We've heard that this is a great point from which to see Orcas, whales and seals. So we stared out to sea rather a lot in that (vain, as it turned out) hope. A few seals are basking on an offshore rock and occasionally swimming towards us. Jellyfish are making the translucent waters less attractive for a swim - familiar ones with the four blobs of colour in a round, with jelly tentacles, and less familiar small ones with no real colour at all. Rather too easy not to spot... I swam but the water is cold - a Spring day really in terms of Pembrokeshire. Numbness arrived rather quickly, spreading from my extremeties towards my chest. There are no showers here so a salty dip is a good substitute. 'The Winter Queen' mystery was finished - not bad but perhaps a little predictable - I have returned to the poetry of Evelyn Underhill in which each poem takes a great deal of reading and reflection.
Staring out to sea makes you aware of the considerable amount of container traffic there is heading up the straits to Vancouver. Huge ships pass the campsite day and night, their distant beating engines vibrating the air for an age. Fridges from China, along with a small sea of plastic toys, gadgets, stuff... Wonder what the effect on the whales is? I wake up to hear them.... We also had some time to consider how wandering a route to Seattle we should take - at least two days but perhaps a little more, possibly joining the route from 20 years ago - certainly enjoying the same bainbridge park for camping. On the other hand, urban pleasures of bookshops, art galleries, gardens, museums and veggie restaurants have been much missed and there's a wooden boats festival we may well want to spend time at - in Port Townsend... We are still here. [The next day] As we were packing up a group of dark shapes about half a mile out to sea, where the deep channel is, moved to our left, south, just breaking the water, a pod... Well it may have been orcas, something oceanic...