Thursday, June 21, 2018

Whale Watching in SF

One of the many highlight of the choir trip to SF was our whale watching excursion.

As far as I was concerned, I had done all the whale watching I needed, for when we first crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, we looked out and saw a whale spouting as it passed by the bridge.

But Reese insisted we go out into the bay.  Now I have to admit, that I pictured a small boat, but it was actually a relatively large boat, which made it better.

Then when Reese informed us that it would be cold and wet, I again thought about trying to stay behind with any students who had severe motion sickness.  Nevertheless, I threw on a sweatshirt and pants and boarded the boat.

At least it wasn't called the "Orca."


 "Call me Ishmael!"

Here Reese is dressed and ready for some whales.  What I love about Reese is that she walks the walk.  She was all in for every single thing we did on the trip.


Our crew leaders.


Good Ole Nick.  He had to bring his beloved Jack Links along.  What I love about Nick is his unique perspective on everything.  When we were in NYC when Nick was a sophomore, he uttered one of the most memorable lines from that trip.  We had just stopped at the Harlem Bizarre to shop.  They just so happened to be having a parade and celebration at the same time.  There was music, dancing, barbecuing, and all kinds of other foods.

It was at this moment that Nick declared, "This reminds me of Goose Fest."  To be fair Goose Fest was the farthest thing from my mind since that is held up in NW MN where there are probably four African Americans in a 50 mile radius of Middle River.  But here we were in Harlem, where we were the minority!  Good Ole Nick!


We did have a great view of the Golden Gate.


And the city was wonderful.


We did, though, finally see some whales.  But it must have been hell on the Gen Zer's who couldn't tell time via an analog watch, for every time a whale spouted, the captain would yell, "Three o clock" or "Six o clock."  Poor Becca Leier would have been in serious trouble!







We were able to see several humpback whales feeding in the bay.  We saw a seal and an otter too.  Maybe even a dolphin, but I wasn't quite sure.



I did have to laugh, though, when our guides were demonstrating how to put on a life jacket.  They were very thorough and precise.  Just then, Heidi, who was sitting next to me asked, "Where do we put our phones?"

Ha ha.  Gotta love Gen Z!  A choice between life and death and your phone.  Tough call!


And, of course, I couldn't help but think about this iconic scene from Seinfeld.  I was glad no one asked us if there was a marine biologist on board!


"The sea was angry that day, my friends . . . "

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