The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
took Karen Duquette's sister, Ilse Blahak
on a Whale Watching cruise in Depoe Bay in Oregon
July 30, 2013

Depoe Bay is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, located on U.S. Route 101 next to the Pacific Ocean. The bay of the same name is a six-acre harbor that the city promotes as the "World's Smallest Navigable Harbor." It's a very cool tourist town with many shops and fishing charters located right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, plus whale watching tours.

Below: Depoe Bay - World's Smallest Navigable Harbor

Below: The other side of the bridge at Depoe Bay - looking out towards the Pacific Ocean.

The two RV Gypsies signed themselves and Ilse up for a one-hour whale watching trip. Tradewinds Charter told them that because of Depoe Bay's closeness to the ocean (in fact, less than a minute by boat from their dock), there WILL be whale sightings in no time. They also stated that at this time they have resident whales in the harbor. Dubbed as the "Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast", Depoe Bay has whale watching almost year around.

Below: Ilse and Lee walked down the stairs towards the dock. The two RV Gypsies have been on several whale watching tours in other areas and have always seen lots of whales up close. This was Ilse Blahak's first whale watching tour. And the worse one that the two RV Gypsies have ever been on.

Below: A glance to the right of the dock and the bay leading to the Pacific Ocean.

Below: A seal swimming around the dock area

Below: A big brown seal resting on the shoreline

Below: A view of the shoreline as the boat entered the Pacific Ocean

Only ONE whale was seen this trip, and it was always near the shoreline feeding. The whale hardly ever came out of the water. It seemed that there was only one resident whale around. Mostly all that could be seen was the whale spouting. What a disappointment for Ilse Blahak. Apparently that has been the normal sighting lately. Sure not what the two RV Gypsies expected from "resident whales."

Below: It was quite cool, breezy, and the water was choppy. The boat captain did not try to get near the whale. The two RV Gypsies recommend that anyone going on this cruise take a big zoom lens on their camera. This is one whale watching tour that the two RV Gypsies would NOT do again. When they heard there were "resident" whales, they surely had expected better than one whale off in the distance. Of course, nothing is ever certain with wildlife.

Below: Lee Duquette and Ilse Blahak sat down and hung onto the railing for the return trip to the dock. Karen Duquette remained standing between Lee and Ilse. The boat was small and did not have any seats. The captain told everyone to keep one hand on the railing at all times.

Below: Back at the dock, Karen Duquette watched and photographed a seal as it swam towards the shoreline and snatched the remains of a fish away from a seagull.

The best whale watching tour the two RV Gypsies ever took was in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 2011. To see those photos, click here, but be sure to return to this page to continue with Oregon adventures.

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