Whale report

Island adventures, (the whale watching tour we took)posted this as their whale watching report for the date we went.  I thought I would share. Enjoy:)

 

Friday, June 3, 2011

Humpback and numerous minkes!

Today was a wonderful day on the water! We spent quality time with a humpback whale south of Constance Bank and multiple minkes throughout the day! We also saw some California sea lions and turkey vultures! A more detailed report to come...

Our day started out with a California sea lion hauled out on the Guemes Channel marker. We continued south down Rosario Strait where we saw a lot of harbor porpoise swimming in the currents. At the south end of Colville Island, we saw numerous harbor seals hauled out as well as a few black oystercatchers. We headed east out toward Hein Bank, where Captain Michael found us our first minke whale of the day! We found him the same time we got a call about a humpback out off of Constance Bank. We got a few great looks at the minke, but then we were off. As we were leaving Hein Bank, there was one California sea lion hauled out on the southern Hein Bank marker and another one in the water, trying to get up. He eventually made it, but only to fall off again... It was a little run to get to where the humpback was, but it was well worth it. As we got on scene, he was headed west (away from where we were) but he turned back towards us and eventually just made a big circle around the boat! He was maintaining a fairly rhythmic breathing sequence, about 5 or 6 shorter dives before he went down for his longer dive (about 6 minutes). We had some amazing looks and could even hear him exhale as he came to the surface. We were also treated to his fluke every time he went on a deep dive! Eventually, we had to head back home. Not before we found four more minke whales at Hein Bank! They were everywhere! It was wonderful, we even got a little smell of those stinky minkes! We did a nice little slow down through the south end of Lopez Island and found four turkey vultures soaring high above the island. We saw more porpoise on our way home and even found a couple more "crazy" wildlife sightings. We had a couple of those wild humans on jet skis, who really enjoyed playing in our wake! All in all, it was a fantastic day! Another doubleheader for the record book!

Seattle trip

Thursday June 2nd - On our first day we walked around the city.  Sara and I had the darnedest time locating the Space Needle.  For many of you this will produce a knowing smile on your faces, I don’t always have the best sense of direction-without a map anyway.  We were about to go for higher ground when Sara turned me around and shouted “THERE IT IS!”  This produced a long group of giggles from both of us.  Our laughing and realization also amused a group of military men waiting at a near by dock.  For the rest of the trip, “there it is” was our catch phrase.

Really cool sculpture we saw while walking near the piers.

That evening we went to a Italian restaurant and went to be at 8:30p (10:30p WI time).  We were tired.

Friday June 3rd- Our whale watching tour.  We drove an hour and half north to Anacortes, WA.  This time of year is typically where tours see Minke and Orca whales.  Sea otters, Seals and Porpoises are also very common to see this time of year.

About an hour out we saw a Minke.  It was a short sighting as we where still pretty close to shore.  Our captain got word of a Humpback about an hour out, which is very rare for this time of year.  Humpbacks are only recently back to the area and have only been known to migrate in the Fall.

After checking no one would have conflicts with later plans we headed for Canadian water.  We were the second boat to arrive at this spot.  It was amazing!  The best part was when the Humpback would dive deep,  you could tell when it would do this because the arch in his back around become more predominant and then you saw his dorsal fin. 

After the viewing we had to head back as we were 3.5 hours from shore.  On the way back in we saw 3 “Stinky Minkes” they do not actually live in pods but will swim and hunt together on occasion.  So one would start to surface, and then the others would follow in random patterns.  You never knew which side of the boat to be on because they would change so often. 

Through out the tour we saw otters, seals and porpoises.  That night we again went to bed very early:)

Saturday June 4th - We went to the Space Needle, no trouble finding it after that first day:).  The view of city, mountains and water was great.  You could see Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and the Olympic mountains as well. 

We also did a more detailed exploration of Pikes Market and ate a restaurant where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan filmed scenes for Sleepless in Seattle. 

 We also stopped at the wrong 1st Starbucks, took several pictures and then a kind woman told us that we were at the wrong one and directed us t the correct one.  (Notice the difference in pictures and signs). 

Wrong Starbucks:)

First Starbucks:)

Later that afternoon we went on the underground tour of Seattle.  Interesting how muddy everything was back then.  I highly suggest the tour if you visit.  We weren’t allowed to take pictures on the tour. 

Sunday June 5 - Wine tasting tour. After being picked up at our hotel we headed for the

Novelty Hill/Januik Winery. 

There we were able to pick fur wines to sample for a list of about 12.  There I bought a bottle of Syrah wine. 

From there we headed to the Columbia winery where we sampled six more wines, a mix of reds and whites.  There I bought a bottle of Riesling.  Sara and I both were amazed we finally found a white wine we liked. 

Lunch had several eating options or a chance to do more sampling at Ste. Michelle winery.  We opted for the “liquid lunch” and tasted 8 more wines there.  We shared 4 red  and 4 white tastings.  After, we picnicked a bit with some cheese and crackers.

In the afternoon our guide took us on a scenic tour through the mountains.  We saw flower gardens (the ones these sell for you to place on your kitchen table), several views of Mount Rainier - this again is rarer because it is typically overcast.  Only 20% of all visitors get to see it that clearly.  We also stopped at the waterfalls and lastly at a chocolate shop where they still hand make all their chocolates. 

Monday June 6th- We slept in a bit and walked around the city.  We went to the Seattle Aquarium where we became fascinated by the sea otters and the giant octopus.  We had lunch near pioneer square where the city started, burned down and was built up again.  That evening we listen to a New Orleans style jazz band.  Later we headed back to our hotel to get ready for the trip home.

Throughout the trip we tried a few restaurants a friend recommended, Icon Grill, black bottle and of course: STARBUCKS!  We also did room service, where they made some great sushi.  When I say “sushi” I typically eat the California rolls which don’t have the raw fish, it’s veggies. 

Tuesday June 7th-  we took the lite rail back to the airport, made the four hour flight home and made it safe. 

Tired but happy that the trip turned out so well

We truly were bless with great weather.  There was no rain all of our trip even though it was predicted before we went.  All the locals were saying how fortunate we were to have such nice sunny "warm" weather.  Over all it was a great time:)