Sunday, May 25, 2008
Kayak camping and paddling with killer whales
It's 10 a.m. and our veteran guide Monica just called in to tell us that she is paddling through the Cone Islands and is on her way to be in a great position to view a family of Orca whales that is traveling south towards her. What a way to start the day! She has been camping with her guests up at Pelican Beach on Cypress Island, and has apparently had a fantastic trip so far. I imagine that kayaking with whales on the last day of the expedition will be a nice climax to an already wonderful experience.
We are enjoying some terrific weather over this Memorial Day weekend. I think the weathermen need to crawl out of their basements and look outside from time to time, they were calling for rain all week long but it has been sunny and warm.....as usual. It always drives me a little crazy that we have meteorologists, living here in the Pacific Northwest, that speak about the possibility of rain as some sort of Apocalyptic event.
Rain, in Washington?! Hide your children, folks, and don't bother looking out the window.
I suppose the need to sensationalize everything is the driving force behind the silly reports we see on the evening news. Here in the San Juans we enjoy more sunny days than most parts of western Washington. So if they are speaking of bad weather on television take it with a grain of salt.
We don't have bad weather here, just unfortunate clothing choices.
We are enjoying some terrific weather over this Memorial Day weekend. I think the weathermen need to crawl out of their basements and look outside from time to time, they were calling for rain all week long but it has been sunny and warm.....as usual. It always drives me a little crazy that we have meteorologists, living here in the Pacific Northwest, that speak about the possibility of rain as some sort of Apocalyptic event.
Rain, in Washington?! Hide your children, folks, and don't bother looking out the window.
I suppose the need to sensationalize everything is the driving force behind the silly reports we see on the evening news. Here in the San Juans we enjoy more sunny days than most parts of western Washington. So if they are speaking of bad weather on television take it with a grain of salt.
We don't have bad weather here, just unfortunate clothing choices.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Kayaking with Whales 2008
Our guide Jeff Porter and his guests are having one of those world-class moments right now. They are out on the west side of Fidalgo Island, on our Burrows Island kayak trip, and are paddling with J-Pod, our favorite local family of Orca whales!
It's a little soggy out there today, but sometimes those hardy souls that brave the elements are rewarded with a unique experience.
Harbor porpoise have been pretty commonly seen recently as well, both on our Deception Pass trips, and out at Burrows Island. I was leading a trip last weekend and had the most incredible porpoise encounter yet. Two females and a young calf surface just a few feet away, and uncharacteristically laid on the surface for several breaths. It was a phenomenal opportunity to get a really great look at these diminutive cetaceans. I'm not sure why they stayed at the surface so long, but I'm glad they did!
This weekend we are conducting the first of two 3-day guide training classes that we hire Body Boat Blade International to teach. These guys are such incredible instructors, we are very lucky that they are headquartered out on Orcas Island. In addition to these 3 day formal classes, we engage our guides in weeks of instruction to ensure that our guests are well taken care of. We're happy to hear that, finally, a few other companies are beginning to see the value of investing in professional guide instruction.
So the weather forecast is looking great for the next week. It's about time! Maybe our time in the Sun has finally come.
It's a little soggy out there today, but sometimes those hardy souls that brave the elements are rewarded with a unique experience.
Harbor porpoise have been pretty commonly seen recently as well, both on our Deception Pass trips, and out at Burrows Island. I was leading a trip last weekend and had the most incredible porpoise encounter yet. Two females and a young calf surface just a few feet away, and uncharacteristically laid on the surface for several breaths. It was a phenomenal opportunity to get a really great look at these diminutive cetaceans. I'm not sure why they stayed at the surface so long, but I'm glad they did!
This weekend we are conducting the first of two 3-day guide training classes that we hire Body Boat Blade International to teach. These guys are such incredible instructors, we are very lucky that they are headquartered out on Orcas Island. In addition to these 3 day formal classes, we engage our guides in weeks of instruction to ensure that our guests are well taken care of. We're happy to hear that, finally, a few other companies are beginning to see the value of investing in professional guide instruction.
So the weather forecast is looking great for the next week. It's about time! Maybe our time in the Sun has finally come.
