buzzardnotes

To enlarge a photo, please click on the image

Santa Cruz Island is the second largest of the islands and is a major hub for tourism (with Baltra just to the north). It is one of the only islands where visitors can access the interior and highlands.

I might add here that only 3% of the Galápagos Archipelago is public land (inhabited areas of Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Floreana and Isabela Islands. ) The Galápagos National Park protects the other 97% of the land in the islands (3,091sq. mi). The 234 landmasses of the park are distributed within the Galápagos Marine Preserve, which has a range of 40 nautical miles from the island archipelago. So we were going to see a fair amount (I think) of the 3% public land when we went into the interior and highlands of Santa Cruz. Whatever, it was a great day.

Our day ashore began at Puerto Ayora, a charming port town at the south end of Santa Cruz, where we boarded a bus to go to the Charles Darwin Research Station. Shirley and I had been looking forward to this place, as it’s the first place we would see the famed giant tortoises. The Station is home to tortoises ranging from new hatchlings to about 4 feet long.

Again, it was a photographer’s paradise. Everybody was clicking like mad, even at us.

The greeter

From what I understand, the Station does much research with tortoise DNA to try to get “pure” tortoises back to their home island. Erick told us a story about a particular specie that was dying out and the primary male was not able to do his duty. They put out a worldwide call to zoos asking them to test for a certain DNA strain in a Galapagos tortoise. The San Diego Zoo in California responded positively and shipped a male to the Darwin Station. He was named Diego and he immediately responded. Diego is now SUPER Diego because he’s fathered hundreds of hatchlings.

I felt really lucky as Super Diego was right up in front by the gate when I took his picture. Don’t you think he looks like a happy dude?

I’m tired.

You win by a nose!

A male Galápagos mockingbird

A male land iguana. We would see more of them in the wild the next day.

Cacti showing the adaptation of no lower leaves with sharp needles in areas where there are land iguanas.

A modern day Charles Darwin with a little girl checking out the situation.

Shirley and I walked from the Station back to downtown Puerto Ayora where we were free to do visit some of the many shops selling some cool souvenirs. We had been told that they would take credit cards but we soon found that most didn’t. That was disappointing.

Here is another aside. The currency of the Galápagos and Ecuador is the U.S. dollar. That is due to a depression that pretty much destroyed their economy. They asked the U.S. for help and somehow our currency became their currency. I don’t pretend to understand all of this but it worked for us on this trip.

Due to some miscommunication about tips and whatnot, Shirley and I needed to visit an ATM in hopes our cards would work. The first ATM we visited was scary because it said for $600, one would be charged $300. I hemmed and hawed about this and finally decided to go for it, in hope we misread the cues. The ATM didn’t have a decimal point and the charge was $3. In the end, it all worked out; we breathed a sigh of relief and got what we needed to tide us over. On with the shopping!

We boarded our bus once again for a trip in the highlands to Rancho Ortiz for lunch. It was a pretty trip as we passed many farms, pastures and a couple of small towns. The trip reminded me of going into the highlands of Maui. Trees, farms, and pastures and the air felt the same. The main difference was that on occasion, we could see a giant tortoise wandering around a pasture. Amazing!

We arrived at the Rancho Ortiz and found that Erick’s family lives there. They have a ranch and have fashioned a restaurant/bar area where they host luncheons and dinners. It was really fun and the food was tasty.

The view from the restaurant. There are 4 tortoises in this photo. Can you find them? Floreana is the island on the horizon.

We met Joaquin, Erick’s son, who loves trucks, cars and buses. He checked out our bus.

After lunch, we wandered the ranch a bit and here is what we saw.

I had to take a picture of these unique bar stools

Kinda pastoral, eh?

Rich was just sitting on the ground and this young tortoise walked within a couple of feet of him.

Shirley and her new friend.

One reason we’re not fooling around in these pictures is that we were warned many times not to get too close to the animals or make sudden motions. So we tried to abide by that and then forgot we could make silent expressions or gestures. Oh well.

