At the Northeast corner of Baranof Island is a small inlet with several fingers called Kelp Bay. It was here that humpback whales greeted National Geographic Quest, and where we dropped anchor for a round of morning activities. Long walks off trail, short beach strolls, and exploratory kayaking took up the bulk of the morning. Much wildlife fills the shores of Kelp Bay, and many of us were treated to views of mink and bear while bald eagles pinwheeled overhead. The afternoon saw a polar plunge take place! A fantastic tradition where the brave and perhaps foolhardy leap into the chilly waters of Southeast Alaska, if only for a moment. After lunch we saw a special presentation by one of our video chroniclers on his side project, made possible by contributions from the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund. To top it all off, we were escorted around Chatham Strait by humpback whales throughout that evening.
9/16/2022
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National Geographic Quest
San Juan Islands - Washington
We spent our final day in the San Juan Islands, a beautiful archipelago wedged between Washington State and the south end of Vancouver Island. We began the day by docking in Friday Harbor to clear U.S. Customs before exploring the small town that has become famous across the world for its iconic whale watching. Over the last couple of decades, the resident southern orca whales that have come to define this place have shrunk in numbers due to a variety of factors, including overfishing, climate change, and depleted salmon habitats. Hard-working people at the Whale Research Center and the nearby whale museum are working hard to educate the public and enact laws to protect salmon habitats and provide more space for the orcas among the boat traffic and people that love them so much. Many of us took the opportunity to visit the whale museum near the dock, where the life histories and family trees of these amazing animals have been meticulously documented for decades. In the afternoon, we cruised a short distance north to Jones Island, a marine state park with a maze of trails and campsites framed by a gorgeous forest of cedar, fir, and madrone trees. To cap off our two-week excursion through the Inside Passage, we sailed through the last of the San Juan Islands while an epic sunset bid us farewell.
