Mystery Photos Revisited

We received many responses to Friday’s Photo of the Day quiz. The most popular answer was Lake Powell, on the state line of Arizona and Utah. "I know it’s not exotic but sometimes you guys are pretty sneaky-sneaky," wrote David Gauny of Ventura. He’s correct that the location is not exotic, but it’s not Lake Powell. A similar guess was Lake Mead, NV, which got several votes.

"This looks like it could be the Scorpion anchorage on Santa Cruz Island at sunrise or shortly after," suggested Mark Lavander. "If there is a light cloud cover at sunrise, the island takes on a golden hue that is beautiful. Pictures do not do it justice." The photo evoked Santa Cruz Island for a couple of other folks as well.

Other suggestions included various locations in the Sea of Cortez and Baja; Valle Gran Rey, Isla de Gomera, Canary Islands; Lana’i, HI; Greece; the Panama Canal, Suez Canal or Corinth Canal; and "The Grand Canyon after the last flood."

Kristen Soetebier’s email was the first to identify the correct answer. "I recognized the cliffs." Her significant other, Rob Macfarlane, has a similar picture of his N/M 45 Tiger Beetle with cliffs in the background but a little farther away. "His photo always reminded me of Baja locations and didn’t look like NorCal at all."

Soetebier also recognized the photographer’s name. "I looked closer to determine the boat was indeed Perseverance. I was pretty positive that it had to be Drake’s Bay, because I know Jeff goes up there a lot. I also remember remarking how close he anchors to the shore."

"One weekend, we were there with Perseverance, which was anchored very close to shore," recalled Kristen, "and we dinghied over while it was still light out for drinks and food, and we had so much fun that we stayed until late. By that time it was pitch black and so foggy, maybe only a few feet of visibility, and we had to cross all the way over a good part of the bay to nearer the Fish Pier where Beetle likes to be. Jeff lent us a headlamp, but all it did was illuminate the super-thick fog more brightly. Thankfully, I had brought my handheld GPS with me, having marked Beetle’s location, and we ultimately used that to get back."

We received dozens upon dozens of responses to the identity of the ‘Mystery Ship’ photo in the October 24 ‘Lectronic. Many of them were correct, particularly as the boat had been berthed in Berkeley over the summer. Others were incorrect, identifying the boat as David Crosby’s Maya, Mayan or even Southern Cross. "We’ll give everybody a few weeks to think it over," said the Grand Poobah at the start of the Baja Ha-Ha.