I got to do something today that I've wanted to do for a long time. Lauri's mom took Madeline, Max, and myself out on a whale watching tour in the Monterey Bay.

We found out that on this stint of their journey, the whales don't eat. In fact, they won't eat for six months! Swimming is easier below the surface, so they only come up when they need air, which is about once every 2 - 8 minutes. They travel at 2 - 4 mph, so, after they dive, the boat just keeps slowly trolling forward, hoping to catch them when they come up on the next stint.

This whale was pretty far off. To the naked eye this tail was about the size of a breadcrumb.