The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: January twenty-third, watching the whales along California's coast.

Of all creatures on land or sea, none are more magnificent than the great whales. With the exception of the orca, no other of these aquatic mammals live long in captivity. So, to see cetaceans court, calf, feed and frolic, you have to travel to their natural habitats.

The California coastline is one excellent place to do that. Twice each year, more than 26,000 gray whales migrate between their summer home in Alaska and winter breeding grounds off Mexico's Baja Peninsula. The only species to have regained its pre-whaling population, adult grays get up to 50 feet long and weigh 45 tons.

Their 12,000-mile annual roundtrip is the longest known migration of any mammal. Traveling close to the shoreline for protection from predators, small pods of whales average three to five miles an hour, covering up to 80 miles a day.

Catching sight of a pod is always a thrill. First, one whale exhales a spout of spray up to 12 feet in the air. Where there's one blow, others quickly follow, as the pod breaks the surface. Some whales skyhop, poking their brows out of the water several times in quick succession. That may be followed by breaching, as whales leap out of the water and flop back down in a spectacular splash, either as a form of communication or back scratching.

And all along California's coast, from Mendocino to San Diego, nature lovers and local communities hold a variety of events and festivals to celebrate the passing of whales. For links, check our Web site, travelersjournal.com.

FMI To check out California tourism's whale-watching guide, visit http://gocalif.ca.gov/whatsnew/pr-whales.html

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