[gps-talkusers] Mike's Adventure
- From: "Carl Simmons" <carlsimmons@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 17:19:09 -0800
Sorry All,=20
Forgot I can not attach a document to the list.
Mike has ask me to sent this to the list.
Carl Simmons
Tuesday, December 21
Leather Back Turtle Sighting
Our guide Ciro Marcos Ruiz picked us up at our Playa Ocotal villa at =
5:30 in
the evening for an excursion that could last all night. He drove my =
family
and I 40 miles to reach a destination that was 15 miles line of site =
down
the West coast of Costa Rica. My POI database showed us passing through
"small cities" such as Belen and Filidelfia. Notice the spelling of the
latter with the letter f. I kept asking him where different cities were =
as
I scrolled through my GPS database. He was amazed at my detailed =
knowledge
of small Costa Rican towns. I didn't fess up. We headed East before =
then
turning South, back West and a bit North.
Along the way, we got quite an education about Costa Rican plant and =
animal
life. Did you know a pineapple is technically not a fruit but a flower?
Marcos had a degree in these things but maybe he was pulling our legs or =
as
they say in Spanish, "pulling our hair."
he told us to cross our fingers that we would have success on our =
adventure.
Our destination was one of only 4 beaches in the world where the largest
turtle, the Leather Back or Tortuga Baula in Spanish, nests. This time =
of
year, they dig a nest in the sand and bury their eggs. Small groups can
watch from a few feet away. They used to allow people to touch the =
turtles
once they were engaged in their nest building but they no longer allow =
this
and they take extraordinary measures not to disturb them.
The turtles lay about 60 fertilized eggs in the nest and then another =
bunch
of unfertilized eggs on top in case predators find the nest. They also =
dig
fake nests nearby to thwart predators. They live to be 60 or more years =
old
but they don't really know for sure because they won't last more than a =
year
in captivity.. I got to feel a 3 foot tall Galapagos tortus in 1982 on =
one
of those islands, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. They live to be =
150
years old but aren't as bulky as the Leather Back.
Once we reached the preserve, we had to show our passports and sign
documents and then we received an orientation from the ranger. He spoke =
for
10 minutes in Spanish and then the English translator spoke for 30 =
seconds.
She was really bad. I was so grateful to understand enough Spanish to =
glean
most of the information about the Leather Back. He listed all the park
rules like: no talking, no cameras, stand behind the turtle not in front =
and
don't touch the turtle. THE ranger said the exception was el ciego, me, =
the
blind guy.
At 7 pm, we had dinner and then returned to the van to wait for a turtle
sighting. We stretched out, each on our own row in the van. Maybe we =
would
get lucky, maybe not. It was all up to Mother Nature. This wasn't a =
Disney
Land ride after all.
Readings: High tide 11:18 pm, full moon in 6 days, 74 degrees, Very Good =
9
satellites, heading Southeast 137 degrees, speed 4 kHz. Latitude 10
degrees, 19 minutes, 43.902 seconds North. Longitude 85 degrees, 50
minutes, 34.542 seconds West.
Marcos rousted us from our nap at 11:45 PM and we quickly formed a line =
to
pass through the tight security on to a beautiful white sandy beach, =
Playa
Grande, a good 100 yards across and 4 miles long. We walked briskly =
along
the water's edge the bright moonlight lighting our way and shimmering on =
the
waves with their edges lapping at our feet. After waiting so long, we
didn't want the turtle to finish her work and return to the sea before =
we
got there.
We walked, almost jogged, 1.1 kilometers Southeast. My heart was =
pounding
in anticipation as was Grandma Charlotte's. This was an adventure for =
the
young of body and heart. Not too many other people in their 70's =
anywhere
on this trip.
And there the Leather Back was, 100 feet above the water line, digging a
nest, as deep as her flippers could reach, about 2.5 feet, and 6 inches
wide. She was 144 cm (5 feet) in length. A biologist took measurements =
and
counted the eggs as she pushed them out, 44 in total. I knelt in the =
sand
and gingerly reached out to feel her shell. It was rising and falling, =
like
someone breathing deeply. It was actually her contractions as she =
pushed
out the eggs. I was shown where her pelvis bone was at the back of the
shell. Ridges like seams in a cushion ran along her back about 10 =
inches
apart. Her front flippers were long and thin, sticking out about 2 feet =
on
either side 10 inches wide. The back flippers felt very muscular. I =
was
startled when she began scooping sand with her front flippers back over =
the
nest. She was so focussed on her work that she didn't seem to care that =
I
was touching her all over.
I felt so privlidged to have this special and intimate moment with =
nature
and happy that my family and I could share this experience together.
It was after 2 AM when we
reached our Villa, glad that we didn't have to get up at any specific =
time.
When we did, it was down to the beach and the boys and I molded a =
Leather
Back out of sand. Its tactile image was vivid in my memory and it was =
fun
to try and replicate it in sand. After admiring our work, we strolled =
along
the beach, the boys exclaiming every few feet about something: little =
crabs,
big crabs, cute birds, butterflies, lizards, animal tracks, sea slugs,
pelicans and once again, Howler Monkeys, everything part of Mother =
Nature
but nothing quite as rare as the Leather Back.
Carl Simmons
Sendero Group Training and Technical Support
1-888-757-6810 Ext. 106
carl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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