Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Prince of Whales....

Actually I did NOT chose this particular whale watching company with the cutesy name.

But, as promised, here are some pictures from my expedition.

The first few sightings were pretty far away.

But soon, our skipper found us a large pod of killer whales and we darted around and among them.

Man! They displace a LOT of water! Much larger than the Sea World version I had seen before.

These were in a much bigger "tank."

On this high speed tour boat we were issued warm "safety suits."

It was a nice sunny morning but once we cleared the harbour and the throttle was pushed forward, they felt good.

We also were shown where all the life vests and rafts were stored.

Apparently whale watcher captains share among themselves where and what they have found.

The radio stayed busy as we sped south of the island looking for targets.

When you get closer, the Orcas give away their positions as they spray air and water when they come to the surface.

We were told when we can see the tail in the air, the whales are heading into a deep dive and may stay under 8-10 minutes or longer.

When the head pops up, they are doing a "Spy Hop" to check out what's happening on the surface.

I know a lot more about whales now. And seals.

On the return, our boat slowed and drifted close to a small island with a lighthouse.

What had looked like brown rocks from afar, turned out to be huge seals. Hundreds. Moving around and barking.

There was an explanation about migration - some go up to Alaska, others down to Mexico - but apparently the females stay near the newborns and all these guys come back to places like this and near San Francisco.



 I guess our boat coming closer triggered a herd reaction and it seemed that they all dove in at once.

The skipper kept a distance as the barking seals swam our way.

Our several hours at sea were just about to end and I realized that as some point we had wandered in and out of U.S. waters.

My Smartphone lighted up and I could receive emails without being in a Canadian place with WiFi.

The engines were kicked into high gear and we hunkered down in our warm clothing.

We were heading home. (Click on the photos for more details.)

The Canadian adventure was concluding but I still want to share the swaying motion one feels on a long, long, rope suspension bridge.

We stepped out onto the Capilano Bridge after a ferry trip over to North Vancouver and a ride on a city transit bus to a tree-filled dell in the middle of a suburb.

Please stop by again.

We won't leave you hanging. Thanks.

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posted by chuckography @ 8:03 PM 0 Comments

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Hey...a captive audience!

So, I'm relaxing in my seat on the airplane.

It's been an interesting - but tiring - trip across most of Canada on a fantastic railroad adventure and I'm reflecting on the sights I've seen.

I noticed the young girl in the aisle talking to passengers.

Then I saw the flash of a colorful catalog sheet when she held it up. It was for Girl Scout Cookies!

Her clipboard was clutched in her right hand and she was taking orders. At 36,000 feet.

The day before, I had flown down to Seattle from Victoria, B.C. on a float plane. A seaplane.

The pilot told me later he was cruising only at 500-1,500 feet during the 30- minute flight back into the US.

As we passed by the Space Needle I saw a small lake near downtown and realized that was our landing site.

I had seen many sightseeing float planes taking off and landing while I was in Vancouver for two days.

I looked forward to when our "floating aircraft" would lift off the water.

It was smooth as was the landing.

The landing and takeoff zone in Vancouver had been in front of Canada Place.

This is the iconic city convention centre sitting on the harbor.

In Victoria, I had enjoyed views of the famed Butchart Garden but bumped into a bus situation that could have been ugly.

We timed our leisure walk to end just before the 4:10 bus would leave for the 40-minute drive down from north Victoria Island to the capital.

So did about 60 others who were already standing in line.

The city bus filled and pulled out.

15 of us had the option of walking nearly half of a mile to a bus stop outside the garden for the next transport at 5:04. Or, take a cab.

The park closes at 5pm so no more buses could enter. Yikes.

And, yes, it WAS uphill.

Probably both ways.

We were back in the capital in plenty of time for a drink at the Empress Hotel and dinner nearby. The British Columbia Parliament building is outlined in small white lights and was a spectacular sight as the evening darkened.

Yes, there are pictures taken during the Whale Watching boat cruise but let's hold off on that for now.

(Click on the photos for more detail.)

Please come back and continue my Canadian adventure.

If you're thinking about a train trip, look into this one!

(Please click http://photo.meetup.com/687.)

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posted by chuckography @ 7:04 PM 0 Comments