MOSES LAKE - When growing up in Moses Lake, Mom, my sister, Denise, and I were invited to Las Angeles by my Uncle Vern. The idea was to visit Disneyland and Marineland of the Pacific. What's more we traveled by train all the way leaving from Ritzville, as this was the only passenger train stop in this area. It was an exciting adventure from beginning to end.

I was in the 11 to 12 year old range and my sister four years younger. The trip to Disneyland was an exceptionally fun day, as we had a chance to try out all of the rides, some more than once. We also bumped into all of the Disney characters, such as Minnie, Mickey and Goofy. I must admit, though, I was a bit disappointed in not finding Annette Funichello anywhere and I looked hard, too.

The next day, at Marineland, was also exciting and educational, as we watched a bunch of sea creatures put on shows of entertaining acts. Then we happened on what turned out to be a thrilling adventure.

One of my favorite television shows was Sea Hunt, staring Lloyd Bridges. Ex-Navy Frogman Mike Nelson, Bridges stage name on the show, would fight the bad guys, salvage items, such as a nuclear missile and he saved a bunch of people, such as people trapped in a flooded cave and a downed Air Force pilot still in the pilot seat in the jet. And he did all of this from underwater.

A sign pointed to an on-the-water tour of the coastline and Uncle Vern said we should take advantage of the situation, but just him, Denise and me. So we headed down the plank where Vern paid for our passage and on to the ship we went. I noticed the name on the side: The Argonaut.

"This is," I stammered, "This is Mike's boat."

"It's true," the captain said. "This is the boat used in the show 'Sea Hunt.'"

"Is ...?" I asked looking around.

"No, Mike's not on board."

And so we went out to seas and toured the California coastline. After half an hour the captain told us he had spotted a gray whale and off we went, pulling alongside the creature and we stayed with it for miles, turning an hour-long tour into two hours.

Two weeks ago, my wife, Garnet, and I were scheduled to participate in another whale-watching. Our instructions were to depart the Inn at Port Gardner in Everett and travel to the Port of Everett Marina to arrive half an hour before our scheduled departure of 11:30. I punched in the address as 1726 W. Marine View Drive. When we began to follow the GPS instructions, we realized the Inn's address was 1700 W. Marine View Drive, which was just three or four blocks from our destination and behind the famous Anthony's Seafood Restaurant.

Other people began to arrive and when the scheduled number of passengers were gathered near the Island Explorer 3, Captain Carl Williams gave us the safety speech, along with an idea of what we could expect.

The Explorer 3 is 101 feet long and 24 feet wide. It has a galley, serving various sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, quesadillas, nachos, snacks and even chili in a bread bowl.

The upper and lower viewing areas offer full walk-around decks. This day it was spitting a bit of rain from time to time and windy. I ventured outside a few times, but the lower heated cabin was comfortable and warm. This area was lined with large windows, which allowed passengers to remain inside and not miss a single whale and we saw a bunch of them.

Naturalist Michael Colahan was on board to provide the history and life of the gray whale. They would be feeding at the mouth or delta of the Snohomish River, where the water is relatively shallow. We should watch for a water spout as the whale blows and takes in air.

"There's the first one at one o'clock," the naturalist said over the speaker system.

I saw one at 5 o'clock and announced the spotting. And so the sightings continued for the next couple of hours. Of course some of the sightings were of the same whale, surfacing in another spot of the delta. Although we had our own binoculars, others were available for passengers without.

"That's Little Patch," the naturalist said. "Notice the smallish white spot on his back, which identifies this whale."

When it was time to head back to the dock, the naturalist made a stop at each group of people to show photos of the various whales we had seen and how they were identifiable by their markings.

Whale watching aboard the Island Explorer 3 was as comfortable as I have ever been while on saltwater. Because we were on Puget Sound there were no ocean-type swells. The day we were out there was a little wind-chop, but the excursion was quite relaxing and comfy. If the door was open and the boat turned sides, First Mate Mark Kratzer was close by to make sure the door was closed and we were cozy.

The Explorer 3 guarantees passengers will see whales while onboard or passengers will "ride free, for life, until you do."

On this trip we had passengers from The Netherlands, New Mexico, California, Maryland, New York as well as some from the Puget Sound area.

Alek, six years old, was the youngest whale watcher on board. He had a ball spotting and watching the mammals as they spouted and rolled in the water. It was a day he is likely to remember for a lifetime. His joy during the day reminded me of my trip out of Marineland 50 some years ago.

Next week: Visiting Snohomish County museums; visiting with old friends.

NOTES: The Island Explorer 3 is operated by Island Adventures from Port of Everett on gray whale tours from March through the first part of May. From May 7 through Oct. 2 the main attraction will be the Orca departing from Anacortes. Contact Island Adventures at: 800-465-4604, 360-293-2428 or whales@islandadventurecruises.com