We saw a gigantic salt harvesting tractor with its two giant trailers up close. Its 12 wheels are each 12 feet tall and it is able to carry 360 tons of salt at a time, which it scoops up in 45 minutes from a salt flat. Enrique informed us that the California gray whales migrate 6,000 miles from the Bering Sea to Scammon's Lagoon to mate and have the babies which were conceived there between January and March the year before. Scammon's Lagoon is safe for the defenseless babies because it is shallow and sharks, killer whales and other predators do not enter. Mating is accomplished at the surface of the water with the help of a second male whose job is to provide resistance not afforded by the water for the female, sort of like a mattress.
Birth takes place near the surface also, but more about that later.
The whale census was put at 1,500 animals while we were there. The whale watch was definitely the highlight of the trip. I found it exhilarating as our 10-passenger whale boat skimmed across the water, its large outboard motor whining in rhythm with the waves slapping its bow. We sat in anticipation bundled in our life preservers and slickers, loose ends flapping in the breeze and an occasional warm spray in our faces, which soon turned cold in the wind as it ran off our cheeks and slickers. Several playful dolphins joined us to ride our bow wake and jump alongside to get a better look at us.