Blue Giants Rule the Blue Waves
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Blue whales are back!
Winter whale watching. There isn't enough knitted muffler to wrap, over and over, around one's head, neck, chin, and if it can reach, ankles and another other exposed extremities. We know, California. It ain't the Arctic, but if you've gone looking for gray whales in February, well, the word "brisk" comes to mind.
Not that we don't love the bracingness of the excursion, because we do. It feels so very big-wide-open-nature-ish. But come summer, when the blue whales return to tour coastal waters, we leave, with confidence, the muffler in the back closet.
And those gargantuan mammalia have indeed returned, as they always do. To mark the moment, The Aquarium of the Pacific kicked off a twice-daily cruise on July 1 (a tip of the fin to About.com). It's three and a half hours, and we're betting something -- something! -- will be spied from the deck, even if it is of a birdly or seal-like nature.
And that salty, foamy ocean spray. So invigorating. Shall we even say...bracing?
Hello blues, and welcome back to SoCal.
