It’s been HOW LONG since I posted to this blog? While I freely admit that I have always had a rather sketchy relationship with time, out here on the wild seas the weeks absolutely fly by without much notice. The last time I checked in on the blog, we had just been planning to cross the Vizcaíno Bay to Isla Cedros. This we did, and it was a great crossing.  We caught a Bonito. We threw him back. I don’t like Bonito and am waiting for a Dorado. The seas have, overall, been way too big to go fishing via sailboat. But maybe soon.

Truly a beautiful place, Isla Cedros.

Isla Cedros is now my favorite place in this world. In case you are wondering why, it’s probably not because of anything you’d think likely. It isn’t the beauty of the scenery, or the isolation from crowded anchorages. It’s not even the access to a town, which we never visited.  No, to be completely frank, it’s because of the rocks. This is an ancient land with many big geological events forming its landscape over eons of time. And it has the rocks to prove it.

Yes, I know I have posted about rocks before and I refuse to apologize or make excuses. My family knows all too well that I will go a very long way and go to a lot of trouble, not to mention carrying an extremely heavy backpack, in order to bring home interesting rocks. My parents, long did they suffer, endured my childhood whereby I was always trying to carry more rocks than the military would allow in a housing allowance. Beginning at the tender age of 2 years when I collected my first specimen (a piece of road tar encrusted with gravel that I believe I still possess) I have loved, admired, and, yes, collected rocks and minerals. I have… a lot of them at this point.  Many. Many rocks. I might even know the names of some of them.

I am happiest right here at the top of a ridge. In fact, I may be filled with glee in this photo taken by my long-suffering husband of many years. I probably have a fossil in view. Rarely do I post a photo of myself but I want to remember this day after all the bruises are gone.

As a child, I wanted nothing more than a rock house with rock furniture. My father asked if I would also eat rocks for breakfast. I said yes. Recently I saw an advertisement for house built into the side of a hill and the home was actually made from a cave. I am enchanted. It’s all I ever dreamed of. Somehow, I was born this way and at this point in my life I fully embrace it (not that this attitude is new) and make zero apologies for bringing tens of pounds of rocks onto my very vessel, weighing it down unmercifully. Sure, ‘tens of pounds’ is a dramatic understatement. I don’t care. What’s an extra 2-300 pounds when it comes to love? I refuse to post a photo of the cockpit after one of my collecting expeditions. People would start asking questions they have zero business asking.

I don’t know if I have mentioned this at all, but there is nothing my family can do to show their love for me better than to give me a gift that is rock related. In the past year alone I have received a rock tumbler,  a new rock hammer (see above photo), and two awesome field guides to rocks and minerals.  The hammer replaces the one my father bought me when I turned 16, the year he took me hunting for rocks in Maine. That one is too old for me to wield now because I’m afraid I will break it and it’s a relic that reminds me that my parents, too, loved me and understood (or at least supported?) my passion. Actually, now that I think about it, nothing says ‘I love you’ more fully than a gift that supports someone’s passion, even when you don’t understand or share it with them. I have also received a folding shovel from Michael, about as thoughtful a gift as I can imagine. I use it all the time; a dead useful item for stabilizing an aging body as we make our way down steep, rocky terrain and down into arroyos where the most interesting specimens can be found. There may be bruises, there may be soreness, but these things will heal so fast when the heart is glad.

The Eye of God rock. A huge sandstone rock that will surely fall at the next slight earth tremor. We climbed above it, hoping to get a closer view,  and ended up on a plateau.

On the plateau, the ground was littered with volcanic rocks. Literally some of them looked like they had been molten lava  just the day before even though they had been laying there for thousands, if not millions, of years. Each rock could tell a story of heat, pressure, and release from the earth. Good thing those same rocks did not litter the side of the hill we climbed. They were quite sharp!

