Anonymous - 4-17-2004 at 09:39 AM
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/845519...
Sat, Apr. 17, 2004
The scientists aboard the Gus-D hit the jackpot this week as they follow the sea trail of John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts.
From all accounts, the voyage to replicate the Steinbeck-Ricketts famed research journey is sailing along quite nicely.
The ship, which departed late last month from Monterey, arrived on Cayo Island Tuesday and the crew had few expectations. Sixty-four years ago,
Steinbeck described Cayo Island as a "burned" coast in which few animals could be found.
"On the contrary, we found Cayo Island to be teeming with life," reports Jon Christensen, who is logging the trip for posterity on the Internet.
"Later, Chuck Baxter (of Monterey) concluded it was the most diverse site we had visited so far in the Sea of Cortez."
After 64 years, why the difference?
"In this case, the most likely explanation may simply be a matter of perception or even mood," Christensen said. "They seem to have been in a dark
mood themselves, and not given much time to Cayo, and then attributed their feelings to the island. Perhaps there was no breeze and the bugs were
really bad... Maybe they were just tired. Scientists are only human too. It's good to remember that."
The crew is expected to share their findings with school kids in Loreto and Santa Rosalia next week.