During our recent trip to Washington state, we went on a whale watch out of Port Townsend with the company, Puget Sound Express. Although I hoped we would see some whales, I am always happy to be on the water.
During the safety talk before we left the dock, the captain explained that we would be going fast at times. This got me excited, I love speed of any kind. It was a four-hour trip where we traveled north, entering Canadian water at one point. It was a beautiful day, the sun was warm on my face when we weren’t moving, fresh air in abundance. If I had any doubt that I wasn’t in Pennsylvania anymore, Mount Baker rose high above the horizon in the distance, its white majesty in contrast with the bright blue sky and the water’s darker hue.
Our boat crew was in contact with other nearby watercraft, all communicating whale and other sightings. Once a fin was spotted, we would slow down, stopping to watch the magnificent creature going about its day. In all we saw 8 orca, 3 minke, a porpoise and sea lions. It was a privilege to be there. I had never seen a whale in its natural habitat. Using binoculars and Mister Rain’s direction, sometimes he physically positioned me to align the lenses with the location of the whales, I was able to recognize a shiny, black triangle rising out of the water. I felt it a personal gift that their fin would stay visible a few seconds, long enough for me to find it before it returned to its underwater world. Every time I saw the appendage elegantly surface from the depth of the calm water, I gasped aloud, following the intake of breath with a visceral “Holy sh*t!” I was gobsmacked that my fellow passengers were so quiet upon the whale’s appearance, there was no way I could have kept my reverence and amazement to myself. Several of the massive, spectacular mammals offered this legally blind woman an accessibility feature: the sound of water being evacuated from their blow hole.
As we turned toward land about 3 1/2 hours into the trip, the captain hit the gas and we were flying. It was cold, the wind violent. Dressed in a long-sleeved t-shirt, hoodie sweatshirt, jacket vest and winter hat, my wardrobe was no match for the elements. Every single person aboard the Saratoga took refuge from the gales in the vessel’s interior locations. I did not. I was freezing, but I stayed in my seat on the stern’s top deck. In two days we would go home and I would be back to life spent mostly inside my home, the result of not being able to drive. I wanted to soak up every single second of outside, of being in this moment, in this place. I fell into a bit of a trance, bracing against the gusting air hitting me full force.
I will never forget the whales that graced me with their presence that day nor the sun, wind and sea that reminded me that I am alive. Not just existing but ALIVE.
#sisterrain #alittlesightalotofheart #legallyblindtraveler #travel #porttownsend #pugetsoundexpress #watchingwhalesfeelngalive
