and I focused on these for a few days. Roxborough State Park has stunning vista's, with large formations of red sandstone. Lots of nice, long, relatively easy trails to wander around (as in parents with strollers....I have no pride). I also spent a nice day in Castlewood Canyon, a bit higher up, with trails meandering along cliffs and down into a shaded river canyon. 

Roxborough State Park

Nice, long trail in Roxborough

Castlewood Canyon

Shady trail in Castlewood Canyon

To cap off my altitude stamina training, my next hike was to a park which brought back some not so great memories from my rock climbing days - Eldorado State Park. Gorgeous place - this was my rock climbing hangout when I was into that crazy stuff. It's also where I had to be rescued after a disasterous fall one pleasant summer afternoon....picture Clint Eastwood in the Eiger Sanction.

One of the big walls in Eldorado

Notice climber (red arrow)

So, after a week of training, I was ready to try my luck at over 10K again. Off to Rocky Mountain National Park, and Trail Ridge Road. RMNP is still one of my favorite parks, even if like most other National Parks, you have to buy passes for a specific time period during peak travel months. It has just about everything - peak climbing (Longs Peak…14K), rock climbing, various level of trails for hikers, and the highest continuous road in the lower 48. It also has great wildlife viewing, with a bighorn sheep, deer, elk and moose wandering around in different parts of the park. I have done quite a few peaks climbs in RMNP, and my wife and I used to go there frequently, just for light hiking and wildlife viewing.

So, now that I was (hopefully acclimated to altitude once again, I headed off with my friend to do a few short hikes at 10K. It was a cloudy, drizzly and cold day - but worth it for the views. Nothing major in terms of hikes, but it was nice to be able to make it up some of the short tourist walks at 11,000' without coughing up a lung or two.

View of Longs Peak from Trail Ridge Road

Strange formations up high

This was a comfortable trip for me, given my mental condition. I was staying with close friends, in a place I was intimately familiar with. No surprises here. It was a great trip all around - I discovered that being outdoors, hiking on trails, taking photographs, was a happy place for me - I was able to focus on the tasks at hand, a needed respite from what I’d been going through the past year. I understood now, why many widows/widowers adopted a travel lifestyle, and decided this too was my future.