A gray whale headed south on its annual sex trip to Baja Mexico made a slight detour into the San Francisco Bay yesterday, reportedly stopping off near Pier 39 to look at the Sea Lions or buy a humorously large "Alcatraz Psychiatric Ward" t-shirt.

The whale, which may or may not be the same fella or cow we spotted off Ocean beach earlier this week, was headed East around 3:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. East, of course, is the wrong direction for a whale to be heading if one is hoping to get to Mexico by sea, but it is the correct direction to go if it happens to be looking for cheaper rent with all the comforts of the city.

A spokesman from the Marine Mammal Center reminds us that whales, while "wonderful to see" are best enjoyed from a distance. Like the rest of the tourists.

[Bay City News/SFEx]