Too soon, lunch time and our little tour was over and it was time to head on to El Chato Tortoise Reserve. It allows visitors to observe giant tortoises in the wild during the dry season and also learn even more about the animals.

What a great way to learn more about the giant tortoises!

Pato is demonstrating how the tortoise shell looks inside and some of us got to try on a shell.

Shirley

Cora

Julia, our tour leader

We walked around the Reserve and saw many tortoises doing what they do every day…walking, sleeping, eating and soaking in mud.

The mud’s fine!

I need a napkin.

Cora, Nancy, Shirley with a poser.

Tortoise drinking with a follower into the pond

One unexpected attraction at El Chato was the huge lava tunnel that was 80 meters long. It was long and perhaps 15 feet tall at its highest point. It was also very humid in the tunnel. Where the illuminating lights were, little plants were growing. I’ve never seen anything like that in the lava tunnels in Hawaii.

When one drinks a lot of water, certain things have to happen. Of course I had to visit the restroom and was well aware of the custom in the Galápagos to not toss the toilet paper into the toilet bowl. It’s not gross. It’s just the way it is. I was not prepared for the fact that in this particular restroom, the toilet paper was not in the stall. A big roll was hung on the wall by the sinks. Of course, I didn’t discover this fact until I had finished my business. Oops!!!

Too soon we had to leave El Chato and head back to Puerto Ayora. It was so interesting to me to see all those tortoises doing what tortoises do naturally, without any gates or fences.   I forgot to tell you that we did not see any hatchlings because they are kept in a special secure area where they are kept from people trying to steal them or predators like big birds eating the babies.

On our way back to the main road, we encountered this big guy strolling along the dirt road. Of course we had to stop for him until he moved enough to let us pass….a bit different than stopping for wild horses in the road in Virginia City, NV

We had a bit of time to stroll around Puerto Ayora upon before boarding our Zodiacs to return to the Galaven. We discovered that the area around the port is quite active around dusk. We watched teams of men play volleyball while many, many locals watched the competition. A lot of cheering and hooting was going on during the games while kids played on playground toys nearby. Vendors were hawking their wares and it seemed like everyone was having a good time. I enjoyed that short time watching the people.

This was the view of the little port as we wended our way back to the Galaven that was anchored in the bay.

Please click on an image if you wish to enlarge it

Spaniards mined salt from Santiago in the 12800s and by various companies in the 1920s and 1960s. But we went there to see huge pahoeoe and a’a lava flows as well as explore the beach and snorkel. Pahoehoe is basaltic lava that has a smooth, billowy, undulating or ropy surface. These surface features are due to the movement of very fluid lava under a congealing surface crust. A’a is basaltic lava characterized by a rough or rubbly surface composed of broken lava blocks called clinker. We didn’t see much a’a on Santiago, but did get to see some on Rábida. I was interested to find out that pahoehoe and a’a are of Hawaiian origin and are accepted geologic terms.

We landed on the gray pahoehoe band began to walk around checking out various designs in the lava. All of a sudden Erick pointed to a penguin that was on shore and moving toward the water. By the time I got my camera ready, he was in the water. This was my best shot…at least you can see the head. I think I do better with land shots.

A Galapagos penguin

Folks trying to see the penguin

There were so many patterns in the lava and I took many pictures.

This formation is called an oven or hornitos. You might call it a burst bubble

Shirley and I are standing in front of lava with different colored minerals showing.

You would think that nothing would be growing in this vast lava field. But, surprisingly, “pioneer” plants begin a precarious existence here and there.

We spent quite a while on the lava field learning about different types and seeing so many different patterns. Some of our ladies were trying to figure out how to incorporate those patterns into weaving or dying. Too complicated for me. I’ll leave that to the artistic folks.

