Hull Canal, Magdalena Bay and the Pacific
After a peaceful night of whale dreaming, we woke to colorful skies at dawn. To the east, clouds streaked across a turquoise sky, blazing first magenta then bright coral and finally golden amber before the sun rose above the horizon. As we watched the day begin, three gray whale cow and calf pairs surfaced gently through the color reflections; the sounds of their blows mingling with the occasional cries of seabirds.
The ship navigated slowly south down Hull Canal accompanied by the antics of bottlenose dolphins. They drew us to the bow and, as they swam in the wave created by the forward movement of the ship, we could see them right below us and hear their occasional breaths and squealing vocalizations.
After breakfast, we kayaked and took Zodiac exploration cruises through mangrove channels lined with their characteristically dense marvels of greenery which somehow manage lush growth from roots almost constantly immersed in saltwater. The mangrove warbler was heard singing in the thick branches and a rather fearless green heron perched just above the water, cooperating entirely with the photographers in the group as it darted it’s beak down to feed on a small fish.
After the kayakers returned to the beach, they let loose in wild new sport of sand jumping which consists of flinging oneself off the top of a steep dune and sliding uncontrollably down. The exuberance that the sport naturally generates sent participants into all sorts of contortions, including a face-plant slide, which made for exciting watching but apparently tasted rather grainy.
During the afternoon, we were still scratching sand out of our hair and ears and eyes but this did not prevent us from thoroughly enjoying a talk given by our fellow guest, wildlife artist Robert Bateman. We were treated to a glimpse of how painting and photography have evolved together and how photography has influenced this world-famous artist’s work.
Toward the end of his engaging talk, we entered the Pacific again with some trepidation. But we fortunately experienced only a few minutes of motion before the ship settled into a smooth ride with the wind at our back.
Before long, blows were sighted and several whales, including a fast-and-furious group of several humpbacks, crossed paths with us as they headed north, perhaps beginning their long migration toward Alaska.
We stood on the bow, watching whale blows, sunset...golden amber, bright coral, magenta...
After a peaceful night of whale dreaming, we woke to colorful skies at dawn. To the east, clouds streaked across a turquoise sky, blazing first magenta then bright coral and finally golden amber before the sun rose above the horizon. As we watched the day begin, three gray whale cow and calf pairs surfaced gently through the color reflections; the sounds of their blows mingling with the occasional cries of seabirds.
The ship navigated slowly south down Hull Canal accompanied by the antics of bottlenose dolphins. They drew us to the bow and, as they swam in the wave created by the forward movement of the ship, we could see them right below us and hear their occasional breaths and squealing vocalizations.
After breakfast, we kayaked and took Zodiac exploration cruises through mangrove channels lined with their characteristically dense marvels of greenery which somehow manage lush growth from roots almost constantly immersed in saltwater. The mangrove warbler was heard singing in the thick branches and a rather fearless green heron perched just above the water, cooperating entirely with the photographers in the group as it darted it’s beak down to feed on a small fish.
After the kayakers returned to the beach, they let loose in wild new sport of sand jumping which consists of flinging oneself off the top of a steep dune and sliding uncontrollably down. The exuberance that the sport naturally generates sent participants into all sorts of contortions, including a face-plant slide, which made for exciting watching but apparently tasted rather grainy.
During the afternoon, we were still scratching sand out of our hair and ears and eyes but this did not prevent us from thoroughly enjoying a talk given by our fellow guest, wildlife artist Robert Bateman. We were treated to a glimpse of how painting and photography have evolved together and how photography has influenced this world-famous artist’s work.
Toward the end of his engaging talk, we entered the Pacific again with some trepidation. But we fortunately experienced only a few minutes of motion before the ship settled into a smooth ride with the wind at our back.
Before long, blows were sighted and several whales, including a fast-and-furious group of several humpbacks, crossed paths with us as they headed north, perhaps beginning their long migration toward Alaska.
We stood on the bow, watching whale blows, sunset...golden amber, bright coral, magenta...
