Wednesday: Urbina Bay & Tagus Cove, Isabela

Sunrise: 5:53 am/Sunset: 5:57 pm

Arising before dawn, I stepped on to our porch to check out the view.  We had just spent the night peacefully at anchor off Punta Espinoza and, just before light, the captain had navigated a short distance across the Bolivar Channel to Urbina Bay, at the base of the Alcedo Volcano, the lowest volcano on the island.  Charles was up 15 minutes later but, since I was already dressed in swim bottoms and tank top, I was eager to get up to the sky deck to enjoy the quiet.  Turns out morning stretch class was about to begin so I joined “Kp” and her partner, Tiara, for a half hour of exercise before breakfast. 

The day gets going early on the ship so, by 8 am, we were in our panga headed for a two-mile hike off the coast of Urbina Bay on Isabela.  Isabela is by far the largest island in the Galapagos group, making up just over half the total surface area of the archipelago. I think it is 100 miles long. It is the only one created by the fusion of six enormous shield volcanoes, which give rise to the characteristic “seahorse” shape of the island.

In 1954, the marine reef once located here was uplifted almost instantaneously up out of the water, thereby extending the coast line about ¾ mile further into the ocean.  As a result, we hiked on what was once a seabed. Remnants of the land’s underwater beginnings were in evidence everywhere, e.g., seashells, rounded rocks, barnacles, huge corals, and green and purple sea urchin remains. Jill was amazed at the great shelling to be had.   The trail we traversed had areas of small pieces of pumice, a light and buoyant volcanic material that also covers the slopes of Alcedo.  In fact, it is the only volcano on Isabela that has pumice.

We were told it would be a rough landing as the waves continually crash against the small spit of beach.  The landing went well as we only got our feet wet. At times, the water is chest high.  We lucked out.  Many of us disembarked barefoot with our shoes stowed in waterproof bags.  Small green towels were provided to brush the black, grainy sand off our feet before donning our footwear. 

Right from the start, we saw Sally Lightfoot crabs everywhere.  A Galapagos hawk was perched stoically on a volcanic rock. It obliged the many photographers at its feet with nary a ruffle of a feather.   Two yellow warblers splashed and bathed in rainwater caught by a depression in the volcanic rock.

Spotting sea lions had become quotidian but, even so, Lauren had her lens leveled at a pair enjoying the shade of one of the many rocks strewn along the shore.

Lauren happened upon the exoskeleton of a Galapagos lobster.  Juan Carlos explained how you could tell if it is molted shell or a carcass. (If it is clean inside, it meant the lobster squeezed out successfully.)

Beads of sweat mixed with my heavy layers of sunscreen but it could have been worse.  Gray clouds, with rain-threatening ones in the near distance, blanketed the sun.  They added to the humidity, however. 

As we turned inland, the trail took us to a part of the seabed that would have made for fantastic snorkeling.  Before us were gigantic corals that, according to core samples, were 700 years old.  On either side were small cliffs that were once teeming with soft corals, fish, and other marine life.  What a colorful world this was once and now it is lifeless and dull, save for the foliage growing on the sides of the cliffs.  I wondered if some of the mobile marine life sensed the geologic change about to occur and got the hell out of Dodge. 

Just beyond this, we entered a narrow path surrounded by vegetation and numerous small Galapagos Cotton plants. The plant produces the largest flower of any native or endemic flowering plant in the archipelago.  As the flower begins to unfold, it is a lovely pink and then, as it ages, turns yellow then white.  Any flower that is not white or yellow did not originate in the archipelago.  While we didn’t see this, the “fruits” of the plant open to produce awhite cottony fiber which smaller songbirds use to line their nests.

Land iguanas had made their burrows amongst the tree roots, where they spend the night.  The ones on Isabela are among the largest in the archipelago.  Since these animals are cold-blooded, we caught several soaking up warmth from the sun.  The one pictured might have been a male as their heads are more yellow than females. 

