** This thread discusses the Content article:
Whale Watching near San Juan Islands **
With money running tight we have tried to pare down our activities to things that we really won't be able to see or do from home. For example, we wanted to go rock climbing, but it was expensive for the whole family. We should be able to find cliffs and a climbing instructor closer to home, so maybe we can do that later. Same thing with white water rafting, although I have to say I was pretty bummed about that one. I planned for us to follow behind Lewis and Clark, and the Snake River was the perfect place to do it. But, there are plenty of places to go white water rafting close to home. What we can't find in Tennessee, though, are whales.
We decided to take a whale watching cruise
out around the San Juan Islands, hoping to see some spectacular views
of some really big sea creatures. The trip, however, was more boat
ride than whale watching, and for the budget tourist I would not
recommend it. We rode the boat for 6 hours and spent about 30 minutes
watching three orcas play. They would porpoise to the surface 3 or 4
times to get a breath of air, then dive back underwater for 15 minutes
or so before coming back up. They got fairly close to the boat once,
but only briefly, and then the captain turned us around and headed back
to the harbor. All in all, it was a long day and I was glad we brought
our own snacks, water and the Skip-Bo cards. My advice...instead of
whale watching, spend your time hiking in Olympic National Park - like the Hoh Rain Forest . Can't find that in Tennessee either and you won't have to wait 4 hours to see something cool!
(Pictures in the gallery)
