Bahia Salinas

I had intended to stop at the much closer Puerto Balandra after I left Honeymoon Cove, but its exposure to wind with a westerly component discouraged me.  I bit the bullet and continued all the way around the north end of Isla Carmen to the "back" side into Bahia Salinas.  Bahia Salinas is a large bay sheltered from the north, west and east.  Northers do, however, blow through the low pass that is home to a large natural salt pond.  In fact, there is so much salt that a large salt mining operation was active here until the mid-1980's.  Many of the buildings and much of the machinery now remain in decay and make for some interesting exploration.  The salt pond is also quite scenic in a strange way.  The beach combing was interesting too.
After a couple of days of rest and exploration, it was off to Caleta San Juanico...although I didn't exactly end up there either.

Looking south toward Punta Lobos at the north end of

Isla Carmen.

Entering Bahia Salinas and looking for

a place to drop the anchor you need to

stay well clear of this buoy.  It marks

the sunken wreck of a large tuna boat

that is no longer visible.

Looking toward the old salt works and the low

pass at the back of the bay.

Dinghy ashore for exploration.  Oh yeah, just another

deserted white sand crescent beach, too.

The pelicans found nice roosts on all

the left-over pilings.  Circadian in the

background.

All that is left of the old salt works pier

The old pilings now claimed by the local

pelicans.

The road from the salt pond to beachfront site of the old

mining operation

Remnants of the old salt mining operation are 

scattered around the area.

The old buildings are crumbling in place under the endless

onslaught of wind, sun and storms.

The ruins reveal fascinating details about how the  buildings

were constructed in this remote and harsh environment.

In this case, real adobe that incorporate straw.

There are a couple of resident caretakers on sight, and

this is there well-kept church.  It's just as isolated as it

looks.

Prize for best caption?

Looking through the ruins toward the

salt pond.

Some of the machinery left near the

salt pond.  Used to pull the mine cars

on the little railroad?

The salt pond is a very harsh environment, but it 

provides opportunities for creatures in the right

ecological niche.

A bit of structure left near the salt pond.

But it all eventually yields to nature.

The strange landscape of the salt pond

A mushroom of salt (not quite a pillar!)

Sunset over Bahia Salinas

Landing the dinghy the second day on the north beach.

The north beach was steep and rocky.

Looking west toward the mining ruins in the background.

Looking southeast.  The abandoned light tower

can be seen on the point.

The old light tower silhouetted at sunset as seen

from Circadian.

While there were a lot of shells on the beach,

they were almost always damaged.

Getting banged around on the rocks by the waves

breaks most shells.

But somehow the skeleton of this starfish remained intact.

Snake skeleton, less head?

The salt pond came nearly to the ocean on this side.

Despite the water flow, it was still clearly

a very harsh place.

Yet even here, certain plants and animals

found a way to survive.

But most were small and not very attractive!

Even the local fiddler crabs found life here tenuous.