Whales
I saw whales today. In the ocean. From the beach.
Whales.
At least two of 'em with some porpoises. They swam and swam in the same place for a few hours flipping and bobbing and turning while dozens of surfers sat on their boards in awe and we land-dwellers watched with our mouths agape.
Every fleeting glance of their backs was met with a gasp. An exhaled spray of water was greeted with a cheer. These mammals amazed us.
The eschrichtius robustus, or the Eastern Pacific Gray Whale, travels up and down the coast of California every year to breed in lagoons in the Sea of Cortez. The whales we saw today were headed back up north to Alaska where they spend their summers.
Growing up in the midwest one doesn't get used to the idea of animals in the wild, especially whales. I always loved going to the zoo to watch all different manner of animal interact with its surroundings. Like many zoos, ours had a small group of seals in a glass pool. They had a rock for sunning themselves but the real fun came from watching their bodies glide smoothly and easily through the water.
A trip the zoo was a trip to every continent of the world. It was a glance into worlds that would otherwise be unknown to me. Even the rural midwest has few creatures left. In the big city of Peoria where I grew up wildlife meant deer, raccoons, snakes, and bugs. While I love seeing these creatures out wandering, managing to make due in our ordered world of food production of urban planning, the zoo was an entirely different matter. Without the zoo I would never be able to see lions and that means something to me.
But in the last few years I've begun to see these creatures unexpectedly in the wild. While kayaking in Maine last summer, Julie and I caught a glance of a porpoise and some seals. At the beach here in California a few months ago with my mom we saw pairs of dolphin or porpoise dorsal fins heading out to sea.
What I saw today trumps it all. We went to the beach today to relax in what nature can be had a short ride from the city, out past Malibu, at Point Dume State Beach. After hours of reading and relaxing we came upon this amazing spectacle without warning. There they were, whales. Whales just doing their thing in the ocean that belongs to them.
Incredible!
-1 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Whales.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.samfelder.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/198
3 Comments
Leave a comment
Who is this guy?
Sam. Remember me? I am Anthony's friend whom you met in Santa Barbara county. I sent you an email but did not get a reply. Did you get me email? Can you send me one with the right email address? B-T-W, if you want to see some whales you must come to San Diego to Point Loma and see them during migration. It's a pretty awesome sight. Also, when I get out of the shower, officials from Sea World often appear.
Marty
I see wild rabbits in my yard in West Peoria almost every day. Not so impressive compared to whales, huh? Then again, I suppose if I want a glimpse of some local "marine life" I could cruise down to the riverfront to see what varieties of dead fish are floating near the shore. Gotta love that ol' Illinois River...
I love seeing animals in their natural habitats. I guess that I have never resolved my ambivalence about zoos. I've enjoyed seeing some animals in zoos, but I often feel sad about their confinement. We often see deer on our hikes at the Nature Center, and I feel a sense of wonder every time.