It`s
the 21st and tomorrow my wonderful neighbors and friends are moving to Hideaway
Hills. Kimberly and Lance are such good people and have been like family
to me. I will miss them terribly but know that this move is something they have
wanted and will be a kind of fresh start for them. The pictures of the house on
line are amazing, the house is only 5 years old, has lots of room and
amenities. It sits on 2 and 1\2 acres of wooded land. There`s a big fenced in
yard that Annie will love. I hope to see them from time to time but know it
will never be the same. How many times did I run next door for help with a sick
or stray animal. Lance built my computer and fixed my other electronics many
times. They were so generous to share their dogs with me. Poe and Stella were
the best and Annie has started to know and trust me. All good things must come
to an end. I don't know if it's easier this way, to not be there to watch them
go or if it will be harder to come home and they'll be gone. Life lesson,
enjoy what you have while you can.
This morning we went in the dingies to
Espinosa Point on Fernandina Island. A dry landing but onto wet volcanic rock.
I'm so glad I bought a walking stick and dragged it along. There were some
tidal pools where we disembarked then we walked a little way in and the ground
became sandy. We saw a blue heron, lots of Sally lightfoot crabs, some sea
lions, a cormorant on a nest, a turtle in the water and BUNCHES of marine
iguanas. Unbelievable, they are the same color as the volcanic rock so in spots
you have to be careful not to step on them. There were large groups everywhere,
just hanging out, warming up so they could get in the water to eat the algae.
Indira told us that only the males dive into the water. The females and
juveniles wait til the tide goes out and eat the algae off the exposed rocks. After
they are in the water they sneeze out the salt to avoid getting too much salt
in their systems. Fernandina is the youngest of the Galapagos Islands,
considered the best preserved and only pristine island in the world. This means
it has no introduced species on it, only endemic flora and fauna. There was
also a partial skeleton of a whale here. The guides said the carcass was found
on the beach and looked like a baby born prematurely or possibly a stillborn.
Someone decided to move the bones from the shore
up to higher ground and reassemble the
spine. The guides said they usually don`t
do that type of display but decided not
to remove it. There was also a
skull of a sea lion and one of
a bottle nose dolphin. Indira showed us
the remains of a marine iguana and
explained that the land iguanas and
lava lizards have round tails. The
marine iguana`s tail is more flat, resembling
an eel, and that he uses it to
propel himself thru the water. We saw
pineapple rinds, orange and grapefruit peels on
the beach. I was surprised because until then I had not seen one bit of
trash. Indira said that the boats
are allowed to dump a certain amount of
organic materials into the ocean and sometimes
the currents bring it on shore. If
the guides see a lot of material or
any trash, they notify the park service
and the rangers come and pick it up.
I am very thankful for all the work
the guides and rangers do to protect these
islands so we can visit these
wonderful places. We finished the
morning with snorkeling, I saw several sea
turtles, sea urchins and different types of
fish. The haze burned off and the
water was more clear than yesterday which
made visibility much better.
Sunday
afternoon: Vicente Roca Point on Isabela We took the dingy
out and cruised along the coast at Vicente
Roca Point. The rock face is very
interesting geologically, at one point you
can see ash traveling on top of
volcanic rock. We saw dykes, long lines that were fissures that
later filled with lava. We saw turtles, sea
lions, fur seals, a manta ray jumped up for us, penguins on
the rocks, iguanas and crabs. Also blue
footed boobies, cormorants, frigates, and noddies.
This place is unimaginable unless you see it for yourself.
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