Whale Watchers, Kite Fliers, Surfers, Dog Walkers, and Sand Castle Builders

It is spring break!  The tourists have descended on our quiet little beach town.  The traffic has slowed to a crawl along the one major thoroughfare through town, restaurants have long lines of people waiting to sample clam chowder, and the shops are crowded and noisy, and Safeway runs out of milk, cereal and donuts.

Our seven miles of pristine beaches are the main reason people visit our little tourist town, though.  Many times we can walk a mile or more on our beach and never encounter another human.  But during spring break week, the beach comes alive with whale watchers, kite fliers, sunbathers, dog walkers, smash-ball players, surfers, sand castle builders, hole diggers, rock hounds, and shell seekers.  I love it.  The people watching just doesn't get any better!

Donning my earmuffs, gloves, coat, and beach shoes I head for the beach looking the part of a local--someone who knows how to enjoy the beach even with the bite of the wind or an occasional spatter of rain.  Ready for people watching during this spring break week.

The tourists (kids, teenagers, adults) also look their part-- exposed legs and arms bright red after a screamingly cold dip in a 45 degree ocean or a brief moment of sunbathing, beach gear galore from buckets and shovels to umbrellas and towels, rented wetsuits with boogie boards or surf boards dutifully strapped on ankles--all ready for a day at the beach. 

Then there are the dogs.  I think for a dog the beach is like Disneyland--one of the happiest places on earth!  There is so much room to run and run and run and run and splash in the ocean and roll in the sand!  Dogs of every shape, size, and color chase balls and frisbees of every shape, size, and color. 

Won't you join us?  It is spring break on the Oregon coast!  The best place on earth!

Breakfast with the Whales

This morning my husband I were treated to bright blue sky, dark blue ocean, and the sun glinting off the stark white surf!  All this magnificence on the Oregon Coast in late December!  This is an is courtesy of unexpected and glorious Christmas gift for all of us beach dwellers.

As we sat enjoying our breakfast while relishing the clear blue sky and the ocean views, we were treated to yet another unexpected and happen-chance sight:  the spouts of whales just off shore!  There must have been a pod of whales enjoying their breakfast at the same time as we were enjoying ours.  Needless to say, we lingered over our eggs and toast just a bit longer than usual.  The whales, judging by the movement of the spouts, seemed to linger over their breakfast a bit too, before moving onto the work of their day.

So the whales (probably gray whales) are making their annual migration from the cold Alaskan waters to the warm waters of Baja just in time for "Whale Watch Week" along the Oregon Coast.  Isn't it great that they timed everything so perfectly.

Gray Whale

Welcome tourists to the Oregon Coast.  Enjoy "our" whales. 

Orcas! Starboard!

Was it a pod, a pair, or only one?  All I know is that when the captain of the ferry boat I was taking between Seattle and Bremerton, said over the loudspeaker, “Orcas starboard”, I thought the ferry was going to roll onto its side.  

Whale watching in the Puget Sound, and all along the Washington and Oregon coasts for that matter, is a common activity.  Whales, usually gray whales, travel the Pacific Coast in their bi-annual migrations between Baja and Alaska providing tourists and locals alike the opportunity to “see a whale”, the largest mammal on the planet. 

Gray Whale

As a Oregon coast local, I know that actually “seeing” a whale is pretty rare even though there are numerous “Whale Watching Stations” and “Whale Watching Week Activities” (December 26-31, 2011 is the next one) throughout the year designed to give the tourist (and local whale watching guides) the thrill of “finding Waldo” in the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean.  Usually the very fortunate whale watcher is lucky to see a whale spout—a plume of air rising from the surf.   

Intrepid whale watch guides in those dedicated whale watching centers dutifully and faithfully “count” the whales on a daily basis.  These people are sometimes more fortunate than the tourist in “seeing” a whale.  They may actually see the hump as the whale surfaces briefly to breathe, or once in a very great while, they may see the tail or wonder of wonders, they may have the thrill of seeing a whale breach.   Of course these are the sightings one might expect from the safe reaches of the shoreline.

Breaching whale!  Amazing!

There are opportunities to get closer to these giants, though.  Many companies offer whale watching cruises and tours in boats large and small.  Tours that take you where the whales might be on a given day for that up-close and personal encounter.

Or, there are always the ferries playing their way back and forth across Puget Sound.  Maybe that is really the best way not to just “see the whales”, but see the resident Orca whales of that part of the world.  An amazing sight whether you are a local or a tourist from afar!  “Orcas starboard!”