Hooibergite, Tonalite, Lighthouses and Fishermen

Since we are anchored just off shore, we dinghy into the beach each day to go ashore. Where to leave Squirt while we are off sightseeing and exploring? There is a Fisherman's dock amidst the hotels and we asked permission to tie Squirt up there. So for a small fee of $20 a month, we have a convenient place to leave our dinghy. The nice thing is the dock has 24 hour security and the security guard has agreed to let us leave our bikes just in front of the guard hut.

You see how small their fishing boats are! They head out to sea and come back with a boat full of fresh fish. I am still amazed at how they manage in the waves and the wind!

We took the bikes ashore today and cycled to the northwest end of the island. There we find the California Light house which is a very popular destination for the tour buses. We took a quick snap, and then headed down to the sand dunes, which I thought were far more interesting.

The sand dunes were gorgeous. Soft white sand, plants clinging to the soil growing like small bonsai trees due to the wind and lack of water. Little lizards scurrying by and a few small birds taking shade under the bushes. No one anywhere near by, just the sound of the sea and the wind.

What are those strange looking rock formations on the beach, you say? Well, that's called tonalite.

Time for a geology lesson...

As taken from the Aruba tourist information booklet:

"around 85 million years ago, new volcanic activity underneath the island formed different types of batholiths, which refers to the rocks being formed under the surface of the earth as lava solidifies. The most abundant types of batholiths are Tonalite and Hooibergite. (note: I looked up Hooibergite on Wiki but could not find any mention of it). During millions of years the Aruba lava formation eroded away and slowly these batholiths were exposed."

And it goes on to say, although we haven't seen them yet but I hope to and will post pictures when I can; "Hooibergite is found in the middle of the island. Interestingly enough, the only other places on earth where Hooibergite surfaced are Canada and Iceland.". Well, I'll be darned. I didn't know we had Hooibergite in Canada! And I guess that means they aren't so 'abundant' if they're only found in three places in the world.
Anyhow, it was a great day and nice to get back to the boat for a refreshing swim and a cold beer.