Hotel room floors are not supposed to be sticky and greasy. I can’t even stand these qualities in movie theaters. Benadryl did the job and I slept through the night. In the early morning, we got the heck out of the budget motel and found refuge at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. At a time in my life, I was a hair away from becoming a marine biologist…I love aquariums. Observing these beautiful animals in “simulations” of the natural environment was educational and enjoyable. But, I had no idea that a surprise was awaiting us farther down the road.
Renu and I stopped off at a rather non-descript area on Route 101, the Rocky Creek Picnic Area. We actually blew right past it and almost didn’t make the U-turn. It was a lovely view and Renu and I enjoyed staring out at the ocean from our sea cliff perch. When Renu claimed that she saw a whale, I was dubious. It is the wrong time of year for this sort of thing and there were plenty of kelp and rocks out in the bay that could masquerade as a whale. Then, I saw the mist come off the water myself. We scrambled along the sea cliff and we were kept company by these two California Gray Whales. Over the course of an hour, they came as close as 100 feet from shore. These two giants reminded me that we all move with the most grace when in our natural environments.