ON LOCATION by Frank Miller From their viewpoint in the white boat, the Willamette University alumni scan the indigo waves. Every now and then, an excited cry goes up: “There! Over there!” And everyone gasps at the glimpse of a far-off barnacled back, the majestic flick of a fluke or a sudden spout of fish-scented whale breath. On a sunny Saturday in April, some 20 alumni gathered at Depoe Bay for a whale-watching tour organized by the Willamette University Alumni Association. After a two-hour voyage in pursuit of
36
SUMMER 2015
several migrating whales, the group disembarked and headed to the tide pools at nearby Yaquina Head. There, with the expert help and guidance of Willamette biology professor David Craig, they discovered tiny hermit crabs, purple sea anemones — and the sheer joy and wonder of Oregon’s natural beauty. Check out more photos at the alumni association’s Facebook page: facebook. com/WillametteAlumni/photos_stream.