Leaving Seattle Snow, Greeting Manila Sun OLA

Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777 at SFO International Airport

Finally on February 22 after a day of sleet we left Seattle with a forecast of below freezing temperatures and snow for the next 10 days! We are so lucky because we were still given the chance to enjoy sunny, warm, tropical days, as we had intended for winter! At the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Bill relaxed as he settled down with a glorious Starbucks non-fat no-whip mocha grande (and his emails) while I had my good old large Calm (chamomile) tea and this blog.

Bill relaxing at SEATAC Int'l Airport

That night we landed in San Francisco for a quick layover. My sister, Cherry was so gracious, as usual, with an adobo dinner waiting for us. The next day she got up early to make a big breakfast before her daughter Zan brought us to the airport for our noon flight to Hong Kong and Manila.  It was sad to leave their cute African turtle, Jethro! At the airport the giant Cathay Pacific B777 jumbo jet jumped through the huge windows at us. Then I realized that the tension that gripped us for 6 months, with all the delays around the citizenship test and interview (especially in the cold weather to which we are no longer accustomed), was completely gone!  

Jethro, an African turtle in SFO

The Changi International Airport in Hong Kong has totally changed from the days when I spent half of the month working there (the other half in Manila). It is now one of the most completely modern airports in the world. And what I loooooved best about it before, duty-free shopping is still unbeatable.  We did not buy anything but looking at all the fancy stores (at every wing and every corner of the airport of perhaps the shopping capital of the world) while waiting for your flight is a feeling to die for!

Cherry and Zan and me in SFO

Around midnight of February 24, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the peaceful EDSA revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship (shades of the successful Egyptian revolution), our plane approached the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.  This is where the protest moment began, when Ninoy Aquino, father of current President Noynoy Aquino and husband of the post revolution president Corazon Aquino, was gunned down on the tarmac upon arrival from exile in the US.

The International Airport in HK

Funny, but I still felt I had come back ‘home’, after 7 years in America.  The mix of emotions was expected. I was arriving in Manila for the first time as an American citizen but I was also secretly hoping that sometime during the next three months I would be able to establish a dual citizenship. Aside from truly feeling the dual nature of my allegiance, a Filipino returnee (Balikbayan) has advantages like bestowing Bill the same status and one-year stay in the country without the need for a visa.  

Bill having breakfast at Prince Plaza 2

April, my only daughter still remaining in Manila who works as a project manager at HP Philippines, picked us up and brought us post-haste to the Prince Plaza 2 Condominium where for a privileged rate of only $15 a day we will be staying at the 22^nd floor in the comfort of a suite of our friend and father-in-law of my eldest daughter Patricia, Tavy Aberion. The condo is in the busy, plush, and trendy Greenbelt Park and Mall, right in the heart of the Philippines’ financial district, Makati.

But, after a grueling 20-hour airport-to-airport flight a slew of 6 movies (127 hours, Life As We Know It, Morning Glory, Experiment, Due Date, and Never Let Me Go), we dropped to what we thought would be a looooong restful sleep. But the brightness of the next morning and the busy-ness of the streets down below woke us up earlier than we had expected. And the sun is beckoning us to the massive shopping malls around the megalopolis of 16 cities such as the Mall of Asia, 3^rd largest in the world! Watch for my post next week!   

OLA: Viewing the Work of Man and Nature

Mt. St. Helen's sliced off look

Day 24 of the 2011 Regular Session

This week’s day trip took us east of Elma, to the state capital of Washington, Olympia, to watch the goings-on at the State Capitol. Then south we went to Mt. St. Helens, to see how much of the mountain was lost in the 1980 eruption, passing through the small towns of Tenino and Kid Valley. It was a day of viewing the forces of man and nature and respecting their contributions to the world.

the Washington State Legislative Building

Not wanting to be late for the opening of the House and Senate sessions on Day 24 of the 2011 Regular Session, we woke up early and hurried on to Olympia.  At the Senate, the ecumenical prayer was followed by the Honor Guard establishing the flag of the United States and Washington in front. There were many of us at the Visitors’ Gallery. It was exhilarating to watch the wheels of democracy turn!

the State Seal

Washington was carved out of the western territory ceded by Britain in 1846 and became the forty-second state in 1889. The beautiful Legislative Building houses the State Legislature where 48 senators and 98 members of the House from 49 legislative districts work. The executive branch is headed by a governor who has a corner office there. On campus also stands the Temple of Justice which houses the State Supreme Court. 

