Whale Watching at Depoe Bay Oregon

From Christmas to New Year's is usually the best time to see gray whales migrating south along the Oregon coast. Today was a perfect day to go - sunny, clear, 47 degrees there (compared to 27 degrees in Lebanon, OR, this morning), and the ocean fairly calm so that any spouts would show up. We had lunch at our favorite place - Gracie's Sea Hag - clam chowder, tuna melt.

Many people were out at most of the coast side viewpoints - right in Depoe Bay at the harbor overlook and along Hwy 101 with binoculars and telescopes, and crowding the many whale watching tour boats that leave from Depoe Bay Harbor. The mood was festive even though no one we saw had actually seen any whales today. Didn't matter. We had a lovely day, despite the fact that seagulls pooped on the car [we foolishly parked under a street lamp post] so we had to take it through the car wash in Newport before coming home. Lovely rosy sunset behind Mary's Peak as we drove back to the Willamette Valley.

Here's a picture of the overlook at Depoe Bay and another of a whale we did not see.
Images thanks to a search on Google Images.
Whale view is from www.travelhero.com
Depoe Bay view is from www.scubamom.com/travels/oregon/dbbridg.jpg