(7/27/09 Photos that went missing have been restored with only one exception.) From January 30th through February 7th, 2009 we traveled along the lower Baja peninsula, known as Baja California Sur. To get there, we flew from Los Angeles to La Paz, on the eastern side of the peninsula. We then took a longish bus trip across the peninsula to San Carlos on Magdalena Bay, where we boarded our ship, the Sea Bird. Once everyone was aboard, we headed across Magdalena Bay where we anchored and took our first Zodiac rides to Isla Magdalena, our first landfall. We hiked across the sandy dunes that make up the island to Sand Dollar Beach and the Pacific ocean.

We hiked back in time for lunch and to pick up our local pilot, Alejandro, who maintains a set of markers, the meaning of which only he knows, in the Hull Canal. He guided us up the canal to our anchorage off the town of Lopez Mateos, which was finishing up preparations for the annual Gray Whale Festival. After dinner we went ashore and had a look at the festival.

The next day began two and a half full days of Zodiak travels in the area of the ship looking for whales. The gray whales come down from the Arctic to breed or bear calves that were created two years ago. It's a LONG journey and the Moms don't eat until they get back to the Arctic, all the while feeding their calves unending supplies of fat-enriched milk.

The afternoon and night of the second of these days, we traveled the length of the rest of Baja California Sur. By 6:45 AM we had reached Lands End and had the chance to watch the sun rise revealing these wonderful granite rocks.

By the time we had truly opened our eyes and had breakfast, we disembarked at San Jose del Cabo where bird watching along the estuary in town was available along with shopping, strolling and general sight-seeing in the town. Back on board in time for lunch as we headed to the Gorda Banks. During the afternoon, we looked to blows indicating the presence of Humpback whales. (At his location, these whales are not only feeding but also looking for a mate as this is their breeding season.) We were not disappointed. We also had the added treat of watching dolphins surfing our bow wave. They love it and will hang in there for long periods of time, breaking their ride infrequently to poop up and get a fresh breath of air.

For the rest of the day and part of the night, we headed for Isla San Jose. Later in the morning we had hikes along the island. As ever, there were three difficulty levels for those hiking: generally flat walking, somewhat more challenging walking and some climbing and a healthy clilmb for those seeking to lose all the pounds they had acquired eating our grand cuisine. Each walk went with a naturalist to point out flora and fauna of interest.

During lunch, we moved to Half Moon Dove on Isla San Francisco. Here we could do hikes/walks and/or swim and/or snorkel and/or kayak!The more the better so that we could enjoy to the fullest the fabulous barbecue that the chef and galley crew brought to us on the beach.

We had a special treat as well. There was a professional trumpeter on the motorboat in the harbor and he promised us he was going to climb the substantial hill to the left of the beach and then would play for us, as the sun went down, Aaron Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man". He did as he promised and it cast quite a spell over us all. We all fell silent as the music came over us from above. He joined us for drinks and dinner once he got back down off the hill. He was more than welcome!

Our final day started as usual with some great activities: Zodiac cruises around Los Islotes known for their bird life and sea lion haul outs. We also got to see some great rocky cliffs.

Later in the morning, we moved to Bahia Bonanza on Isla Espiritu Santo; After lunch we had one last chance to hike or kayak in Bonanza Bay to tie the final bow on a great trip.