Is That A Whale? (Or should mom step away from the Twizzlers?)

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Another unspeakably beautiful day dawns and we are up and at 'em.  We have a light breakfast and putter around camp a bit.  We can sit in front of the bay and watch for breaching whales and porpoises, but they are not inclined to come close enough for us to get a good look. No matter, today is our whale watching adventure.

We decide to have lunch at camp (don't get excited; it was only sandwiches).  Of course, between Reluctant Charlie and slow moving teens, we end up late and Rob runs ahead, with a full backpack, no less.  As it turns out, lots of people are late also, so no harm done.  We board the Ada C. Lore, a Chesapeake Bay Oyster Schooner built in 1923 and find a seat.  It's supposed to be a three hour tour (I'm sorry if that put the Gilligan's Island theme into your head) so we haven't brought snacks or drinks as we were told we could.  Looking around at the picnic baskets and coolers, I wonder if the others know something we don't.

A 3 hour tour, a 3 hour tour...

5 hours later....

Yes.  Yes those other folks did know something we didn't.  Apparently, those whimsical captains sometimes extend trips on the fly if there is a lot wildlife showing itself.  I look around, envious of the folks around me toasting the sunset with plastic cups of wine and cans of beer.  Also, Charlie is not amused.  

It gets significantly colder as we clear the cliffs and head into open water.  For some reason, the air smells like licorice (No, it is not the Twizzlers.  Those are cherry).  On the bright side, we do see whales, porpoises, eagles and ospreys, as promised.

Thar she blows...actually more of a slow float.

We also see this cool lighthouse called the East Quoddy Lighthouse.  The most photographed lighthouse in the world, we are informed.  That doesn't seem like much of a claim to fame, but I guess with sonar and gps and all the modern technology available to ships these days, you have to take your fame where you can get it.

The last site we see is The Old Sow.  Not the restaurant, but the thing it's named for:  the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere.  It doesn't look like a big drain, like I thought it would.  Instead, it's more like a series of swirls in an unruly circle.  On the way back, we slow down to have a look at an eagle in his nest.  There is a dude on the tour with one of those cameras that has a 3 foot lens on it.  He probably has a better picture of Mr. Eagle.  However, as he is looking through that fancy camera, his toddler is busy getting entangled in the ropes of the sail.  So there. 

When we finally dock, we are all chilled but pretty excited to have seen all the whales and we're also hungry from being out on the high seas all day.  Oh, okay, we're always hungry.  So it's back to the campground for one last lobster feast.  This time, there is no lobster envy for anyone.  Tomorrow:  Nova Scotia!

Charlie gives Eastport his seal of approval.