On day twelve of our Pacific Northwest road trip, we had a whale watching excursion planned with Outer Island Expeditions (big thumbs up, by the way!). Since our whale watching expedition didn't start until the afternoon, our day started off nice and slow with a little coffee in the room and then a drive to Orcas Village for a late breakfast/early lunch before heading out on the water.
Orcas Hotel
We decided to try the Orcas Hotel Cafe and Bakery for an early lunch, and thank heavens we did because this is where I discovered a heavenly sandwich (picture below taken from my phone). It was a fresh salmon sandwich with a tarragon coleslaw-type dressing. I don't even know what to say except YUM! I went back two days later for another! Oh, and I also had a beer and it was only 11 AM...but, hey, I was on vacation, right?
A ferry came in while we were eating lunch and we watched what looked to be several hundred school kids get off and get into waiting buses. I wonder where they were going?
After lunch we headed back to Eastsound and over to Smuggler's Village Resort where we met up with Beau and the rest of his crew at Outer Island Expeditions. Beau informed us that there had not been any Orca sightings for a few days and he did not hold out too much hope of seeing any today (*heavy sigh*), but he did say that there were Minke's in the area, so we decided to go ahead and go. After waiting for a few other people who were going out with us, we headed down to the dock to wait for our boat. On the way to the dock, we came upon a few deer by one of the cabins.
Once on the dock, we noticed quite a few jellyfish in the water.
Wow, then came along a jellyfish like I had never seen before. Look at those colors! This was a Lion's Mane Jellyfish and it was very cool-looking...although I hear that their sting is BAD! I think I will stay put on the dock or in the boat and admire them.
The boat arrived and we all hopped aboard. It was a pretty small boat, and we decided to brave it out and sit in the front...which was kind of wet and windy...but also a lot of fun! It was well worth the laughs on the way back when my enormous jacket kept flapping and smacking me in the face. Anyway, I was well-dressed for the occasion with long underwear underneath windproof/rain resistant pants, three top layers and a sweatshirt with a hood, two hats and the HUGE jacket that they provided. Yep, plenty of clothing as you can see below.
We first came across this group of kayakers...looks fun!
Next was a tugboat.
Oh, then came Goose Island lighthouse with a BUNCH of cormorants sitting on a big rock.
The boat kept going and going and going and going, until we finally came across a group of frenzied seagulls. Apparently when whales feed, they chum the ocean so the food comes to the surface and the birds can feed. So, when you see a group of very excited birds that seem to be following something in the ocean...more than likely it's a whale!
Finally, we saw a few Minke whales, unfortunately, they were not that close and they were difficult to capture (photographically speaking), so this photo below is about the best I got. They were still exciting to see!
After watching the Minke's for awhile, it was time to start heading back. We had come a long ways out, so it would also be a long ways back. We stopped to see the sea lions on the return trip.
I loved the birds hanging out on top!
Next, we went by a small island where you could see a bald eagle's nest (below). It was huge!
OH! And there was the female bald eagle. What an incredible bird! The male was also there, but he was more difficult to get a good photo of...he was smaller than the female and he was more hidden in the branches.
Keeping a watchful eye out.
On the way back to Eastsound, the San Juan Islands looked so beautiful and peaceful. I just love their blue silhouettes.
Upon our return to Outer Island Expeditions, we asked Beau to please give us a call if any Orcas were sighted back in the area in the next couple of days. He seemed to think they would be gone for awhile, but said he would give us a call if any were spotted. One could always hope.
We headed back to our hotel to get cleaned up and head over to the New Leaf Cafe one more time. This would be our last dinner there since they were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday nights during the week, and were only there for two more nights. I had the fresh Copper River salmon again and it was still delicious! Walked around a bit after dinner and then had a quiet evening in the room. Tomorrow we were headed to the other side of the island to Obstruction Pass and Moran State Parks. Goodnight Orcas.
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