Continuing on, we came upon a tortoise’s shell, which had been pulled from the vegetation and left on the path for all to see.  Juan explained that the shell, which has remained almost unaltered by 200 million years of evolution, is made up of numerous small bones, which are covered by separate plates of keratin.  As a tortoise grows, extra layers of keratin are added underneath the existing layer, causing “growth rings.”  There is little growth in times of sparse vegetation so counting these rings cannot accurately age a tortoise.

As we walked, the vegetation grew denser.  Ground finches and mockingbirds nest and feed here.  This mockingbird, perched before us at eye level, sang the sweetest song, which I recorded on video.  I was enchanted. 

We clearly had left the marine seabed as the elevation changed and larger trees appeared.  This magnificent tree is a poison apple tree, which is called  “Manzillo” or “little apple of death.”  Native to Galapagos, this is one of the most poisonous trees in the world. They have a milky substance that is highly irritating and its fruits, which look like small crab apples and are greenish yellow, are poisonous.  Only giant tortoises can digest these little apples.  Even standing under this tree in the rain would be dangerous.  Just one drop of the sap mixed with rain would cause itching, blistering, and burning. 

We did not see any tortoises as there were only dried grasses where they typically eat.  The only evidence we saw was flattened 

grass where one had traversed.  We did see a field containing about ten land iguanas.

At one point, Juan had us tap the ground and it sounded surprisingly hollow.  This was an area of pumice rock, which can be likened to the “froth” of a volcanic eruption.  The tall vegetation disappeared as we looped back to the shore.  Jill and Lauren changed into their suits for a dip, which seemed like a good idea given we were hot and sweaty.  They quickly changed their minds, as the water was too cold and choppy.   So it was back to the ship to change and relax before our 12:30 pm lunch.

Charles and I finally got a chance to dine with Cassie and Gary Connor to learn about their self-guided tour through Croatia.  They had no reservations or real plan; they just stopped at places that interested them. We decided to consider that as an option when we travel to the Dalmatian Coast next fall.

That afternoon, we went north to visit the historic bay known as Tagus Cove where wayfarers over the centuries have sought and found sheltered harbor and access to the island. It is well protected by the shoulders of two volcanic craters.  Some interesting historic marine graffiti was seen on the cliffs above our anchorage.  This area of Isabela is one of the places visited by Charles Darwin in 1835.  Guests were offered three options: deep-water snorkeling, kayaking, or Zodiac rides along the coastline.  The four of us chose snorkeling. 

I was the first one in.   Whoa! It was the coldest water yet.  Since it was overcast, there was no direct sunlight to warm us. 

Charles and I had tried to stay together with Lauren and Jill but it became readily apparent this was not going to happen.  Charles got caught up following a sea turtle, which took him in the opposite direction of the group.  Since he never kicks with his legs and only paddles with his hands, I felt we would never catch up.  Ironically, I was trying to get him to see a beautiful patch of reef that was FILLED with sea turtles. 

This was the best dive yet.  It ranks second on the top ten dive sites in Galapagos because the cove opens to the nutrient-rich, albeit cold, waters of the Bolivar Channel, which lies between Isabela and Fernandina.  A carpet of green algae concealed the cove’s floor, which gave us the impression of an underwater pasture.   It was chock full of sponges, corals, anemones, sea turtles, and reef fish.   We even saw an octopus and marveled at its ability to seamlessly camouflage itself amongst the corals.   I had to be careful not to kick a sea turtle while swimming.  I also spotted a penguin and flightless cormorants stretching out their rudimentary wings to dry.  Flightless cormorants have no predators and dive into the ocean to fish so they have lost their ability to fly.  Use it or lose it, they say.

After 45 minutes in the water, I had to get out.  I could no longer stay warm.   Jill and Charles were done too but not Lauren.  Jim Adams agreed to buddy with Lauren.  Lauren spotted a penguin and was off in a flash, leaving Jim in the dust.  I did not realize this is what had happened so I was extremely surprised when I saw how far away she was.  Later, when Jim came aboard, he was breathless from trying to keep up with her.  Lauren is a fish!

