This is the morning we'd been waiting for....our chance to get close to some whales! Nancy and I had gone out on whale watching boats from Dana Point Harbor in California, and we'd been within 50 yards or so of whales, which is pretty exciting. But, we were looking for more! Our guide at the tour center said that so far this year, 40 boats had actually had whales come right up to the boat. THAT'S what we were looking for! The morning started out chilly, maybe 60 degrees, and damp. We had on jackets and rain ponchos, and the ride out onto the lagoon was cold! For an hour or so, we putted slowly around, and saw probably 10 or 15 whales spouting and lolling around on the surface. When we approached, though, they swam off and kept their distance. We got a few photos with the telephoto, but mostly of whale backs and spouts. An occasional flipper or fluke, but it was hard to take pictures and watch at the same time, and often you'd see something but not be quick enough to get the photo. After an hour or so, our pilot headed over toward another small boat that had some girls in it. They were hanging over the sides, and taking pictures. You can see why!