BOB (Back on Board), we grabbed a snack provided by our faithful bartender/waiter, Fabián. Then several people changed into snorkeling gear and rode off to deep water snorkel alongside the lava field. I didn’t go because I didn’t think I’d see much wildlife due to an overcast sky. It’s usually better when there is a bright sky. Big mistake. They saw sea turtles, penguins and other good stuff. However, Shirley went and became so cold that she was shaking uncontrollably at the end. Luckily, there was hot water in the shower when she got back to the boat to help her warm up.  In contrast to that, it must have been the luck of the draw, but I never got a hot shower while on board.  Oh well, I was no worse for the wear.

Snorklers on their way

I chose to walk along the beach and enjoyed myself there. When our Zodiac neared the shore, a sea lion pup reared his head, just like a dog when his family comes home. The pup slipped into the water and came to meet the boat. When we disembarked and were standing on the shore, he swam back and forth in front of us, as if to say, “Come play with me!”

The greeter. He was so darned cute!

A view of Bartolome Island and The Pinnacle on the left from Sullivan Bay. Bartolome was just across a small strait

This is a Sally Lightfoot crab and the next picture is its tracks.

BOB (Back on Board), our boat drivers put the Zodiacs on board the big ship and we left to go to Rábida Island.

Rábida Island is one of the most colorful and volcanically varied islands in the archipelago. It’s noted for its maroon colored beach, sea lions and pelican nesting sites.

There are no tortoises or land iguanas on Rábida, so the cacti can grow their leaves (nopales) down to the ground. They also have soft needles that almost feel like hair. They don’t poke the skin. Islands with the iguanas and tortoises have cacti adapted to have sharp needles and no leaves close to the ground. An example of how critters and plants have adapted to the island conditions.

Erick and Pato went barefooted except on trails with boulders and sharp rocks. There was no way my tender feet could do that.

Plants appear to grow directly out of the rocks. It’s amazing to me how they can grow in their tiny niche and thrive.

A nursing sea lion pup

We were warned about Galápagos mockingbirds because of their curiosity and desire to get water from visitors’ water bottles. I didn’t hear them sing, but I would imagine they have their special tunes they sing to their mates.

A preening pelican in her nest.

I love the sun!

We were warned about Galápagos mockingbirds because of their curiosity and desire to get water from visitors’ water bottles. I didn’t hear them sing, but I would imagine they have their special tunes they sing to their mates.

Several frigate birds soared alongside the Galaven while we were sailing . A good thing to remember would be to not open your mouth while they were overhead.

We were told there would be whales to see while underway on this stretch of the ocean, but Shirley was the only person to sight one.

My memory is probably faulty on the exact day, but I believe our overnight journey from Rábida to Santa Cruz is when many of us became quite ill with the mal de mer, myself included. The seas were quite rough and the boat was really tossing to and fro. You know I had to be sick to skip a meal. Shirley was a real sailor and didn’t suffer any ill effects. The rest of us were ok the next morning for our terrific journey ashore on Santa Cruz Island. That was a real treat of a day and will be in the the next episode.

Don’t forget to click on a photo to enlarge it.

 Way back in December, Shirley (a long time friend since the beginning of teaching days in 1967) called to see if I would like to go with her to the Galápagos Islands. Museums of Western Colorado would be the sponsor with whom we took a great trip last year, so we knew it would be well done. I hemmed and hawed because transportation for those 8 days would be by boat and I have a proclivity toward mal de mer. It didn’t take me long to figure that I could use the “Sea Bands” (wrist bands with an acupressure button that helps with seasickness) and Dramamine. So we signed up and began the preparation of getting various vaccinations, sending deposits, figuring out what to take and then anticipating the departure date. The excitement began to build and then all of a sudden, the date arrived!

I flew to Grand Junction, CO to meet the group and we took off from there. Our route took us via Dallas/Ft. Worth and then to Quito, Ecuador. The bummer was that we arrived at our hotel about midnight and then had to leave at 3:45 AM! Yuck.

Needless to say, we were tired and crabby

Shirley was still lucid enough to laugh when her new toothbrush broke during the first brush in the hotel.

We finally arrived at the Baltra Island Airport in the Galápagos and were met by our two guides, Erick and Pato, who took us to our boat, the Galaven (Technically, it was a yacht).  We had time to get situated in our cabins, eat lunch and rest a bit before we took our first excursion.

