The Traveling Widower

Tag: travel

  • Gray Whales in Baja Mexico

    Gray 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. Unlike Humpback Whale breaches, Gray Whale head shots look a lot like a marine buoy. Oh well, maybe next time.

    Panga (small boat), filled with passengers from our trip

    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.

    Urp! (not really, they were just looking at fish passing by below)

    The background for the Humpback photo’s would have been great with a longer lens. Live and learn.

    If only I had that new long lens

    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. 

    Passing by Cabo
    Just showing off

    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. 

    Me….top of the hike. Nice ocean view. Villagers came up that side
    La Paz Fiesta – great dance troup

    And there were some incredible view of the amazing Baja coast – imposing desert and mountain ranges.

    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.

    View from the Lodge

    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.

    Yosemite Lower Falls (not much water in the winter)

    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.

    Reflection in Vernal River

    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. 

    Upper and Lower Falls
    Halfdome (I’ve been on top of that)
    Halfdome Sunset (very cold it was)

    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.