Olympic Mountains from the State Capitol

At the north end of the state government complex, one can look northwest and gasp at a picturesque scene in nature, the majestic peaks of the Olympic Mountains.  Then further south towards Tenino, are wonderful works of man. The first is the almost 200 fine sculptures in Monarch Sculpture Park, a 10 acre park where there are also a 1-acre maze of hedges, a butterfly haven, and a lagoon. The second is the International Wolf Haven which provides lifetime sanctuary to 150 rescued wolves.

the entrance to Monarch Sculpture Park

International Wolf Haven

Bill and I have wanted to see Mt. St Helens because its eruption (which he saw) was very much like that of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines (which I saw). We tried in 2007 but ran out of time so this time we took a shortcut and we were already an hour ahead from Olympia, 50 miles south of Seattle. On the way, we had glimpses of an unfamiliar southern view of Mt. Rainier in a pure white cloak of snow.

Mt. Rainier from the south

Very long-haired white, brown, and black llamas were silently witnessing all the beauty around them. Then, at 25 miles before the National Monument, we were surprised to see a 28-foot statue of Bigfoot in a little town called Kid Valley. Folklore has it that the legend perished here from the massive mudflow of Toutle River after the eruption. A buried A-frame house even stands as a gift shop beside him.

Bigfoot at Kid Vvalley

Mt. St. Helens is famous for its eruption on the morning of May 18, 1980, the most economically destructive in US history. 1,312 feet of its dome exploded, shooting 24 megatons of ash and pyroclastic flows sideways and not upwards, leaving a gaping mile wide horseshoe-shaped crater. Smoke still rises from this crater even today.

llamas along the road

11 years later, Mt. Pinatubo also erupted in the Philippines. Although it was half the size of Mt. St. Helens, this eruption is the second most destructive in the world in the twentieth century. It shot 1 megaton more but did so much higher up into the atmosphere, affecting other countries and destroying more parts of the country.

 

the crater of Mt. St. Helens coming up from the highway

Apart from the sliced off look of Mt. St. Helen’s and the still muddy Toutle River in the valley below, after 30 years, you see everywhere else bright new young trees and lush vegetation growing, testament to the life that continues to thrive even after such a destructive force of nature. And, 235 years after the US declared its independence from Britain, democracy still reigns supreme in the halls of government.

It was a winter day well spent! And we cannot wait for next weekend’s scheduled visits to Tacoma, Seattle, Roslyn, and Snoqualmie, Washington

OLA: Finding Treats on the Way to the Shores

our little Saturn on the way to the end of the shores

Last week we postponed this trip for the Cranberry Coast. But another sunny day in the cold of a January winter came along and off we went to meet the Pacific Ocean again. This time we passed through the cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam before getting to Ocean Shores. Once more, we found so many special things! Bill and I may have stumbled upon a career of finding treasures in all the places we go to.

a bird cage in Aberdeen

Downtown Aberdeen, the hub of Grays Harbor has added some twenty bird cages that contain metal replicas of mythical endangered species such as … Then, right where the Chehalis and Wishkah rivers meet, there is the largest compass in the world (40 feet in diameter) called The Compass Rose. It shows both true and magnetic Norths, offering a great vantage point for the shipping commerce passing by.

The Compass Rose in Aberdeen

Then just a block from the Visitors’ Center, inside a muffler shop sits an amazing statue done by the wife of Bob, the owner. It is of Kurt Cobain, the leader of Nirvana, the multi-platinum grunge band that redefined the sound of the nineties. He was born in Hoquaim but moved to Aberdeen. At age 27, just two years after marrying controversial Courtney Love of The Hole and a year after their love child was born, he put a shotgun in his mouth, pulled the trigger, and left a suicide note with the words "I love you." 

Kurt Cobain at a Muffler Shop in Aberdeedn

Bob says that it is because of his gruesome death due to drug addiction that the city has not given the statue a place of honor. But he told us about another amazing statue, this time of a fireman, which his artist wife made for the heroes of 9/11. They hauled it across the country on their truck a month after the tragedy and it sat at the Ground Zero fire station for months before reconstruction work started.

The Hoquiam Castle

The Hoquiam Castle was the next surprise. This beautiful 19th century Victorian-style mansion is listed in National Geographic's America's Great Houses. The building of this stately home overlooking the town of Hoquiam began in 1897, completed in 1900, by lumber baron Robert Lytle who acquired his fortune from his electric saw mill, the first of its kind on the west coast. The castle is now a bed and breakfast and right beside it stands the family home, the beautiful yellow Lytle House.