This sea lion greeted us on the dock as we prepared to go to the boat. He sort of waved a flipper at us.

This was our cabin. It really didn’t look this messy after we finished stowing our gear.

I liked our little cabin as we had our own bathroom (“head” in ship lingo) and almost enough room to both be walking in it at the same time. The best part was that Shirley was smart enough to choose a lower cabin amid ship so as to lessen the rocking and rolling the people in the upper cabins experienced. I was grateful.

Before I get started on the adventure, I want to show you our route in the islands. We landed in Baltra and departed from San Cristobal, landing on 8 islands altogether. Baltra is a small island separated from Santa Cruz by only a narrow strait.

While we were getting settled in our cabins, our boat got underway and took us to Black Turtle Cove on Santa Cruz. Our first excursion was a Zodiac ride to the cove that is an inlet surrounded by mangroves. This was great! It gave us all a taste of what we were going to see in future adventures. Oh my! The birds, the terrain, the flora and fauna were superb! We all began taking a zillion pictures as each turn led us to more things to see.

Our group consisted of 18 passengers, two guides and two boatmen. Erick and Pato were so good in explaining the whys and wherefores of how the islands came to be, the animals, the ecology, adaptations and so many facets of all we saw. I learned a bunch and I’m sure the other folks did too.

Erick, one of our guides

Pato is in the swimming trunks on the Zodiac. He usually went in the water with us.

The Zodiac was our mode of transportation for any excursion from the Galaven. The trees in the background are mangroves

One of the first birds I saw was a blue-footed booby. I just about wore out my camera with those birds. I was so fascinated by their poses, antics and chicks.

Among other animals I saw from the Zodiac were sea turtles, a small hammerhead shark, brown pelicans, brown noddies (birds), small white tipped sharks and a couple of spotted rays.

A green sea turtle

My first Galápagos sunset was viewed from the Zodiac…different from those around the Sierra Nevadas, but it was beautiful.

Back on board, we had our first daily briefing that always let us know the history/background of the next day’s island/activities and how to prepare for them. We also learned that we were summoned to all meals and activities by what looked like a small school marm’s bell.  Perhaps most cruises use some sort of summoning devices. I don’t know about that because I’ve never been on a “regular” cruise. I thought the bell was fun.  We all learned to anticipate it and be ready to do whatever the activity was.

The Summoning Bell

The first two meals aboard the Galaven told Shirley and me that we were going to be very well fed. After a couple of days of filling up my plate and being uncomfortable afterward, I finally had to cut way back on the intake and I felt a lot better. The food was good and I enjoyed it but I just can’t eat large anymore for more than a few meals. Bummer.

After dinner, the Galaven began to move to Genovesa (Hen-o-vaysa), the northernmost island on our tour. While on Genovesa, we were in the northern hemisphere and then crossed the equator to return to the southern hemisphere again to go to Santiago, our next island. We were teasing each other about feeling a bump as we crossed. 🙂 Genovesa is where I spent my 72^nd birthday…and it was like no other birthday. We motored alongside a cliff and saw more new species. I heard a racket above me and saw two red-billed tropic birds in a fight. One was hanging on by a beak and then fell to the water. I think he was embarrassed as he took off in a huff from the water. It’s easy ID a tropic bird because of the long, skinny tail feather.

Hanging by a beak on a cliff.  Note the long tail.

The fight loser

A young sea lion and a swallow tailed sea gull

We landed at El Barranco (Spanish for precipice, cleft or great difficulty)

We clambered up Prince Phillip’s Steps (apparently Prince Phillip was there and the steps were built for him.

At this point, I should issue an apology because when I got to the top of those steps a whole new world opened up and my camera went crazy once again. There were birds everywhere! I took way too many pictures and each one seemed to be a better photo op than before. If you get bored with this type of stuff, you should quit reading now.

