The first several days of Spring Break, my entire family trekked out to the Oregon Coast to spend a few days in close-proximity to each other, while enjoying the classic Oregon weather at the beach. Okay, that makes it sound like it was an awful time. Really, it wasn't. It was full of memories that harken back to my days as a kid. Years have passed since we have been able to spend this much time together as an entire family, and I thoroughly enjoyed, not only getting to spend extended time with my fiance, but also the chance to get to know my siblings better in their new roles as spouses and parents. The three children under 3 were great entertainment, and made us all play a little more than we might have been inclined to do without them. Meals were spent gathered around the table (two joined tables actually- as is sometimes necessary with twelve people) sharing stories and homemade meals. Frequent trips were made down to the beach so that the little ones (and the big ones) could see the "sand, ocean, beach!" as my young niece declared. However, the stories of holding and making my 2-month old nephew smile or how confusing it is for the Tillamook Cheese Factory to deal with an order of 12 ice cream cones (or is it more confusing for those ordering?) are not the stories that this blog post is supposed to be about. It is in fact, just the introduction to how my fiance and I ended up whale watching.
Spring Break in Oregon happens to correspond with the official spring whale watching week on the coast. This is the time when those that "speak" whale watching volunteer to man several sites along the Oregon coast to help you spot whales during two specific weeks of the year (one in March and one in December). You can find a list of whale watching sites here: http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PARKS/WhaleWatchingCenter/pages/watch_sites.aspx
The state of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department site has several resources related to whale watching. The only problem is that the volunteers are only at the sites from 10am until 1pm, which did not correspond well with either of my trips out to the beach during the week of Spring Break. Nevertheless, when the fun with the family at the beach ended, Aaron and I decided that we were not quite ready to head straight home (not having babies that needed naps or consistent feeding/diaper change schedules), so we drove down the coast and sidetracked to the Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint. We watched for a while, sin binoculars, and then did a little bit of light hiking to see the Octopus Tree and several different viewpoints from the lighthouse as well as the overlooks. No whales were seen, not by us without binoculars, nor by those who were carrying binoculars (although I was watching them closely as well for the tall-tale signs of whale spotting).
It was a slight disappointment, although I probably wouldn't have seen much detail way out in the ocean without something to make the image larger (i.e. binoculars). I think what was really frustrating to me was that without the volunteers I didn't know what I was looking for, how far out to look, or to have anyone to answer my myriad questions that arose while I was gazing out at the beautiful blue ocean (we were blessed with a lovely day at the Oregon coast that day). I wasn't even sure that I was whale watching. Aaron thought the contrary and told me, just because we didn't see whales, does not mean we didn't go whale watching. It is true. You can go fishing without catching a fish, and you can go whale watching without ever seeing a whale. So, yes, technically, this one can be crossed off the list. However, next year I would like to make sure and make it out to a viewpoint with a volunteer during one of the official migrating weeks. That way I can be more likely to see a whale. And perhaps I will still need to make another trip this spring (soon) out to Depoe Bay where the official Whale Watching Center is- with whale watching experts available year-round. For some reason, just going whale watching is not enough, but I guess I wasn't that specific in my list making, so...#20 is sort-of-officially,-at-least-in-theory crossed off the list.
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