"Orcas, dead ahead!"

On Sunday I spent the day visiting the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest just up from Seattle, whale-watching. It was one of the most entertaining and exciting experiences I have had in quite some time. The weather was perfect, the boat's crew were knowledgeable and friendly--and luckily, the orcas were plentiful. This is peak whale-watching season. During the course of the absolutely beautiful afternoon, we observed several different "pods" (groups) of orcas swimming around the islands, and one whale in particular, the reported matriarch of her pod, is said to be 95 years old, born in 1910. There was also a six-month old orca in one of the groups. The remarkable animals swam amazingly close to our boat and to hear them breath through their blow-hole as they passed was something I will never forget.

Click on "San Juan Islands" (above) to visit the island cam. Friday Island is where we arrived and departed via a one hour ferry ride. It was a blast and I will remember it for many years. To see assorted photographs of the area, click here.

We were also fortunate enough to see two American bald eagles and numerous other exotic birds and even some sea lions. If you ever have an opportunity to visit that area, I strongly encourage you to go whale-watching. You will never forget it.