T-63 aka Chainsaw

It is quiet on the water this morning.  Departure is at 0930.  We have 30 passengers from Boulder, Colorado, 26 of which are middle school students who have been studying marine biology during the school year!  The last sighting of Orca whales was 9 p.m. last night.  No one has seen them this morning.  Yet.  Our hopes are high.

Leaving the dock we slip up San Juan Channel to the north.  When the last boat left the whales last night, they were headed  north.  We are one of the first boats out this morning so now to keep a sharp eye out, binoculars at the ready, listen carefully to radio chatter and think like a whale!

By 11:30 we are searching the coast of Saturna Island in Canada.  No whales.  The tide is high.  No seals hauled out.  We do find several groups of Harbor porpoise diving in deeper water.  With fog lifting our visibility gets better and better.  At Boiling Reef a few Steller sea lions are hauled up, waving their massive heads back and forth and letting go with loud roars. In the midst of all that noise loud barking sounds replace the roars.  Four California sea lions are in the middle of the Steller sea lions trying for a space of their own.

With our thoughts still on finding J pod, who we were lucky enough to be with yesterday, we take a last look across and up Georgia Strait.  We will look for five more minutes, and then it’s time to turn around.  Suddenly Captain Nate points to shore!!  He is smiling…really smiling!  Whales!  And as it turns out, not J pod whales at all…..but Transient killer whales.  And not just any Transient whales, but…a whale I have been hoping to see for years!

Chainsaw and a T-65 whale cruise past Tumbo Island

My jaw drops open!  What a remarkable fin and here I am, right now, looking right at it!

Our passengers catch the excitement of the entire crew and rush to the side decks and bow.  Cameras snap, breaths catch with each surfacing and blow.

Today Chainsaw, who has a recorded birth year of 1978, travels with four other whales, the T-65’s.  One of these whales, T-65B has a very definite nick at the base of her dorsal fin.

T-65B(1993) in the lead

I’m not sure “who” the other whale with her is as I don’t get a good photograph or look at the saddle patch or a close up of the fin.

T-65B and….????

Once again, time on the whale clock speeds by.  We are already way past out turn around time.  We escort the “starts of our trip” back around the reef where all the seals and sea lions are hauled out.  There is a little foraging action by the whales, but generally they start west in Boundary Pass.

We stick with Chainsaw a little longer as we are all heading toward home now together.  Finally we have to turn south….everyone smiling about our luck.

By the end of the day, yesterday’s whales have gone unreported!  Where could they be?  While it’s always great to see “old friends”….it’s AMAZING to make  new acquaintances….especially when you least expect it!

Fluke wave….goodbye?

So, with rain predicted all week, the fog lifts by 11:00 and the sun pokes out for the afternoon.  With Resident whales appearing yesterday they prove hard to find, and we literally stumble across Transients.  The Transients turn out to be very special!  And since we are the first boat to spot whales today we are deemed “Heros of the Day!”

Hard to beat a day like today!  But, then….

One last look….what a guy!

There is NOTHING like this phrase coming over the marine radio:  ”Whales!  Inbound…maybe…20 of them!”  This is especially true this time of year when everyone waits and waits for the Southern Resident Killer Whales to return to the Salish Sea.  It sounds like today is the day!!  Oh…and it’s MY day to work!

Inbound in the Strait of Juan de Fuca can mean a lot of things.  It does mean east bound….which is toward San Juan Island.  That’s good.  But it can mean up to 60 or 70 miles away!  Today it means coming toward the San Juans from Victoria, B.C. which is about 20 miles away.  The tide is about to turn to a flood and perhaps that will pull them toward us too.   All the elements seem to be coming together for a great whale watching adventure.

It’s a long run, but the sea is flat, the rain holds off and soon Vancouver Island is in clear view.  And something else comes into view too.  J-27, an adult male in J pod surfaces in the calm water.  Hello, Blackberry!  It’s so good to see you again!

Orca whale coming our way!

Soon Blackberry passes by with his younger siblings keeping him company.

J-27, Blackberry and J-31 Tsuchi, J-39, Mako

I love watching these three swim together.  Mom passed away in 2008 when Mako was only five.  Blackberry (1991) and his sister, Tsuchi (1995) have kept a close watch on Mako (2003).  Looks like these three made it through the winter just fine!

