August 20, 1997
Devil’s Bunch Bowl, Oregon, USA

Thar she blows!!!...

I’ve seen so many whales today... if I saw another whale... it would not make a difference. At times, they were only twenty feet away. When I was in Depoe Bay, one jumbo Gray Whale jumped straight up out of the water... and breached just 50 feet away from me, then did it again right behind me 30 seconds later. It was sooo impressive!!! I was psyched!!! I was halloring "Yahooo" and punching the air. There were whale watching boats around, but I had by far the best veiw.

I paddled beside one whale for almost two hours. I could paddle faster than the whale was swimming, so I had no problem keeping up with him. Sometimes I’d get a little ahead of him and he’d surface right behind me. It was kinda spooky! I thought he might come up under me ...but never did. After awhile it was no big deal. I could see whales spouting all over the place. It was an incredible experience!

For some reason, there’s a bunch of Grey whales that hangout here all summer, instead of continuing on with the migration up to the Bering Strait. I’m told they are the same ones that come back every year. They must be the smart ones. They’re probably thinking, "Hey... Why swim an extra 5000 miles if we got all we need here?"

Immediaetly after landing on the beach this afternoon, a man asked me to join him and his wife for dinner. Calvin and Jeanette are super nice, and I’m in their place typing this now. I had a mind-blowing day on the water. Dinner was fantastic. I had ice cream for desert. I just had a shower. My clothes are in the wash. And I can’t get this silly grin off my face.