Whale update

Today, for the fourth day in a row, I saw whales.

This time I drove up to Trinidad to conduct some business. After I was done, I parked near the Memorial Lighthouse. The whales were still at it. This time I brought binoculars. Off Trinidad Head I could see the whales coming out of the water. There were clear views of their flukes.

I contacted the HSU Marine Lab, which informed me that these are gray whales. I was told that there's always a pod of whales around here and they can often be spotted if you know what to look for.

So it's not unusual to see them, although it is for me. I've been up and down Scenic Drive a million times and rarely see whales. I find it hard to believe that I've suddenly stumbled across the proper "spotting technique."

While In Trinidad I went inside the old Catholic Church and snapped a whole bunch of photos for something I'm working on. I must have had whales on my mind because I kept thinking of that great scene in the old movie version of Moby Dick when Orson Welles plays Father Mapple and gives a powerful sermon from a pulpit shaped like the bow of a ship.