My eyes scann the water for more whales I can recognize.  Another large male fin appears and Doublestuf surfaces.  He is often with his mother, J-22, Oreo, little brother, J-38, Cookie (2003) and cousin, J-32, Rapsody (1996).

J-34, Doublestuf (1998)

Another group of six members of J Pod are also here.  Princess Angeline, J-17 (1977) is near her daughter, J-28, Polaris (1993) and her grand-daughter, J-46, Star (2009).  Another daughter, J-35, Tahlequah is there with little J-47, Notch (2010), and J-44, Moby(2009) another calf of Princess Angeline!  This group is lively with three adult female mothers and three spry Orca youngsters. Three and four year olds know how to do lots of things….including spy hops (peek-a-boo?), chin rolls, tail slaps and sometimes a quick game of “catch up to mom!”

Little one turns around…”Hey!  Where is everybody?”

Following behind mom…with a chin roll!

Notch follows mom (check out notch on trailing edge of dorsal fin)

Follow the leader?

Big tail slap by shore from adult male

Soon it seems it’s time for the baby games to wrap up and there is some serious swimming ahead.  The entire family comes together as a group and starts to head toward Haro Strait.  This is the water that seperates Canada and the United States.  The males give a few gigantic tail slaps as they pick up speed. The youngsters join in with some slaps of their own.  Boats and whales move together away from shore and out into more open water, the smaller family groups swim together toward San Juan Island.

J-28, Polaris in the lead here.

Sadly, it’s time for us to pick up the speed too and head for San Juan Island. Why does “whale time” once again pass so quickly?   I can’t keep my eyes off J Pod as they cruise across Haro Strait.  They’re Back!  Welcome home friends!  May you feast on many many salmon as you grace the Salish Sea with your presence.

Blackberry and Doublestuf in familiar waters….May 15, 2013

This day is full of surprises!  Leaving the harbor we head north, but soon we are heading south!  Two Minke whales are reported off Salmon Bank and we are quickly on the way.  Our first clue is a large group of sea birds gathered on the water in Haro Strait.  What do they know that we don’t know….yet?

Thes two Common Murres position themselves for the fish which are trying to escape a drama happening beneath the surface!  They await small schooling fish being driven up the water column by a whale deep below,  fishing for a meal.

Soon enough we hear a loud “whoosh!” and a Minke whale surfaces in front of the boat!  Suddenly, the birds are gone!  Time to reposition!

We have a long time to cruise the incredibly calm waters of Haro Strait this afternoon and observe two Minke whales as they go about making a living.  This one surfaced right off our starboard bow.  What a surprise!

Soon a group of four or five Harbor porpoises appear.  They are taking advantage of the menu as well and for once are in no hurry to disappear.

We find several Steller sea lions fishing in the current that runs by Whale Rocks.  Heads pop up….fins pop up…bodies roll…just imagine the action under water!

Try to figure out what’s what?  And who’s who?

Our good luck….we find a pair of adult Bald eagles on our way back to Friday Harbor.  One is high in a tree top surveying the water from above.  This one is down on the rocky shore getting a closer look!

Lots going on in the ecosystem today, above and below the water’s surface.  We know what we are given the opportunity to see….we can only imagine what was happening right below us!  Another great day on the water!

~Nan

Every day is a bit of an adventure when you head out on the Western Explorer. Where will we be going today? North? South? East? West? Today, after weighing up all the options…recent sightings, wind reports, sea conditions etc., Ivan decided to take us south…down San Juan Channel under platinum overcast skies, skimming over glassy gray waters.

Harbor porpoises popped up here and there in the upwellings as we traveled out through Cattle Pass, past the lighthouse to search for a recently sighted Minke whale. These little baleen whales are a special treat to see and often elusive. That was the case today as we searched through the still silver waters and managed a to see a couple of surfacings of this little guy. Massive Steller Sea lions are still hanging about on Whale Rocks too. It is always a wonderful sight to watch their antics and interactions with each other.

A little over halfway through our exploration of southern waters we received the always welcome radio call. Transient Orcas had been spotted! YES!. The caveat? They were way up north of the islands about 20 miles away. Yikes!

