CALLING SUMMER THE BLUEST TIME... is pretty accurate, all told. There are blue swimming pools, blue skies, blueberries to pick, blue lupine and bluebells, and all of those blue frozen treats that, more often than not, taste of raspberries. (Though, intriguingly, "blue" is often listed as the flavor, too.) But there's another blue wonder come summer around the Golden State, and it happens off the coastline, and if you guessed "the Pacific!" well, yes, the Pacific is a wonder, that's typically quite blue, but we were actually referring to the one and only...
BLUE WHALE: Of course, "one and only" isn't the full story, for the chance to spy many blue whales off the shores of California in the summertime is pretty darn solid. And while standing on a bluff or beach at the right time in the right place is always handy, there's an even handier way to go in search of this noble beings: an Island Packers cruise. The venerable whale-watching outfit's blue whale season just opened, right after the summer solstice, and daily adventures are setting out for Santa Barbara Channel. You'll want to head to...
VENTURA... for your on-the-water fun. What might you see, if the timing and conditions and location is all on the mark? Look for "... Blue Whales, Fin Whales and Humpbacks, as well as year-round residents such as the Common Dolphin, seals, and sea lions." You'll also see some of the Channel Islands, and though the boat doesn't dock there, you'll enjoy a "brief, narrated cruise" along the shore of one of the beautiful and wild islands. Time your boat sets out? 10 in the morning. Return time? 4 o'clock. Things you'll see? So much ocean beauty.
EMBRACE... the blue-a-tude of summer, and, just maybe, see a blue whale, with Island Packers. Follow the flukes to this site for all you need to know.
