Santa Fe
Santa Fe
We went back out at 3 to go to Sante Fe Island which is another desert type island. This was our first wet landing and it gave me a chance to try out my brand new Teva river sandals. The sandals happen to be almost the same shade of blue as the webbed feet of the blue-footed booby. They worked very well both for the wet landing and for walking along some challenging terrain. On this island we saw numerous sea lions of all sizes from newborns to juveniles to adult. The alpha males are territorial and will bark if you get too close to their territory. In addition to the many sea lions we saw land iguanas who are also territorial if they have found or harvested a tasty cactus leaf, several kinds of birds, more cacti, and lava rocks. On the return small boat ride to Tiptop III we saw sea turtles swimming in the water.
Each time we left the boat we had to hose off our shoes or sandals and leave them in open containers on the deck until they were dry. This was done to prevent transfer of material and organisms from one island to another.
We showered and that is a tricky business in a boat that sways with each swell of the ocean. At 6:30 we had the nightly briefing to review what we had seen that day and what we would do the next day. Dinner was at 7.
The meals on board were good and were served buffet style for the entrees. The lunch soups were brought to the table as were the desserts. Purified water, coffee and tea were available in the dining area 24 hours a day. There was a cash bar open before and during meals and in the evening. There was always a hot
hors d’oeurve ready for us when we returned from our afternoon excursions. The group tended to gather for a drink from the cash bar prior to the daily de-briefing that was followed by dinner.
Tonight we got to see stars from the top deck. We saw the Milky Way and countless other stars and constellations while stretched out on deck chairs. I haven’t seen this many stars in the sky since I left the farm almost 50 years ago. Our guide pointed out numerous constellations. It was breezy and the hooded sweatshirt felt good. As clouds began to form on the horizon the boat got underway and getting from the nice deckchair to the stairway to go back down to the lower deck was a bit rough. We went to bed about 9:30 since the boat motion made reading or even sitting upright too difficult to fight.
Helen’s Journal
Tuesday, October 24, 2006