But not to fear… just one of the many great things about the Western Explorer is her extra speed and range. After checking with our stalwart and enthusiastic group of passengers to see if they would care to extend the trip to find some orcas (all cheered a mighty “YES”), we took off at high speed to the very northern edge of the San Juan archipelago. In about 30 minutes, now in bright blue, sunshine filled skies, amidst emerald green islands, we found not one or two, but three different groups of Transient Orcas. WOW!

T63..a massive male orca with a distinctive notched fin appropriately nick named “Chainsaw” was a highlight. Other males with their huge fins, juveniles, females and youngsters rounded out the mix. What a brilliant end to another spring day on the water in the San Juan’s. An hour late back at the dock and very happy. Thank you Captain Ivan!

Massive fluke!

Fluke UP…..Whale DOWN!  What an afternoon as we traveled in the company of this Humpback whale.  Our trip took us into Canadian waters today.  We spotted the other whale company boats first, but soon enough the blow alerted us to a lone Humpback moving north at the top of Haro Strait.

Blow hole(s) to the right, dorsal fin to the left…..and the rest beneath the surface

Remember you are only seeing a part of this whale.  The blow holes are on the very top of the head, and feet in back of the mouth.  The small fin is at the beginning of the long tail stock.  Could it be only 1/2 of this massive whale is visible?  Or less?

Dive!

Somehow 45 minutes passes like seconds.  I am always amazed at how “whale time” just disappears on the clock.  This whale takes deep dives lasting five to 8 minutes,  surfaces for three or four breaths, and  disappears beneath the surface.

Humpbacks are not frequent visitors to the Salish Sea, so every opportunity for observation time is special.  The Humpback is a migratory whale and in this part of the world it means they use the cold Alaskan waters for summer feeding grounds and travel to Hawaii for winter breeding and calving season.  A few just seem to make a little stop off by swimming in the Strait of Juan de Fuca for a visit, before completing the long journey, in the Spring to Alaska, and in the Fall to Hawaii.  There is also a stock of Humpbacks that move toward Mexico for the winter and to Alaska for the summer.

Although we don’t know “who” this visiting whale is or which stock it belongs to, we enjoy the company of a species not often seen in these waters!

Fluke-Fall…Water Fall!

These Harbor seals are the only seals hauled out on the rocky shores today.  When the tide is high, most of the seals disappear into the water.  Luck is with us!

Watching us….while we watch you….

Nose to next buddy’s flipper….

No Orca whales in the neighborhood today….but a Humpback on holiday…what a treat!

Our trip today begins with sighting an adult Bald eagle perched high on a tree top.  It is nesting season in the San Juan Islands and adult Bald eagles are often seen nearby the nest sites.

We find Harbor seals hauled out on the rocky areas not far from Friday Harbor.  The tide is just right so we have a good view of resting seals.

Continuing down San Juan Channel our sights are set on Cattle Pass and the entrance to Haro Strait.  This afternoon several boats join us looking for any and all marine mammals.

Steller sea lions gather on Whale Rocks to haul out.  Some are obviously in total rest mode…while others are more up for group disagreements.  Who does have the right to “first out of the water?”

Rhinocerous auklets float beside us dressed in flashy breeding plumage.  How about those white feathers on the cheek and the little “horn” on the top of the beak?

It’s pretty clear here just who has the last word!

Enroute home we find a pair of Bald eagles sitting on a branch overlooking the channel.  They must have a meal on their “to do” list.  The Harbor seals are still taking a break from water activities.  It’s been a great day on the water for the spring season!

~Nan

Today was more than adventurous, as we find ourselves in the midst of two families of Transient Orca whales hunting for their next meal.  The kill takes about two hours.  The result?  One Steller sea lion snack for 7 - 10 Orcas.  After all, if sharing,  one 1,500 - 2,000 pound sea lion between calves, juveniles and adult whales, the average is only 150 - 200 pounds of meat per whale.  Not enough for daily calorie requirements!

As we leave the dock today, the report is of some sightings in Canada three hours earlier, and more recently, some Orca whale vocalizations from the hydrophones on the west side of San Juan Island.  Vocals are good….way better than no vocals…but the hydrophones track sounds from many miles away…and which way?  No clue.

After two hours on the water we must make a decision about which way to go in order to keep within our trip time.  Just as we decide to go north…a boat from Victoria locates Transients Orcas!  And, they are only several miles south of our location!  We’re off!

Transient Orca with flipper of prey by the whale dorsal fin!

