Operation: "Whale Watch"

Thursday, May 28

"TO THE SHIPS!" Gill and I chanted throughout the day and it became a bit of a theme for our Thursday without us yet realizing it. (For those trivia folks of you out there, indeed that is a reference to the Peter Pan musical...which I proudly have on my iPod).

Jolting ourselves out of the house on this morning, Gillian and I gave sufficient time to make it to the San Diego Whale Watch business where there were plenty of people waiting around, telling us instantly that this mission was happening.

Area where we waited to board

 We took our spots on the ship and headed out into the west. Almost immediately we were able to spot wildlife, a mama seal and her two pups taking in a tan on the bait slip.

Once the boat picked up a little speed, Gill and I took our positions on the port side, allowing the wind and the sea spray to touch our faces.

Of course, at one point we experienced a Sea-World splash zone wave, so we proceeded to back off from the side of the ship to warm up again.

For the first half hour or so there wasn't much to see except for the beautiful shore until...

An enormous bait cloud rose to the surface bringing hundreds of birds, dolphins, and seals to feast.

The dolphins surrounded the boat. They were flying into the air, racing with the boat and having as good a time as we were watching them.

As you can see, there was much rejoicing. It was a spectacular event on the seas, something that I had never before seen.

Alas, at the end of the tour, there were no whales spotted, but given that we experienced our own live version of National Geographic, it was absolutely worth the wait.

Our ship eventually headed back to shore, leaving Gill and me with hungry bellies. So we returned to In-N-Out for Gill's second burger and shake.

We took our food up to one of the most incredible locations in San Diego - Presidio Park, a historical Mission site that overlooks most of our town.

Some of the best views of paradise may be made up there where we took our picnic. We walked around the lighter trails and took in every ounce of the peace that is Presidio.

The sights and sounds were wonderful. But it was time to travel once more, though this time, not in the Snaggletooth. We hopped aboard the red trolley and headed south to the Little Italy County Center stop, on our way to the ships!

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is an absolute treasure in our harbor. With historical tall ships, two submarines, the state's flag ship and a movie star, if you have any slight interest in sailing or maritime history, this is your museum. It is a place where you can become your own master & commander...

Hoist and stow cargo onto the vessel of your choice,

Contemplate serious sailing issues...

Hoist the colors,

Spy on enemy vessels,

Bid farewell to loved ones back on shore,

Defend one's homeland,

And last, but certainly not least, enjoy the richness of life celebrated decades ago.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is an incredible living history museum where you really can touch and interact with many varying aspects of sailing and life on the seas. Gill and I had a great time running around, pretending to be elitists and submariners.

 

Looking snobby in the Medea, the last of the Edwardian vessels

Coming out of the Soviet Submarine

Honestly, think to yourself, how often have you ever gotten to play on a Soviet submarine?

It was a phenomenal way to spend the afternoon. We sat on the Star of India, our 151 year old Iron Lady, and the Californian, our State ship, for over a half an hour each, just taking in the sun setting over the harbor and watching the ships go by.

After our boots were filled with seawater, we walked back to the trolley (trying to make our $5 day passes earn their weight in our wallets), so to go to Sea Port Village. While there, Gill and I walked around the Embarkadero to watch the man with all of the domesticated birds and to admire the art of the Henna stand. We walked around the shops and fountains, Gill made friends with the locals along the way.

Again, note our nautical themes...

We headed to Edgewater Grill for a bite and a sip, and the sips turned out to be much heavier than anticipated, but it was a good time.

Thanks Bartender Shane!!!

The sunset was too beautiful for us to miss, so Gill and I paid our bill then rushed out to capture the commencement of the night. 

From there we went to see Bob Hope.

Wheeere's Gill?

Our kitchy statue - take that, LA

And to see the beautiful monuments to commemorate our service men & women.

We ate at the Fish Market and had some incredible food, but then we realized just how exhausted we were. There was one last day for Gillian in the big SD, so we wanted to be properly rested up for our last day of adventures. 

To see Gillian's whale of a tale, a whale of a tale or two, (totally a reference to a Disney movie - can anyone guess which???), go check out her website https://memoirsofawayfarer.wordpress.com/ You won't regret it if you do!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon