MBFE - Saturday and Sunday 5/11-12 - WHALES!

The main event that happened this weekend was when some of the MBFE students discovered a gray whale had swum into the mouth of Coos Bay, just across from the OIMB campus.  That whale spent several hours circling in the bay before it found its way out.

Here's a picture showing a gray whale blowing, and just how close to shore this whale was.  That is the Charleston Harbor Breakwater Beach in the background.  The photograph was taken from the OIMB Boathouse pier.

This photograph shows the back of a gray whale as it's going under.

Whales were also spotted the next day farther out, toward the mouth of the bay.  Here is a pic showing a couple of whales up at the same time.

It's always a joy to see whales.  There were another 3-5 out there at the same time, but too far out to see much more than the mist from their blows.

In the meantime, students visited research sites, collected specimens for studies they plan to carry out, and gathered equipment and gear they would need for their research.

On Sunday, we attended the North Bend Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  That evening we invited a couple of members of that ward to participate in our weekly Sunday evening group "home evening" gathering.  The couple that joined us were the local congregation's advisors to their young single adult group.  We had a good meeting and a great discussion, about mothers and other women who have had a significant impact on our lives.