From a distance we see splashing and flukes flying in the air.  This group of whales is definitely cooperatively working to kill something,  and we wonder….show the young whales how it’s done?

Group work!

Cartwheel tail stock slap!

Look to the left for part of the sea lion body.

Steller sea lions

Happy Harbor seals….no worries…right now.

Immature Bald eagle

Landing gear down….

Just “thinkin’ it over”….all of it?

Things have been a little slow since our last post. Not a lot of people in town lately. But things are starting to pick up again and we have been getting out on the Western Explorer this past week.

The weather really shaped up nicely as well, with several days feeling like summer!

Oh yeah, did I mention that the wildlife has been amazing? We have had some of the coolest encounters with Steller Sea Lions and Eagles that I remember. We have also been treated to Transient Orca whales several days this past week. There seem to  be so many around this spring.

I will let my photos do the rest of the talking. You can also check out more photos on our Facebook page.

Hope to see you soon,

Captain Ivan

It was a gorgeous day.  We had a light load of passengers, but we were all very excited to get out on the water and see what the day would bring.  We had very early morning reports of some Transient Orcas (Bigg’s) “somewhere near Sidney Island.”  OK, by the time we got off the dock, that report was over 4 hours old, and no one had been able to find them. As we left the dock, I told everyone to keep their eyes open as we have even had whales IN Friday Harbor.  But we were full of enthusiasm (and a few JB special double strength hot cocoas) and we headed out.  When we got to Speiden Island, we were treated to over 15 Steller Sea Lions jockeying for position on the rocks, and they were a very raucous group today!

After we watched the Stellers, we continued our journey a short distance and came across many Mouflan Rams, grazing on the tender spring shoots and flowers.  Moms and babies lay on the grass enjoying the sunshine as well.

The wildlife just continued to show up as we came across nearly 100 harbor seals hauled out on Sentinel Island.  You can definitely tell it was a lazy sunny day by all the yawning that was going on (by the seals, not the passengers—they were thrilled to see the amazing animals!)

We decided to head across into Canada in hopes of coming across the Transients when we got a call from Ivan–”whales at Friday Harbor!!” was the report, so we spun a 180˚ turn and headed back to the harbor!!

We came on seen and waited, and waited and waited some more for a glimpse of these amazing animals.  Transient travel/hunting behavior is different from Residents (fish eaters) in that Transients commonly dive down for long dives of 5-9 minutes.  Finally after what seemed like hours (but was more like 8 minutes) came the shout of “CONTACT!”  We watched at T49A, and her kids T49A1 and T49A3 finally surfaced and were skimming the shore.

It was exciting to watch them pass seal after seal.  We thought “are they going to snack or are they full?”  They rounded Turn Island and were making a beeline for Seal Rock.  Oooh, maybe now?  Nope.  A quick turn had them heading back 90˚.  They zigged, and they zagged, and we were always wondering where the next surfacing would be.  So we made a guess and went towards Shaw Island and that’s where they surfaced.  We watched them dive again, but shortly after that, a very fast surfacing in the opposite direction gave us a hint that the hunt was on.  And before we knew it they were chasing down a harbor seal.  They dispatched it fairly quickly, and marked the occassion with a very large spyhop by the sprouter male T49A1!

Soon our time was up and we made the very short journey back to Friday Harbor, with everyone very excited to have had the amazing wildlife encounters we had.

John Boyd (JB)
SSAMN Marine Naturalist, Western Princestellers-4-8-13

Well, I’ll be the first to admit I’m a bit behind on posting to the blog.  Not because we haven’t had any trips.  Nor because our trips didn’t see anything!  It’s just been a super busy spring, but I’m here to tell you that our trips have seen some amazing wildlife so far!  For the most part, we’ve been spending time in the northern edges of San Juan County, and on occasion we’ve even crossed over to Canadian waters, but our trips have been fantastic!

Speiden Island this time of year is truly special.  During most of the year, Speiden is pretty much, well, brown.  Lack of good soils to hold water means that the grasses tend to turn brown and dormant during summer, but fueled by the winter and spring rains, Speiden Island is a beautiful, lush jewel.  The exotic game animals–mouflans, fallow deer, and Japanese Sika Deer have been spectacular.  The big bucks still are sporting their impressive horns, and the females have started having their babies.

