The little GoPro tucked away in her top box while she was experiencing her first extreme off pavement ride, "Help! Let me out of here! I need to see the sand pits and the loose gravel!" But she needed both hands to navigate the heavily loaded motorcycle through the sucking sand. 'ON the way back', she thought.
They arrived without incident at the Laguna de San Ignacio. For $50 they bought a whale watching tour and a dinner. For $10 a camp spot with a toilet and shower....they were in business.
They set up camp and the boat was ready for the four of them. A very experienced guide who had lived there for generations educated them on the whales and how this was their breeding ground as well as where they calve. As they got further out into the huge bay they saw increasingly more spouting and the occasional whale head rising up like a sea monster from the deep, then slowly sinking back into the depths.
Chris had her remaining camera poised for a close encounter. The little GoPro was ready to open her eye and expose her beautiful brain to the mystery of these sea creatures. All around them the whales were exposing their backs to the sun and they could see the young ones breaching as well. The guide stopped the boat and waited. He wasn't going to chase these peaceful animals. Suddenly a huge shadow closed in on the boat. A dark barnacle encrusted back rose beside them a few feet away. Then incredibly a fresh "little" whale head popped up between the huge whale and the boat, brushing against the bow. The four passengers leaned over the side of the boat and reached for the whales brushing them and petting them as though they were domesticated pets. The little GoPro was talking away in happy little beeps as her eye opened and closed. And then....and then Chris remembered that although she had never done it before, the GoPro was capable of taking photos while submerged in the water. She quickly checked to see that the waterproof back was on the camera and then, when the whale was coming back to the boat she plunged the GoPro into the water and pressed the shutter button. Ahhh...yes.....this was filming at it's best. She pulled the camera up and immediately knew there was something wrong. Now Chris was not a woman given to words on the dark side of life but suddenly she was so disappointed, so let down, so damn angry that if it weren't for the nice man in the boat she would have given way to a tirade of verbal expletives that would make a sailor blush. Yup, the little GoPro had opened her eyes for the last time. The battery pack that Chris had purchased for longevity had a different back than the camera itself so the open spaces were in a different, more difficult place to notice. In the thrill of the moment she forgot about that and just saw the solid back and not the little slits in the top close to the latch.
Chris has not been able to talk about this until now. In fact she can only talk about it in third person so far. :-) Cameras are such an integral part of this trip and now all she has left is the little iPod that is totally inadequate for the job. Shshshsh.....don't tell Ipodius I said that.
But through it all she determined that this was not going to ruin her day on the ocean with the whales. She has perfect photos in her memory banks that will last a lifetime....that is if she does not develop a serious case of dementia....but wait....maybe it has already begun...think about it....2 cameras in one week? She wonders how her little iPod's life will end.
And so Chris apologizes to her readers. This may end up being more of a writer's blog with a few photos since she would rather spend her $$ on travel than a camera which will very pricey in Cabo. But hey....I have a motorcycle, my physical health, a beautiful country to see and all of you, my family and friends who would never desert my blog just because the pictures are not as nice as they used to be. :-)
They arrived without incident at the Laguna de San Ignacio. For $50 they bought a whale watching tour and a dinner. For $10 a camp spot with a toilet and shower....they were in business.
They set up camp and the boat was ready for the four of them. A very experienced guide who had lived there for generations educated them on the whales and how this was their breeding ground as well as where they calve. As they got further out into the huge bay they saw increasingly more spouting and the occasional whale head rising up like a sea monster from the deep, then slowly sinking back into the depths.
Chris had her remaining camera poised for a close encounter. The little GoPro was ready to open her eye and expose her beautiful brain to the mystery of these sea creatures. All around them the whales were exposing their backs to the sun and they could see the young ones breaching as well. The guide stopped the boat and waited. He wasn't going to chase these peaceful animals. Suddenly a huge shadow closed in on the boat. A dark barnacle encrusted back rose beside them a few feet away. Then incredibly a fresh "little" whale head popped up between the huge whale and the boat, brushing against the bow. The four passengers leaned over the side of the boat and reached for the whales brushing them and petting them as though they were domesticated pets. The little GoPro was talking away in happy little beeps as her eye opened and closed. And then....and then Chris remembered that although she had never done it before, the GoPro was capable of taking photos while submerged in the water. She quickly checked to see that the waterproof back was on the camera and then, when the whale was coming back to the boat she plunged the GoPro into the water and pressed the shutter button. Ahhh...yes.....this was filming at it's best. She pulled the camera up and immediately knew there was something wrong. Now Chris was not a woman given to words on the dark side of life but suddenly she was so disappointed, so let down, so damn angry that if it weren't for the nice man in the boat she would have given way to a tirade of verbal expletives that would make a sailor blush. Yup, the little GoPro had opened her eyes for the last time. The battery pack that Chris had purchased for longevity had a different back than the camera itself so the open spaces were in a different, more difficult place to notice. In the thrill of the moment she forgot about that and just saw the solid back and not the little slits in the top close to the latch.
Chris has not been able to talk about this until now. In fact she can only talk about it in third person so far. :-) Cameras are such an integral part of this trip and now all she has left is the little iPod that is totally inadequate for the job. Shshshsh.....don't tell Ipodius I said that.
But through it all she determined that this was not going to ruin her day on the ocean with the whales. She has perfect photos in her memory banks that will last a lifetime....that is if she does not develop a serious case of dementia....but wait....maybe it has already begun...think about it....2 cameras in one week? She wonders how her little iPod's life will end.
And so Chris apologizes to her readers. This may end up being more of a writer's blog with a few photos since she would rather spend her $$ on travel than a camera which will very pricey in Cabo. But hey....I have a motorcycle, my physical health, a beautiful country to see and all of you, my family and friends who would never desert my blog just because the pictures are not as nice as they used to be. :-)
PS: This is not a whale, but someone selling gas on the side of the road on the long stretch between Guerrero Negro and San Ignacio....before the camera incident, sniff sniff
RSS Feed