Link to Video Slide Show of Gray Whale Migration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHpt_BDwfsQ
Tonight we find ourselves staying at the Los Angeles Airport Crown Plaza as we await our flight tomorrow morning to La Paz Mexico on Alaskan Airlines. Why we are flying to Mexico on Alaskan Airlines is beyond me, but I let the expedition company book this portion of the trip, I got us to Los Angeles. I just hope they know to fly South from here and not North to Alaska. In La Paz we will board the National Geographic Expedition Ship “Sea Bird”. To set the scene I will begin this e-mail by repeating the end of our last e-mail from Africa last October:
One night over drinks Holly tells me she knew a family that went and observed the Gray Whale migration off of Baja and it became a “life changing” experience for their son who is now studying to be a Marine Biologist. Well I am always up for a “life changing” experience, after all I married Holly, and it will be 42 years this April, and if that wasn’t a “life changing” experience nothing is. So I started researching ways to observe the Gray Whale Migration off of Baja and found a small, 152 foot, National Geographic Expedition Ship that has eight day trips to observe the gray whales migration from Alaska to Baja, where they breed, give birth and nurture their young. The ship has zodiacs aboard that allow you to get up close and personal with the whales and their calves. Part of this adventure also includes snorkeling and swimming with sea lions. Should be an educational, plus fun and relaxing trip and I am always looking forward to another “life changing” experience, I just hope that doesn’t mean we will be sitting in the zodiacs holding hands singing “Kumbaya”.
As with our past trips we will be keeping a daily travelogue of our activities to help us organize our pictures and video when we return home, plus we feel that it is important to capture our thoughts and emotions as our adventures unfold. Those of you who have seen the books Holly puts together after each trip understand the importance of the daily log. It will be obvious which e-mails I write and which e-mails Holly writes, mine are nonsensical while Holly’s have “some redeeming social significance”. As always, if our e-mails start to get too boring please use the delete button or e-mail us and we will take you off the list. We have added some new e-mail recipients this trip. Please feel free to e-mail us with questions or comments at any time. During this trip we plan to send almost daily e-mail travelogues of our adventures because the ship has internet access, and pictures will be posted at this web site. If everything goes as planned the next post should be from aboard the “Sea Bird”.
Some experiences simply do not translate. You have to go to know. Kobi Yamada