I should also tell you that even though it is winter during August in the southern hemisphere, it is breeding season for many of the birds. Consequently, we got to see birds in all stages of life. It was an amazing experience for me.

The first birds we saw at the top of the plateau were Nazca boobies. They have an elaborate dance during which they touch bills and the male offers the female a special twig or a rock. If she rejects him, she shakes her head vigorously. He might try again with another offering. They nest on bare ground and they are all over the place.

Nazca booby pair

Here is a mama and her chick in the middle of our path. She is feeding the chick

A Nazca chick

The same chick flexing its wings to gain strength. An adult’s wing span is about 5 feet.

Genovesa is home to red-footed boobies which nest in trees as opposed to the ground as do the Nazca boobies. It seems that everyone has their niche and it works for them.

You’ll note in this picture that their webbed feet can hang tightly to a tree branch, thus allowing them to perch.

I saw a bird almost upside down in a tree and thought it was dead or drunk on some food that it ate.. It turns out that red-footed boobies fall into a very deep sleep and sometimes look like this.

While we were walking over rocky path, one of our new friends, Lydia, had a flat tire… the sole of her shoe came undone and Erick helped her take the entire sole off the shoe. A few minutes later, the other one detached itself. I don’t know why this happened but it was cause for much laughter and teasing.

A tropic bird chick in a tiny cave.

The plateau offered us a view of the Pacific Ocean and a host of many birds flying around looking for lunch. Storm petrels were all over the place, darting in many different directions. They reminded me of the swallows that come home to Capistrano every year with their type of flying. In fact, the Spanish name for these birds is “Golondrina de Mar,” swallow of the sea. They were always too far away to get a good picture. Rats.

One species that often flew over us was Great Frigate bird. Their wingspan can be seven and a half feet!

Poo happens!

As we were beginning to descend Phillip’s Steps, Erick espied a wounded sea lion on some rocks right where we were to board the Zodiacs. The poor thing had been bitten by a shark. Erick was pretty sure it would die but there was nothing we could do to help it. It’s pure nature in the Galápagos.

The injured sea lion

But this story has a happy ending. About an hour later, many of us were snorkeling in the same area and that same sea lion swam by us as if nothing had happened! We were happy for that.

Shirley snorkeling.

I was snorkeling with our tour leader, Julia, and got a big thrill.   A large white tipped shark swam under us and was gone before I could get my camera ready to go. Rats.

Genovesa is a horseshoe-shaped island that is a collapsed volcano with Darwin Bay comprising the collapsed side. It has a white sand coral beach that heads a trail that winds through mangroves filled with many birds. This is where we went after lunch to hike and snorkel. We saw our first marine iguanas at Darwin Bay. I thought they would be a lot larger but the largest was about a yard long. They are kind of scary looking because of their dragon-like spikes on their back and sort of bashed in nasal feature. That feature is an adaptation to allow them to gnaw the algae off the rocks much closer. They spend hours each day getting warmed up enough to go swimming for food. Erick told me that in colder waters, they can only spend about 15 minutes per foraging session before they get too cold and can’t move well.

A group of marine iguanas on land is called a mess. Who knew?

Frigates nest at Darwin Bay. Here is a mama landing to feed her chick that the papa has been guarding.

A swallow-tailed gull

Sally Lightfoot crab

I decided to go snorkeling after our hike and discovered this family of white-tipped sharks in about 4’ of water. My heart beat a bit faster when I first saw them, but they didn’t seem to be hungry or interested in me, so I just swam around them taking pictures. It’s kinda cool to say you swam with sharks if you don’t tell people they were rather lethargic.

White tipped shark family

Darwin Bay was a pretty place and perhaps the warmest place we swam.

I enjoyed Genovesa and wished that I had snorkeled more in Darwin Bay. I think I might have seen more fish and perhaps some different species. It’s hard to tell.

We sailed from Genovesa after dinner toward Santiago during what I thought were rough seas. I was very thankful for the Sea Bands. They worked that night! Thus ended the first two days of our trip. The following days promised to be just as much fun.