The Lytle House

Sharkys at Ocean Shores

Not far after these two towns, on a stretch of land on the southern tip of the Olympic peninsula shielding Grays Harbor from the Pacific is Ocean Shores. Westport was not as visible from the Shores that day but we still had fun, especially after almost being eaten by a shark at a gift shop!  And guess what color their fire hydrants are? Yellow! We also found a three-eyed yellow propane tank, yellow roof on a fishing boat relic marooned on the streets, and theme homes decorated with buoys (although not all yellow!).

whoops, the mothballed power plants 

a propane tank in Ocean Shores

On the way back to our Elma campground is an astounding view of) 2 nuclear power plants mothballed at a cost of $2.25 B, Plants 4 & 5 of WPPS (Washington Public Power Supply system. No wonder some call it whoops!  Although we found all these treats on the way to the Shores that sunny winter day, we do not really want to start another career. What we know is that there are millions of treasures in this wonderful world of ours, if we only had the time to look, cruise, and be part of the Z generation! 

a home of buoys in Ocean Shores

Next Stops:  Olympia, Tacoma, and Mt. St. Helens, Washington

OLA: Taking you to Cranberry Fields Forever

a Berry Bog on Cranberry Coast

For the first time in many days, sunlight drenched southwestern Washington’s fields! Although it was forecast to be a high of only 43*F, Bill and I quickly seized the opportunity and drove our little red Saturn west towards Ocean Shores where the Pacific meets the southern tip of the Olympic Peninsula. At the Visitors Center in Aberdeen, the Olympic Gateway, we were convinced to go south instead to a different coastline.  So, ‘let us take you down where we're going to…cranberry fields forever…’ 

the tallest lighthouse in the state of Washington

Westport, a commercial fishing town

The first town on the Cranberry Coast is Markham where Ocean Spray brings all the berries for processing and transporting to the different parts of the USA. At the western end before going south is Westport, the big commercial fishing town of Washington. Actually from there you can see Ocean Shores at the other side of Grays Harbor on the mouth of the Chehalis River.  The fishing town boasts of the tallest lighthouse in the state and a Maritime Museum showcasing several huge skeletons of whales. 

skeleton whales in the Westport Maritime Museum

Ocean Shores from the Westport side

Driving south on Highway 105 we reach Grayland (pop, less than 2,000), site of the Annual Cranberry Festival. There we found many cranberry bogs that were started by the Finnish farmers nearly 150 years ago.  Cranberries are a fruit crop that is grown in wet, marshy areas called bogs.  They grow best where there is a cool growing season and no extreme cold.  They are found mostly in the provinces of Canada but in the US they are grown in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington.

Washaway Beach from a washed away tree

coastline changes since 1891

Next on the loop is a special little surprise with a lot of camera moments. North Cove is a small town famous for the Washaway Beach. The sketch on the left shows you how much of this 2-mile stretch has been clawed away by the Pacific Ocean since 1891. A little further east is Tokeland spit named after Chief Toke. It is where you will find the Shoalwater Bay Casino, the friendliest little casino on the coast. There is also a small Marina, an RV Resort on the Willapa Bay and a historic hotel built in 1855.

a house just teetered on Washaway Beach

Willapa Bay is also the source of 15% of the oysters consumed in the United States. So the next towns you encounter after leaving the Cranberry Coast from Tokeland are Raymond and South Bend. The latter is dubbed the ‘Fresh Oyster Capital of the World’. All around town are hills of oyster shells kept for new farming beds. Pacific oysters have been grown in Willapa Bay for over a century and the 10,000 acres devoted to the farms there harvest an average of three to four million pounds per year.

an oyster shell hill in South Bend

2 of 200 steel sculptures in Raymond

A little north of South Bend, upwards towards Aberdeen and then Elma, at the beginning of the end of our day’s loop is the small town of Raymond.  It is known for its Wildlife-Heritage Sculpture Corridor, about a mile of enchanting steel sculptures of wildlife and people along Highway 101, State Route 6, and throughout downtown Raymond. Incorporated into the Raymond landscape in 1993, the two hundred sculptures were designed by local artists to reflect the area’s great heritage.

the strange space ship at a little corner market

the house that 40 sausages built

The Cranberry Coast brought us many little surprises like a little store that sold 40 different kinds of sausages, including, of course, cranberry sausage and the little corner market in front of which is a strange space ship! We started the day thinking we were going to Ocean Shores.  That trip is postponed for another sunny winter day. We enjoyed taking you down to where we finally went to cranberry fields forever, where the land turns bright red, the coastline always changes, and seafood reigns supreme.

another beautiful sunset on the way home

WOW: Maximizing RVing Resources, Part 2

the Chehalis library on a hill in the middle of downtown

Last week’s post talked about four kinds of campgrounds.  Over a year ago, after 5 months of cruising, even before buying M’A ‘turn (our 37-ft. motorhome,) we bought  a Thousand Trails membership with the Resorts of Distinction tucked in (a network of 81 and 125 RV Resorts, respectively). We experience Nature Parks at the national parks and we choose RV Parks when we want to as close to family possible. But this post talks about the resources for RVing fun other than campgrounds or the local sights.

