We have had an exceptionally sunny summer in the Pacific Northwest and on a quick trip up to the San Juan Islands we found the Straits of Juan de Fuca so calm that we took a detour over to the Dungeness Spit to do a little exploring. We were rewarded with the the rare sighting of a large humpback whale, that hung around with us for about twenty minutes while playing with some kelp that was floating on the surface.
Orca Whales in Admiralty Inlet
Heading north from there to Cattle Pass, we spotted several Minke Whales feeding with a pod of dolphins and a colony of very loud and stinky Steller Sealions on Whale Rocks.
We enjoyed several days in Friday Harbor and discovered a hidden gem of a restaurant that is well known to the locals, but far off the beaten path followed by tourists. Possibly the best pizza I have ever tasted and well worth the walk up the hill to Van Go’s Pizza. They open at 4 PM, six days a week and stay open until the freshly made dough runs out. Don’t be late or you’ll miss out!
Humpback Whale Tail near Dungeness Spit
On our way South through Admiralty Inlet, we were rewarded with quite a display put on by two Transient Pods of Orcas that were hunting. I have never seen that many whales in one place in my entire life and my best guess (based on conversations with a couple of whale watching boat captains) is that there were 40-50 killer whales in the combined super-pod. They paralleled our course for about 15 minutes, porpoising at times and presenting us with an “Oh Wow” moment that we will never forget.