I went into the same remote area of Mexico's Pinacate Biosphere Reserve a dozen times during this assignment, and each time I learned something new. I flew my ultralight there the first few times to explore different aspects of the reserve's physical geography. Then on subsequent trips, I photographed its wildlife. At night I found rattlesnakes along with scorpions that fluoresce under ultraviolet light.
I also returned there in different seasons to look at the flora. After three years of visits in the spring wet season, I finally caught the reserve in full bloom following one of the biggest rains it had seen in more than ten years. What was usually rolling sand dunes with sparse, dry vegetation had been transformed into a carpet of incredibly fragrant flowers. But three days later, they were all gone. Caterpillars had eaten them up.
Every time I went back, the reserve was a totally different place, a testament to the dynamism of its fragile environment. |
I was photographing whales and their calves playing in a lagoon on the Baja coast when my ultralight's motor stopped. I was about 500 feet (152 meters) up, and I knew it was futile to try restarting the engine. I tried to make my way to the beach, but I ended up landing in the water just 50 yards (46 meters) away from shore. My friend Alain Arnoux was following me in a boat and pulled me out of the water before I could sink, but it was a very expensive disaster. I destroyed my motor, cameras, radio, altimeter, and most of my lenses. |
I photographed wildlife in the Sonoran Desert at the hottest, driest time of the year. The animals are very well adapted to the heat, but I was not. In June, it can get up to 115°F (46°C) in the shade. And at night, it never really got below 100°F (40°C), so I slept outside on a raised cot with just a sheet for cover. So, to cool off at midday, I'd drive a few miles to an irrigation canal for a dip. I didn't check the water for purity. All I cared about was that it was cool and moving.
At one point I was getting so little sleep because of the heat, the long days, and the short nights that I went to the only restaurant in the nearest town for a midday break. After lunch, it was too hot to sleep in the shade, and, while there was no hotel in town, the restaurant was air-conditioned. So I asked if I could sleep on the floor of their women's restroom. It was out of order but cooler than the bench outside. It was kind of embarrassing to go up to the manager and say, "Excuse me, but I work for National Geographic. Can I sleep on the floor of your ladies room?" But relief from exhaustion made it worth the embarrassment. I got a good hour and a half of sleep and recharged the batteries of my laptop at the same time.
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