Bing Crosby House in Gonzaga University

Being smart (translation, cheap) there are public centers like libraries where we borrow a steady supply of DVDs, CDs, magazines, and books. Visitor Centers are sources of info and discount coupons, great for outlying areas like the Yukon. Good substitutes for gyms where we can’t find Bally’s Fitness Centers are community centers.   But we continue to be in serious denial that senior centers are also a good resource!  We can also park in rest areas for the night and use sewer and fresh water stations when they have them.

a sculpture at Western Washington University

Other public institutions that are also gems for us cruisers are colleges and universities!  At Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, for example, we discovered the House that stored much of Bing Crosby’s memorabilia. At Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, there are 33 sculptures of renowned artists all around the campus.  Even the Virginia Military Institute was a fine piece of architecture in itself, with Stonewall Jackson’s Statue right at the center!

The Virginia Military Institute
with the statue of Stonewall Jackson

Then there are religious institutions. From the small quonset huts of budding Catholic parishes in the Yukon to the massive cathedrals in the large metropolis,  churches also have functions aside from Sunday services.  There was the Simbang Gabi Reception at the St. John the Baptist Church in Covington, Washington, a Marriage Encounter Enrichment Weekend in the Seattle diocese at a Quality Inn, and a Christmas Choir singing every hour every night of Yuletide at The Grotto in Portland, Oregon.
  

the oldest cathedral in North America
in Mexico City

And, of course, countless commercial establishments fight for our dollars. But, I repeat, being smart, my favorite shopping is done at The Goodwill Chain of Stores (also St. Vincent DePaul, Salvation Army or the Habitat for Humanity), especially those that are found near affluent communities! We have found great treasures like our slightly used Zojirushi bread machine for $6.50 (brand new, $100-150). We have also found big, juicy watermelons at farmers’ markets for $1 and flea markets run all year round in Florida!

the couples of the WWME
 Enrichment Weekend. Section 13

Factory outlet malls, usually too far from the city, have become ubiquitous for us. Great for the budget, they are also great as tread mill substitutes, being sprawling single-level complexes.  Even movies come much cheaper ($2.50) at second-run theaters that are slightly further away from the city centers. When the weather is right, there are even the wide open drive-in theatres where you can do your thing in the privacy of your car (I mean like eat your own sandwiches, have your own drinks, etc.) 

meeting like-minded cruisers at a Walmart lot

And, when we run out of time to reach a campground, we just park at a Walmart, whether in Canada, US, or Mexico! For the price of some groceries or household supplies you may need, you can park your RV for the night, meet like-minded new neighbors, and sit inside for free WiFi! Then when you run out of time to cook a meal, you can go into a Costco to buy some much-needed staples and have a quick round of the free samples for tasting to fill your stomach to your heart’s content!

our motorhome on the driveway of the Docks

But the resource you can always count on is your family or friends. Bill went back to his hometown in Pittsburg, Kansas where we found the best spot to camp in the whole wide world! Jack Dock, husband of Rosemary (Bill’s sister), cleared out the space along his driveway and extended an electrical outlet for us from his garage. In short we were close neighbors for almost a month and went about our sight-seeing together to Tulsa Oklahoma, Joplin Missouri, and Kansas City Kansas and Missouri!

our love resources in Marriage Encounter

The Thousand Trails membership we bought for thirteen years computes to about $1.50 a day if we use it for 365 days a year (which is what we did in 2010). And this includes light, water, all the amenities, and the activities (sometimes even with free movies, coffee and popcorn). This year we will use the system for 9 months and 2012 we will use it for the full year again. Later on, by the end of our contract, we will probably average out to 6 months a year or just $3 a day!

So what more can I ask for? There is absolutely no time for boredom. Last week  I even forgot to include the hiking and biking trails in each campground, the lakes they have for fishing and boating (if not a river or ocean front), and the fire pits for fireside chats at night or for making s’mores!  In this cruising lifestyle, I have found that the axiom ‘More for less’ which I learned from business, also applies.  That makes Carol a happy girl! And Bill becomes one, too…I mean…a happy boy!

Next Post: OLA: Elma, Grays Harbor, Raymond, Ocean Shores and Olympia, Washington.