Anyway, due either to good fortune or to the Gods of Rocks and Minerals being on my side, we anchored off the east coast of Isla Cedros not in a marked anchorage, but in an area that turned out to be exactly where several different geological formations overlay each other. What good fortune!  I could not have been more ecstatic. All of the major rock groups were represented: igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary. They were all there. Hills of gypsum encrusted with  great sheets of crystal forms sparkled in the sun. Huge agates rolled under my feet on the beach. (I KNOW, RIGHT? They were everywhere!)  Where the gypsum hills and a different sandstone formation came together we found the fossils of ancient sea life, including huge oyster shells. They were pink! Joy bubbles up just thinking about it! The very idea of standing on an ancient sea bed, literally millions of years old! It boggles the mind.

Such a big concretion. I wonder what’s inside. Probably a totally cool fossil or two. Unfortunately this concretion was about the size of a large kitchen sink.

We spent several days anchored there exploring, then moved to anchor further south when the winds from the north picked up. The more southern location sported the same blue schist that Catalina Island is known for, as well as volcanic rocks like tuff.  There were a very few small sandstone rocks that reminded me a lot of the ones we saw at Goat Bay on Catalina Island; the ones that looked like they were painted by design.  We stayed at that location for a day, climbing up to the top of a ridge to walk an ancient plateau littered with sharp volcanic debris.  When the wind died down we went back up to the first anchorage because there was a wide alluvial plain we needed to explore for some easy hiking and the fossil beds were still calling my name for a more vertically challenging adventure.

See what I mean? This sandstone pebble is so out of place. It was found way up from the beach among other rocks. Where was I, even? Catalina Island?

That Blue Schist! It’s so gorgeous.

Just more stunning landscapes on Isla Cedros in the alluvial plain.

After maybe 8 glorious days on Isla Cedros we decided we could not, after all, live there and did a two night passage down to Magdalena Bay where we currently sit until winds fill in again, which they are currently doing. And, of course, the best thing so far about this place is the rocks. I’ll have to do a separate post with a ton of photos of the beautiful boulders along the trail across to the Pacific side of Isla Magdalena.

The two day passage from Isla Cedros to Magdalena Bay was trying. We had enough wind to sail, thankfully, but the seas were plenty sloppy and big and almost directly behind us. We rolled around tiresomely while making way, tweaking our heading back and forth to maintain some sense of equilibrium. Approaching Cabo San Lazaro on the outside of the bay the seas got even bigger so I just stopped looking at them. I mean, what is one to do? No sense staring at the waves waiting for them to break over the stern. Either they will, or they won’t. They didn’t.  We scooted into Bahia Santa Maria to stop for the night and get some rest after the two night passage with no sleep between us to speak of. Enjoy some photos from the passage:

Our first sighting of Bird on Turtle action. Probably a bit blurry. We were moving fast and I had little time to grab this photo.

The ever graceful Black Footed Albatross.

Classic whale tail.

If you’ve read between the lines you’ll see we are not in a hurry. That’s beause we have had to put off our Pacific Crossing until next season. There are a lot of reasons for this, but over all it just isn’t our time. We were feeling rushed and not ready. We also don’t really think the boat is ready. There are a number of tweaks we need to make to the sailing systems, as well as some healthcare issues that we’d like completed before we go. Let’s just say that small things add up and so we will be in Mexico for now. At first we felt pretty down hearted about it. But on the other hand, we are relieved to have made the conscious decision to wait, even if it means we are risking not being able to go at all.

Honestly, we are having a lot of fun in Mexico and I would be sad to not be able to explore these rock strewn hills, which I missed doing the first time around. We are not sure exactly where we will land after Magdalena Bay. We’ll see what the weather decides for us. Meanwhile, the rocks sing to me of their presence and I hear them and answer the call.

This glorious color! The red is a lichen.

One more, with the mother ship in the distance.

S/V Galapagos, standing by on 16 and 22 and hoping every cruiser keeps their radio on.