Okay, peeps.
Day 2 of Vancouver involved a whole lot of food--and water!
Specifically, a morning spent eating, drinking and shopping our way through Granville Public Market.
Then, a fantastic, whale-watching tour in the afternoon!
How cute were these Canadian maple leaf cookies?
We seriously did eat our way through the market. So many fun food items to try--and so many desserts! Plus, the hubby hunted down a GF/Vegan bakery for himself already in the morning, so we were all very well-fed before we tooled around for some shopping.
When I say we could have spent hours in there, I really do mean hours. We're lucky we made it out in a rushed 45 minutes before our tour! I overheard one employee taking down information for a birthday party event to be held there, and I imagined what fun that would be. :)
After a ton of wandering and souvenir shopping, we headed nearby for our afternoon boat adventure! (What a fun pun of a name, yes?)
It was a four-hour excursion in the hopes of sighting orcas, sea lions, and...humpback whales!
Believe it or not, the orcas are the hardest to find, but they are meticulously tracked as critically endangered species, and the crew on board included three naturalists who were so knowledgeable regarding these magnificent sea creatures.
The morning excursion wasn't fortunate enough to find the orcas, but...we did!
There were three, actually. A mother named Sabine, a daughter named Strix, and a calf born in 2024 named Sabine. The naturalists on board were able to help us identify the specific orcas based on markings from their fins. Researchers catalogue them so specifically, they know there are 411 transient orcas in the area, and 74 resident (a whole distinction we learned all about).
It was so incredible to watch the horizon and wait for the exhalation from the blow hole to try and figure out where they might surface next. A whole boat of people just watching and waiting and trying to sight something from a distance! Some came prepared with binoculars, and, of course, the boat was staffed with specific crew members with long lenses meant to capture the sightings and share the best of the best photos with us. So wonderful.
We were also fortunate enough to spot sea lions on a rock island they love to lounge on, but...my favorite portion of the whole excursion was the Humpback Whale sighting!
It was pretty majestic to see these creatures--from a closer distance than the orcas. Because Humpback Whales do not possess sonar, there is a danger of vessel collisions, so at one point, the captain full-on turned off the engine so we could sight the creatures in absolute silence and peace--which only magnified the sound of the exhalation before they surfaced. It was beautiful to watch them over such distance and then wait as they performed deep dives to feed--the type of dives that send their tails up in the air in the way that us humans always envision. So beautiful.
Okay, now...tons of pics from start to finish!
As a side note, Little Man has done a fantastic job of powering on with our trip, despite his recent illness. But the recovery from germs couple with late nights and early mornings definitely led to a nap or two on board.
At first, I worried it was a bummer he was sleeping through some of the parts where we were cruising full-steam ahead and not actively sighting these mammals, but, then...I noticed about half the boat--mostly adults--seemed to nod off at some point. Something about the white noise, the lulling of the boat, and the warm air but soothing breeze.
I also didn't mind too terribly much when Chicklet actively spent a decent portion of our voyage with her nose in a book. It's not the worst thing in the world for her to spend her vacay indulging in one of her favorite pastimes, amiright?
And, now, some pics from the on board crew photographer:
We had another adventure today--our last in Vancouver--so more on that, tomorrow! Until then...happy Wednesday, peeps.
Over and out.
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