Grays and Humpbacks and Blues--Oh my!

Oregon's beaches can be a batten-down-the-hatches experience during the winter months. Squalls that blow a sideways rain shower are common. But if you can get past the teeth rattling cold and wet, its also prime whale watching time.

Oregon has a superlative set of beaches for viewing the whale migration. Complete with volunteers standing by to assist the whale watching neophytes among us, its prime time to see the world's largest animal (and 18,000 of his closest whale buddies), traverse the Pacific Ocean from their Alaskan feeding grounds to their warm winter quarters off the shores of the Baja Peninsula.



Most of these beauties off the Oregon coast are Gray Whales but Humpbacks can be seen as well, although the sightings are much more rare. Its also possible to catch a glimpse of a Blue, Sperm or Minke Whale too, but that's a genuine lucky sighting.

Chalk this whale watching week as another reason that our unique and beautiful state is one of the best places in the country to put down roots.