Nomads from far and wide congregated at the Cowboy Hotel in Guerrero Negro for the whale pyjamarama…first to arrive were Bajaguy’s group from Pta.
Banda who were already having a tailgate party when Standing Wave Ken, his son and I arrived from the west coast….a good beginning. Santiago and his
amigo Steve were unpacking a lovely case of pale ale for me and getting settled trying to connect to the internet which was not cooperating.
Chavelo called a technician who couldn’t come out so I leapt into action trying a few different things and VOILA!!! I got it to work by disconnecting
the wifi extender that was faulty…which made everyone quite content…that and the cerveza flowing.
Next to arrive was Woody with a View and his esposa Bia so the tailgate party grew ever grander….and last but not least Mulegena pulled in from Mulege
just in time to head out for dinner at Las Cazuelas.
It was a fine meal with the chocolate clams in cilantro sauce a real hit as well as the Lion’s Paw Scallops and shrimp dinners. It was neat to get to
know other Nomads and great to see everyone getting on so well….I guess the pitchers of yummy Margaritas helped loosen everyone up.
Then it was back to Cowboy for more camaraderie and catching up with old friends…then it was into the PJ’s and off to beddie by so we could be up at
the crack of dawn.
Breakfast at the fruit restaurant and the whale warriors were off to the lagoon early to catch the first boat out. We set out with Fernando, the
newest lanchero and he proved to be a wonderful captain…very very patient and calm around the whales and they LOVED him for it in return.
There were still lots of whales in the inner lagoon, mostly mothers and calves and a few solitary animals but no mating trios this time. The moms were
swimming their calves hard to build up muscle strength for their pending long journey north. It was like a whale parade and we were in it!
We were fortunate to be visited by a favorite friendly whale of mine and everyone was thrilled to be able to make physical contact with her and her
calf too…she spent a good long time with us, gazing into our eyes and allowing us to feel her rubbery skin.
She was very sweet & gentle with us but the folks in the other boat were having a very different experience.
They were being entertained by a whale who was really strange…probably attracted by Woody!!! This guy had both tips of his tale bit off as well as a
part of his pectoral fin missing and had killer whale teeth marks all over him.
He wasn’t interested in being caressed but rather teased the humans with his great tail. He would arch his back up like a cat, swing his tail from
side to side, lift it way up and slash at the boat barely missing it and sometimes even swat it a bit. He also amused himself by splashing the whale
watchers with great walls of water and lifting or pushing the boat around. When I asked Aidan what the behavior was like, he told me the whale was
really snarky…so we named this rascally whale Snarky. The next day we too had some very weird interactions with him.
It was a great day out on the lagoon and we had shrimp tacos at the restaurant at the Interpretive Center. Baja Bucko showed up much to our delight
and we enjoyed her stories and songs.
Then we headed out for some bird watching in Santiago's nice big truck and found some white pelicans, lots of osprey who even had built nests on the
ground and even some elusive stilts which are my favorite bird at the lagoon.
We continued on to the Pronghorn Preserve camp where we were privileged to see about 30 teeny baby pronghorn antelope who were about a month old….so
cute but really skittish and high tailed it to the back 40 when we arrived!
this guy provided more entertainment than the pronghorn!
The gals got thirsty on the way home and Santiago had a lovely white chilling in the cooler so he used his best baja ingenuity and cut us some wine
glasses out of our water bottles...most excellent idea!!
Then it was back to GN for another epic dinner, this time at the Cowboy taco restaurant where we had most excellent stuffed potatoes and tacos.
Bajaguy and gal were decked out for St.Patrick's day!
Woody and Bia bailed and headed back to the rising surf at….ahem…somewhere and the rest of us decided to turn in early as we were to go whale watching
again the following day. We said our farewells to Santiago and Steve and headed to the lagoon for more whale snogging.
This time we had a little encounter with Snarky and he did his tail flashing routine. Once again we lucked out with a cow/calf pair who allowed us to
get up close and personal. There is nothing quite like gazing into the eye of a whale.
It was a wonderful time with my Nomad amigos and we look forward to doing it again next season…..alot!
yes, killer whales are the main predators for gray whales...those rake marks on the tail are from escapes from the jaws of Orcas and Snarky had lots
of bites out of the tail and even the pectoral fin...scary sh*t for a whale...the orcas are waiting with anticipation for the babies to start
migrating so they can pick some off....they just eat the tongue out of the calf...sheesh!
Originally posted by woody with a view
see you and Juan for tuna season?
If there's a tuna season......eh?
Nice to meet everyone and get faces and personalities behind the names.
Thanks Shari for putting this on. Here's a video of the first encounter.
that calf was such a roly poly little guy eh! those 3 white circles on the jaw are good identifying marks...wonder if any other nomad has played with
him? I would love to get copies of people's whale pics for my ID files...fotos of the dorsal ( middle area by that hump) are best, but tails, fins or
any special markings help alot too...along with dates and if they had a calf would be great.
Originally posted by shari
They were being entertained by a whale who was really strange…probably attracted by Woody!!! This guy had both tips of his tale bit off as well as a
part of his pectoral fin missing and had killer whale teeth marks all over him.
He wasn’t interested in being caressed but rather teased the humans with his great tail. He would arch his back up like a cat, swing his tail from
side to side, lift it way up and slash at the boat barely missing it and sometimes even swat it a bit. He also amused himself by splashing the whale
watchers with great walls of water and lifting or pushing the boat around. When I asked Aidan what the behavior was like, he told me the whale was
really snarky…so we named this rascally whale Snarky.
Good ole Snarky. I can forgive a lot of tail wagging for moments like this.
\"I could not help concluding this man had the most supreme pleasure while he was driven so fast and so smoothly by the sea.\"
James Cook
Ken, that is a fantastic clip...that head camera is awesome dude...Snarky was in a very good mood that trip indeed...I look forward to seeing the tail
slashing video too.
Originally posted by shari
Ken, that is a fantastic clip...that head camera is awesome dude...Snarky was in a very good mood that trip indeed...I look forward to seeing the tail
slashing video too.
The other side, I mean end, of Snarky.
\"I could not help concluding this man had the most supreme pleasure while he was driven so fast and so smoothly by the sea.\"
James Cook
Shari, love this thread. We just got back from Hawaii where the humpback whales are all over the place. Check out my Maui vacation thread for
photos.... under non Baja related stuff.
Bob H
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
Originally posted by shari
Ken, that is a fantastic clip...that head camera is awesome dude...Snarky was in a very good mood that trip indeed...I look forward to seeing the tail
slashing video too.
The other side, I mean end, of Snarky.
Song: Flight of the Bumble Bee... very nice clip!
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
Now, I am sure you will smooch Ol' Snarky and get him tamed right down.....some old guys get a bit like that when someone has been nipping at their
bits...
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The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
if we live, and we don't know why." - Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt
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