CLIPPING ALONG: Today was a looooong but fun day. We finally cashed in some Living Social vouchers we had for a boat trip and whale watching excursion to the San Juan Islands aboard a Victoria Clipper vessel. Pictured above, it was a sweet ride, indeed. :)We knew boarding started at 6:45, so we wanted to be getting our boarding passes before then, as early meant better/window seats. We were up at 5:50 and left home at 6:20. We did get there early enough to get a nice window table that became our home for most of the next 5+ hours - three hours from the Seattle waterfront to Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island.
On our way out of town, we passed our neighborhood. Here's the moorage we frequently jog/bike down to, where the restaurant Maggie Bluff's is also located.
The lighthouse at Discovery Park, in our backyard (pretty much).
Here we are, leaving Seattle behind - at least for the day.
It was about a three hour boat ride up the sound, between the mainland and Whidbey Island. We took a left at Deception Pass and went under the bridge, between Fidalgo and Whidbey islands.
The currents were strong here, with whirlpools in spots.We docked at Friday Harbor, a few people got off, a few got on and then we were back out on the water, in search of orcas.
The naturalist on board (Stephanie, who was AWESOME) said she'd heard the J Pod was in the area today and promised us that we'd see whales. And that we did, in Haro Strait.
As we made our way home, naturalist Stephanie made the rounds offering to help try to ID whales by their dorsal fins. I showed her this picture, and we believe they are Tahlequah, Double Stuff, Rhapsody, Oreo and Blackberry.
We also saw several eagles today. Here, just to the left of the column, there is a big eagle's nest on the ground.
And below is a bald eagle in a tree, in Deception Pass.
Other wildlife spotted included a couple of harbor seals who did a nice job of blending into the boulders along the shoreline.
And we got a glimpse of a couple of Dall's porpoises (which looks like a mini version of an orca).
The naturalist on board (Stephanie, who was AWESOME) said she'd heard the J Pod was in the area today and promised us that we'd see whales. And that we did, in Haro Strait.
As we made our way home, naturalist Stephanie made the rounds offering to help try to ID whales by their dorsal fins. I showed her this picture, and we believe they are Tahlequah, Double Stuff, Rhapsody, Oreo and Blackberry.
We also saw several eagles today. Here, just to the left of the column, there is a big eagle's nest on the ground.
And below is a bald eagle in a tree, in Deception Pass.
Other wildlife spotted included a couple of harbor seals who did a nice job of blending into the boulders along the shoreline.
And we got a glimpse of a couple of Dall's porpoises (which looks like a mini version of an orca).We also saw a number of lighthouses today, including this one on the east side of Kitsap Peninsula.
And right now, I can't recall where this lighthouse was (I should have taken notes, darn it!)
As we were closing in on Seattle, Stephanie, the naturalist, asked the kids if they'd like to visit the bridge. Yes, please!
And right now, I can't recall where this lighthouse was (I should have taken notes, darn it!)
As we were closing in on Seattle, Stephanie, the naturalist, asked the kids if they'd like to visit the bridge. Yes, please!Annabelle took a couple of photos there (I'll post those tomorrow). Here's a shot of them next to the captain (you see mostly a hooded CJ; Annabelle is in front of him- you can see her hand on a camera). 
Lots more photos and stories to share, but I'm calling it quits for the night. I'm beat and I feel like I'm still on a boat - the desk is listing slightly to and fro. :o
Lots more photos and stories to share, but I'm calling it quits for the night. I'm beat and I feel like I'm still on a boat - the desk is listing slightly to and fro. :o
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