Spring is also a time of nesting for the Bald Eagles.  And they have been out in great numbers this spring.  We’ve had from 3-13 Eagle sightings on various trips.

Not to be missed this time of year are the Steller Sea Lions.  They’ve been back since October, and have spent the winter gorging on salmon, ling cod, octopus, skates, and rays.  Soon they’ll leave us for the northern waters where all the females are waiting, so we’ve been enjoying these magnificent animals while we can!

Of course, not to be forgotten are the porpoises and orca whales!  We’ve been fortunate enough this spring to spot both–Dall’s Porpoises and Transient Orcas.  We’ve had a few encounters with Dall’s porpoises, and they were obliging in riding our bow for long enough that everyone aboard got a nice viewing as they effortlessly swam off the front of the boat.  And the Transients have been fairly regular in the last 2 weeks.  And it was very wonderful to encounter one of my all-time favorite Transients–T40, aka Captain Hook.  He’s been away from here for the last 2 years, so it was good to see his familiar dorsal fin cutting through the waters.

What else does spring hold for us?  That’s one really cool thing about this time of year:  there are hardly any boats out, and you truly don’t know what surprises await you on the trip.  Whether it’s a surprise visit by a family of river otters eating a fish on shore, watching a Bald Eagle pluck a salmon from the water, or getting a rare glimpse of a peregrine falcon feasting on a fresh catch, it’s easy to say every day on the water is better than any day on land!

We had a fantastic first trip of the season today. The islands were in full glory, beautiful sunshine, green hillsides, smooth water, and terrific wildlife. Not to mention, wonderful passengers too! We encountered Steller Sea Lions, tons of Bald Eagles, Harbor Seals, and had a wonderful visit with the exotic land animals along Speiden Island. Love being back on the water!

Hope to see you soon!

Captain Ivan

J-19 rockets into the air!….with flare!

Good news!  The Southern Resdients are back in our range today!  It’s been a week since I’ve seen them and I am anxious to get back out on the water.  Today there are 26 passengers who are also excited to see the whales.  Our trip takes us north to the top of San Juan Island and out into Haro Strait.

We find a group of six or seven whales headed north.  Here’s a little bit of “Fluke and Fin” between two K and J pod family whales!

Granny, J-2, in the lead and Lobo, K-26 keeping her company!

Interestingly, Granny, the oldest of all the southern resident killer whales with an estimated birth year of 1911, is swimming along with a young adult male from K pod today.  Lobo, K-26 is keeping up and right along with them is the rest of his family.  His mother, Lea, K-14 is there and two more siblings.  Little Yoda is one of my favorite whales as I remember the day I caught him spy hopping and his chin sports a dimple!

Granny in the lead, and Lobo and…

We have a whole hour to watch the whales and suddenly are surprised by a giant breach.  One of our young passengers is counting…and as he says, “One…”…I add, “Two” and suddenly, J-19 flies out of the water on our chorus of “Three!”  What a surprise!  I just barely get the photo to prove it.

Always Alert

Checking us out…

Flashy Dresser

Can’t see me….can you?

It’s hard not to stop and admire the Harbor seals basking in the warm autumn sunshine.

Two or Three?  Can you see?

My rock….MY rock….

I LOVE SEPTEMBER WHALES!!!  Today was one of my best trips of the year.  We had early morning reports that all of the three pods of Resident orcas were spotted on the west side of San Juan Island.  Yay!  But by noon, they were speeding past Turn Point on Stuart and it looked a bit iffy on if they’d be within range for our 2 pm trip.  But at 1:30 PM, just after passing Moat Point on Pender Island, the whales gave us a reprieve and began rocketing south!  We had just passed Battleship Island and multiple groups of orcas were speed swimming (aka porpoising) down Haro Strait.

Perfect!  There were maybe 5 boats spread out over several miles, so we felt like we were having our own private wildlife experience.  Taking photos was a bit hard a first as they were all porpoising and you just never really knew where to aim.  But they settled down a bit as they approached Kellett Bluff, and that’s when the other action started!  Breach after breach after breach began.  First in one group, and then in others.  We counted over 30 breaches in less than an hour.  It was awesome.

