Ver las ballenas - Addendum

We head back into civilization.

Farewells to the sea and the whales.

We have to go back.

But, first, a few more things.

 

 Between the whale trips and the yummy meals, we had some time to explore the grounds around the camp, check out the tide pools, take a walk to the whale carcass or just hang out on the cabin porch and bird watch.

One short walk will take you to the Bone Yard. Which is exactly what you'd expect. A collection of whale bones (plus a turtle shell) in a small gathering on the beach.

I managed to find an ant colony here that bit my toes. Ouch!

Fortunately, nothing serious.

El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, Mexico is a UNESCO heritage site. Which means it is protected and as a result is near-pristine.

I say "near" because it's impossible for humans to go anywhere without leaving a trace, but the protectors of this special place have done an admirable job at keeping the "baddies" out. The are is undeveloped, to the point that all roads are really just dirt tracks that are driven on, and the nearby airport is a dirt runway. Remember how we couldn't fly into that dirt runway when we arrived?

Ballenas Gris

The morning we leave camp we all pile into a retrofitted school bus

(with a South Dakota license plate!), and bounce off down the

still wonky, half-washed out dirt road to the airport.

Piles of Scallop shells that have been there since the 80s. 

The airport. Our chariots await.

Well, we finally get back to Ensenada, meet the bus and return north to

cross back into the US.

The Coronavirus outbreak is just starting its encroachment in

the States, and we learn that things have changed quite a bit

since we left four days ago.

Apparently, everyone has freaked out and have started hoarding food and 

toilet paper (why?) and the entire country is on the verge of

a full-scale freak out and lockdown.

Welcome home, right?

San Diego is oddly calm, in comparison to last year's visit, but 

the trolleys still run and my hostel is still in service, so I carry on

with the original plan. My flight doesn't leave until the next day, so

what other option do I have?

A nice perk, perhaps as a side effect, is that 

I get my hostel room to myself.

After a good sleep-in, a bit of breakfast at the

Breakfast Republic, and a frantic flight reschedule

as a result of an increasingly delayed original flight, 

I basically sprint to the airport to be on my now

earlier flight time.

Blah, blah, flying, airports, blah.

I at last get home. 

And jump directly into the global pandemic.