What? You know not what the Seattle TourSaver book is? That’s OK, I didn’t either until I met Scott.

It’s a discount travel book filled with 2 for 1 coupons to museums, tours, historic sites, airport shuttle rides and tons more. And, it not only includes the Seattle area, but there are lots of things to take advantage of in Victoria and the San Juan Islands.

I’ve been an avid fan of the Entertainment Guides for years but I’ve only really ever used these for restaurants. The Seattle TourSaver is definitely more for getting out and about, seeing the sites and enjoying the region to its fullest.

It’s a handy item for Pacific Northwesterners for when you want to explore your own area. It’s also perfect for when family arrives from out of town and you want to find something fun to do without spending a wad of cash.

Normally the Seattle TourSaver goes for $79.95 – still a bargain when you consider the thousands of dollars in discounts included in the book. But through August 20th, you can order a book for just $49.95.

Just in case you’re curious about the man behind it all, here’s a little video of Scott and I outside of Bakery Nouveau:

Where ever your travels take you, ENJOY!

Beth

The fact that we have wild killer whales swimming in Puget Sound waters is something that will never lose its luster for me. Even after several years of working in the field and several hundred encounters with orcas (another name for killer whales), I still find the experience of seeing a whale, swimming with its family, in its natural habitat, performing acrobatic feats not at the queue of a dead fish held in a trainer’s hand, but as a form of communication, to be absolutely spellbinding.

If you want to encounter real live orcas right here in Washington, you can too! And the good news is – this is the time of year to do it. Puget Sound’s three resident pods of orcas (a pod is an extended family group, gathered around a matriarchal grandma whale) share our neighborhood, and this time of year, they are having the same proverbial backyard BBQs that we are. See, these guys are fish-eaters, and salmon is their favorite treat. This time of year, legendary runs of salmon are running through the Sound, on their way back to their natal streams and rivers to spawn and then die. And the orcas are poised, on the ready, to greet (and eat) them.

So, are you ready for your whale encounter? While nothing is guaranteed, you can head up to San Juan Island and give it a try, and your chances are good. (Remember, this ain’t the zoo, and wild animals may follow certain tendencies, but they sure as heck do not adhere to a schedule – that’s a human foible) There are three options you can take:

Option 1 – Be a landlubber
Pack a picnic lunch and head down to Limekiln State Park on San Juan Island’s west side. It’s a gorgeous place to sit and ponder the Sound, and the resident orcas tend to swing through here pretty often, where you can view them right from the shoreline. Talk to one of the rangers or docents that are often at the park to find out about recent orca activity, or look at the online log of recent orca sightings at Orca Network. Cross your fingers for a serendipitous swim-by and remember that you are taking in all the sights, smells and sounds of the orcas’ ecosystem, so that right there connects you to their world.

Option 2 – Paddle out
Your chances of seeing orcas increase somwhat when you head out on a guided kayak trip, and you get the phenomenal experience of paddling in their waters. A good kayak guide in the SJI’s will teach you loads about the intertidal zone and the habitat here, so you’ll learn a lot and IF the orcas appear, icing on the cake! There are several good kayak guiding companies on the island; my favorite is Crystal Seas, which launches from the west side of the island, where are orca sightings are most common.

Option 3 – All aboard
If you are really wanting to have the highest chances of seeing whales, your best bet is to go out on a whale watch boat. The boats here keep tabs on the orcas’ movements, and of course can travel much farther than a kayak can in a couple of hours. Keep in mind that salmon runs are advancing on their journey right now, bring them closer to the mouths of rivers they’ll swim up, so going by boat might be the key to seeing them at all. Even then, you have to keep in mind that a lot can happen with animals that can swim a hundred plus miles in a 24-hour period. Take into consideration the size of the boat (larger boats are more comfortable but travel slower and load on more people than smaller boats) and the length of the trip (how much distance can the boat cover in searching for whales during the duration of your cruise) when selecting your tour company.

You should plan to pay a visit to the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor to learn about the orcas before you go, as well as the whale watching guidelines the boat operators subscribe to in the interest of protecting the whales. Federal protection may soon set a more stringent set of rules for vessels with whales, so that we can continue to enjoy them as neighbors for years to come.

Lime Kiln Lighthouse photo: Seamus Murray

Orca photo: digicla