Late that afternoon, the four of us set out on our chosen excursions.  Charles and I opted for a steep hike up past Darwin Lake to the edge of the Darwin Crater. Lauren and Jill preferred to kayak in the cove. They had a good time goofing around, taking silly selfies, and towing a lazy Antonio in his kayak.

Our pangas made a dry landing on a slip of rocks and then a short rock staircase leading into the island.  A pair of cormorants had taken up housekeeping on one of the steps so we had to skirt the nest and pecks from defensive parents.

The trail head begins at cliffs covered with maritime graffiti made by pirates and whalers in the 1890s and early 1900s. The oldest dates back to 1836 and the most recent in 1987. 

The Tagus Cove hiking trail takes about 1.5 hours to hike to the top of the trail and back.  We climbed up 160 wooden steps to a viewpoint, overlooking Darwin’s Lake,  from where we could look down and see our ship.  The HMS Beagle was running out of water so Darwin was pleased to find the lake and surprised to find it was salty.  As a matter of fact, it is three times as salty as the ocean due to evaporation.  The likely cause for the lake is repeated eruptions and from La Cumbre Volcano on Fernandina, opposite Tagus Cove, which created tsunamis that filled the lake.

Skeletal palo santo trees outlined the dusty trail, which included 160 wooden steps to make the going a bit easier.  The first part of the hike had everyone winded.  It was lovely to stop and survey the stunning view of Darwin’s Lake and our ship anchored in Tagus Cove.   I noticed a finch on the ground and asked what it was called.  Juan answered, “Small Ground Finch.”  I quickly responded with, “Well I could have come up with THAT name.” 

There are 3,000 tortoises on the island but we didn’t see any.  I did spot a cactus that was trying to hide, however.

Our climb culminated on the flank of Darwin Volcano on what is termed a parasitic cone.  While most of the pyroclastic material is ejected from a central vent, the flanks of the volcano contain fractures, which can also tap the magma and act as a conduit.  These small eruptions form cone-shaped accumulations of volcanic material.  We were standing on such a mound and looking east toward the summit crater of Darwin Volcano.   The terrain was rough, unforgiving, and otherworldly. 

The following photos show our videographer filming the large lava field as viewed from our vantage point as well as the up swelling of the summit crater (next page.)

 

Dusk comes early in the equatorial region as day and night are about equal.  Sun rises around 6 am and sets around 6 p.m.  We needed to turn around and go back.  As the Impressionists discovered, light does interesting things to its subjects, as you can see by the reddish stripe on the hillside or the soft pastels above the ridge on the page that follows.

While the group was making its easy ascent down, James, our video guy, interviewed Charles.  James was impressed by Charles’s eloquence, suggesting Charles was a pro at it.

Jill and Lauren were already in party mode, enjoying cocktails on the sky deck.  Each day, the bartender came up with a featured concoction and Lauren happily partook.  She grabbed a small plate of brie and toast points and settled down to read the hefty study text for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) she plans to take before summer was out.  Jill stretched out on the sky deck cushions to relax a bit before dinner.  Charles and I did no such thing as we only had a half hour to clean up. 

Antonio, much to Lauren’s particular delight but to ours as well, joined us for dinner.  He is a blast.  He is a father to four children, which surprised me, as he looked younger and behaved more like a kid.  He has a wicked sense of humor.  Afterwards, Antonio followed us up to the sky deck where we checked out Alpha Centauri, Beta Centauri and Omega Centauri, which I saw for the first time.  It is a globular cluster of stars with an unimaginable mass of 5 million suns.  It is ten times more massive than a typical “glob of stars” so it was special to see.  Satisfied that I had checked off one more deep sky object on my sighting’s list, I returned to the cabin, where Charles was already reading, at 10:30 p.m.  The next day we would be visiting the island of Santiago.