Whales!

Our first destination today was the Klamath River Overlook, reputed to be a good spot for whale and seabird watching. When we arrived, a volunteer whale watcher was recording whale observations and chatting with two women. They pointed and exclaimed about seeing whales blowing and swimming quite near the shore at the mouth of the Klamath River and talked about having to "learn" to see whales--the importance of knowing what to look for. The observer was part of a project to record sightings of whale cows and calves on their northward migration, and she commented on the mother-calf pair she was watching.

The mouth of the Klamath River and its sandspit as seen from the Klamath River Overlook. Today whales were feeding just outside the mouth of the river.

Ken and I looked intently, but could see nothing. How frustrating! The others left, and we stayed patiently staring at the waves and trying to focus our binoculars. Suddenly both of us started to see whales. At least two calves were spy hopping--sticking their heads up to look around. Several times the whales swam up just under the surface and their backs cleared the water. It was as if they were putting on a show for us, and we watched for at least an hour.

Next we went to eat our picnic lunch while watching Roosevelt elk grazing in the meadow in front of us. Actually most of them were lying around lazily.

Our last destination was the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, where a ceremony dedicating the grove to Lady Bird marked the establishment of the Redwood National Park in 1968.

Here's our truck in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove parking lot.

Trillium were blooming at a number of places along the trail in the grove.

For supper we had Sweet Potato Curry With Spinach and Chickpeas over brown rice (interesting, but I doubt I'll make it exactly that way again).