We began our day with a stretch class in the early morning light, followed by a delicious breakfast. We then grabbed our backpacks and cameras and headed to beautiful Isla San Marcos. The landing is a picturesque beach covered in shells and surrounded by mountains carved by an arroyo. We split into aerobic, moderate, and casual hiking groups and headed into the arroyo canyon. As we moved farther up the arroyo, the walls grew steeper and closer together, creating a beautiful, shady slot canyon. We got plenty of exercise as we observed several types of cacti, lizards, nests, and birds under a canopy of many desert legumes.
We returned to National Geographic Venture for lunch and cruised over to the town of Santa Rosalia on the Baja peninsula. Vestiges of the past strew this historic copper mining town, making for a very interesting landscape of colorful Mexican village life and rusty industrial equipment. We walked through town to visit the church built by Frenchman Gustave Eiffel and an old bakery that has been operating for many decades. We made our way to the Hotel Frances for happy hour with local music group Los Coyotes. We enjoyed cocktails, snacks, and sweeping views of the Sea of Cortez. We returned to the ship for Mexican fiesta night and more music and dancing with Los Coyotes. It was an unforgettable day on National Geographic Venture.