Then as the whales slowed a bit, we were able to start getting a few IDs, including Oreo, Doublestuff, Cookie, Polaris, Star, Lulu, Spock, Onyx, and more.  Lots of rolling at the surface and playing.  The whale “parade” went on for quite awhile as each group made its’ way down Haro. After an hour, it was time to go, but we were so amazed at how great a day could be.   Then a quick trip to Speiden Island where we watched Mouflans graze on grass and down on the shore looking for kelp.  Bald Eagles on Cactus Island.  Harbor seals resting in the large beds of kelp.  And even a rainbow in the distance just added the exclamation point to our amazing day!

John Boyd (JB)

SSAMN Marine Naturalist, Western Prince

Today we find the L-12 family of Southern Resident Orca whales shopping the west side of San Juan Island.  Grocery list?  One word: Salmon!  Make that King salmon….oh, and prefer the Fraser River stock.  Appearently the delivery is in as this sub-family of L’s plus a few other L pod males spend time today cruising back and forth in front of False Bay.  In this group is a three year old calf and the newest addition: L-119 born in February 2012.

L-119 practicing “Stealth Whale” game!

While big uncle, L-41 Mega, slowly cruises on the outside of the group, L-119 puts on quite a demonstartion of what, for all the world, look like “baby games!”

Bubbles….big ones!

I Spy?

Then, a series of five spy hops in a row.  Was something down below pulling her down, causing her head to pop up over and over?  What action!

Pop Up…Spy Hop!

Catch Up

Finally she puts on a spurt of high energy and catches up to mom.  It must be hard to play baby games, but try to engage adults?

Time to move on….

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–I love September whales!  Today was my first September trip, and what an amazing day it was.  We started off the trip with no reports of whales…not even reports of whales coming in or leaving.  But off we went under beautiful sunny skies.  We headed south on the Western Explorer and stopped off to see the Stellar Sea Lions on Whale Rocks.  We then began our search for minke whales at Salmon Bank.  But alas, no luck.  So we headed off to Hein Bank, where we had luck of a different sort–we found a lone Tufted Puffin!  My first sighting for 2012!

So I took that as a sign that something special was going to happen, and it did!  We got a call from another whale watch boat that they had found a group of Transient Orcas north of our location.  The advantage of being in a fast boat became readily apparent as we took off for Mandarte Island over in Canadian waters.  Soon we were with the transients (turned out to be a group of 5 transients known as the T30s).  They were just in travel mode and we relaxed into watching when BAM!!!  Out comes the big male T30a in a breach that turned into a back-flip!  (no picture unfortunately)  But that signaled that something was up, and it soon was discovered they had just found lunch–a lone harbor porpoise.  They made quick work of it, and soon settled back into a relaxed travel mode with lots of direction changes, but generally heading northwest.

We thought they might go after a seal on Cooper Reef, but they must have been full as they mostly ignored all the harbor seals.  Before we knew it it was time to go back to Friday Harbor.

For our second trip, we once again headed into Canadian waters to rejoin the T30s.  When we first arrived on scene, they were in travel mode and there were lots of boats trying to view them (a great number of private boaters who had no idea what the rules are around whales).  So we waited towards the back of all the other boats, which turned out to be a good thing as the whales made an unexpected 180˚ turn and we became one of the lead boats.  And that’s when the fireworks started again!  The T30s found yet another harbor porpoise and this time the porpoise put up a lot of effort to escape.  The whales lunged out of the water repeatedly as they chased the porpoise.

It was a strong reminder of why these whales are called Killer Whales, and they “played” and chased the porpoise for 10-15 minutes.  Soon the deed was done and the porpoise was killed, but they took their time eating it.  At one point, one of the transients did a gorgeous spyhop right in front of us about 130 yards away, and she had the dead porpoise right in front of her.  Gruesome but so amazing to see the power of these animals.

After watching them for nearly an hour, it was time to head back towards Friday Harbor, but not before stopping at Speiden Island for a quick viewing of the Mouflans, Fallow Deer as they grazed in the late afternoon sunshine.

There are times when the whales put on incredible displays of physical strength. Today was one such day when we watched members of J, K, and L pods ZOOM south through Boundary Pass. The whales kept constant speed of about 11 knots and kept that up the whole time we were with them, which was almost an hour. We were all amazing. Can you imagine pushing your body weight of 5 tons through the water at such speed for such a long time? I can’t! These critters are the model of fitness! I guess they have somewhere to be!