no cars go where we know

i went up to tucson last weekend to help my dad prepare for the move to boston - help clean, pack, offer mental support, etc.

but, that's not what i want to talk about. i want to talk about what my car looked like when i left mexico:





because believe it or not, my car doesn't look that dirty in mexico. it blends in really nicely in mexico. but then, as i was driving into tucson, i thought, my goodness, my car is absolutely covered in sand and sticks out. a lot!. i did drive it around tucson a bit and realized i could barely see out the windows, and so i decided to wash it.

and now that it's all clean and shiny ... it looks really weird in mexico.

it's everything you need

life here has been going really well. it's funny - on the drive down here from arizona, it looks so barren compared to the sonoran desert i'm used to, and, at first look, there isn't much around here.

and then you start to look a bit deeper and learn a bit more.

i think i've already said all this, so don't mind my repetition: the northern gulf of california is an extremely unique ecosystem. here in peñasco, we're located near two biosphere reserves - the colorado river delta and pinacate biosphere. the tidal range is 24 feet (vertical feet. at cholla bay, it goes at five MILES during the best tides). the sea here has a very high biodiversity, richness, the tidepooling is fantastic, there are seven estuaries in the area that are part of the pacific migratory route.

i am just ... impressed by what i'm finding. i think i've mentioned that peñasco itself isn't that exciting (i mean, the town has only existed about 100 years), but the area is just fabulous.

at CEDO, our mission is to integrate science and community for the conservation of the upper gulf. and my part of that is to work with visiting groups - academic or casual - who come and stay here at the field station. there have been four groups since i started, and i'm really enjoying it. i love meeting new and interesting people and chatting. CEDO offers a variety of different tours to visit the most impressive places in the area, and i .. just really like communicating to people how cool a place this is. i always said i could teach if i got to work with people who were interested and who wanted to learn, and here i get to do that.

i feel pretty happy with that.

i am feeling happier that i have in a while. i'd been having some serious doubts about my life choices since i graduated from college - especially since brad, the parents, and my friends are all now in boston - but, you know, i think being here is going to be fabulous. i did sign a contract to be here until july 2010, which is a crazy long time for me. even though it makes me a bit scared, i'm also really excited to have so long to really be here.

i promise i'll be better about writing and posting pictures. i must say that i've been doing my best to dive into life here and have therefore kind-of forgotten about blogging. i'll do better - i've got some pretty cool shots of the area that i'll post next time :)

happiness writes white

CEDO is located in a neighborhood called las conchas, about two miles out of the proper centro of peñasco. it's a really nice neighborhood - mostly second homes of people from the states, all gorgeous and white, complete with silly names like "casa de sueños" (house of dreams). it will be interesting to live where i work - but that's really what this job is all about. the beauty of the place makes up for any doubts i might have about not living in town.



[view from my porch]


the water here is currently a bit chilly (at 55F), but come summer it will be up to 90F and there's just miles of gorgeous beach all around here. every night, i walk along the beach to watch the sunset and often see pods of dolphins just offshore.

have i convinced you to come visit yet?

i understand if you want to wait until it's a bit warmer; there's no heating and the walls are fairly thick so the rooms odn't really warm up. i'm usually wearing a sweatshirt and warm socks in the office or in my room - a bit silly when it's in the 70sF in the warm sun. but beware summer - 100F weather with humidity. it'll be a bit rough. rooms do have air conditioning though!

but until you do come visit, here's a brief tour:



[entrance gate]


[main building with firepit. next week, i will move into the tower there on the left - best view in las conchas]


[patio with CEDO tiled pattern]


[visiter center with "earthship construction" - meaning that the building is constructed from old tires and aluminum cans. pretty cool]


[fin whale skeleton. second largest whale in the world and they live right here!]


but to me, what's most surprising about the area is that it feels like you are in the middle of a barren desert. this is the driest part of the sonoran desert, getting less than four inches of rain a year! there is no fresh water source here. the nearby colorado river no longer drains in the sea of cortez thanks to the states' damming and draining efforts. and yet, the biological importance of the area is massive: the upper gulf has fantastically high biodiversity (we get sharks, whales, dolphins, sea lions, sea snakes, the smallest and most endangered cetacean in the world (the vaquita marina), tons of endemic fish species, not to mention all the inverts); the estuaries are home to 140+ species of birds, are considered the third most productive ecosystem in the world; there is a volcanic region nearby that's a designated biosphere (the astronauts trained here before going to the moon). i won't babble on too much, but it's just incredible.