Today was the last day of gray whale watching. Guests and naturalists boarded expedition landing craft very early in the morning, and we soon discovered up to 14 cow and calf pairs at Boca de la Soledad, the northern entrance to the Magdalena coastal lagoon. Several individuals were just swimming and diving around the boats; some breeched, spy-hopped, and even lifted their heads. But later some approached us and we were able to reach out and touch them! As the morning progressed and the tide came up, it was time for us to make it back to the boat, and for the whales, time to continue their daily exercise and nursing of the babies. All of us said goodbye to these gentle creatures. In the afternoon we visited the Pacific side of Magdalena Island, called Santa Maria Bay, and its beautiful shore known as Sand Dollar Beach, where we found sand dunes, interesting vegetation, and an endless number of sand dollars and shells.