School of Thought: Five Things I Learned in Baja California

During a week spent in Baja California I swam, snorkeled, hiked and kayaked. I soaked up the sun, practiced my Spanish with locals and saw incredible marine and wildlife including whales, dolphins and even a black jackrabbit. 

Here are some of the things I learned during my adventure: 

1) To differentiate between sea lions and seals look at the ears. While both are pinnipeds (fin-footed mammals), sea lions have ear flaps, seals don’t. Another difference is that sea lions have large front flippers and can pivot their hind ones, so they can walk on land. 

2) To get the best photograph of a sunset, zoom in. I was on the deck one evening, trying to capture the stunning sunset with my modest digital camera. Naturalist and photographer Carlos Navarro came up to me and suggested zooming in as much as I could. Wouldn’t you know it, the photo is one of my best from the trip.