A Whale of a Tail

Don’t fall over in shock.  Here it is 2010 and I will finally finish telling of our empty nest vacation.
We drove through some of the less beautiful parts of California.  So I napped, thus taking no photos of our journey.
Where did we end up?  In Monterey.  Our hotel was right by this:

We decided to take a stroll to the famous Cannery Row which wasn’t too far away. 
We found a restaurant overlooking the bay to have dinner.  We even had a dinner guest!
This gull was seriously close enough to touch! 
That night was the night the lights went out in Monterey.  So we could not set our alarms or prepare for our early departure the next morning.  That makes it hard to get a restful night of sleep!
Our plan for the next morning was to go on this beauty:
We were easily the first whale watchers to show up but the last to board the boat.  (Something about that doesn’t seem right, but there were people who felt they were entitled to decent seats which we did not ever get to sit in.)
Our quest: to find us some awesome whales.  We weren’t sure the day before if we would get to go due to an incoming storm, but the crew decided things were A okay.
Off we went and and after journeying out a ways (so I can’t remember all the details anymore) some blue whales were spied by the crew (who got to be above us all and therefore could see lots more than us common folk.) 
This was unfortunate turn of events for me.  Blue whales are HUGE but are seriously hard to see despite their massive size.  They pop up for a moment then then take a swim for 10 minutes or so.  No one knows when or where they might come up.  So it was decided that we MUST see them.
Imagine being on a boat in not the calmest seas with a crummy seat.  One tip to avoid sea sickness is to watch the horizon which is difficult if the horizon keeps disappearing (rocking back and forth on the swells).  It also helps to sit at the back of the boat (where there were no available seats.)  So I depended on the ginger candy they were handing out and found a spot to park myself on the side of the boat.  I had no plans of moving.  (BTW, I don’t tend to get seasick.  At least I did not lose my stomach contents like some did.)
Sadly this is where a couple decided to hang out on and off.  First they were quite amorous.  (awkward) Later on they had a huge fight.  (awkward) And then she decided to inform him loudly of all the ways he needed to change.  (awkward) When you are feeling nauseous, this does NOT help improve how you feel.  Possibly it made it worse.
So after lots of time chasing the blue whales they (who knows who decides this stuff)  decided to move on.
We finally got to see something we could all see.  There were some humpback whales including a baby.  They don’t swim away when you get semi-close.  They were eating (so we were told. . .even though we could not see all the krill they kept pointing out from their perches up high.)
I did take a picture and it’s more than likely the humpback whales because those darn blue whales were not very cooperative!
Paul loved the whole trip.  He not only got to see some amazing whales, but he picked up some more birds (sea birds are tough to get unless you go out to see) to put on his life list.
 
This was my view of him most of our adventure. 
Because they spent so much time chasing the blue whales, the trip took a lot longer than advertised.  And we still had a long drive home ahead of us!
We had a great time (though my knees were wobbly for a few days after) but were so glad to be home.