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.

WOW: Maximizing RVing Resources for Fun

M'A 'turn at the Rocky Mountain National Park

Because of health issues, legal affairs, and family festivities, we have been marooned in Washington for almost four months now (and winters should be spent in warmer places, don’t you agree?).  So how do we maximize the fun in camping when we get confined to the same places for a long time and thus undoubtedly exhaust the scenes (or cannot visit them anyway with the cold, the snow, or the rain?)?

Beachwood RV Resort in Blaine, Washington

When confronted with a problem, experience has taught us to first take stock of existing resources: 1) campgrounds where we stay, 2) city/county/state/federal facilities around us, 3) homes of relatives, friends and accommodating strangers, 4) commercial establishments hungry for our dollars, and 5) religious centers eagerly waiting for our souls. Let me concentrate on the first on this post.

a campground with a spa/pool complex beside a lake

Campgrounds are our best sources because they actually become our very own backyards for the duration of our stay. A campsite is usually anywhere from 15-25 feet wide and 40-80 feet long for our size RV which is 8.5x37 plus space for our tow vehicle, our little red Saturn. From our 18 months of experience, we have come to the realization that there are actually four kinds of campgrounds.

a campsite beside the lake full of frolicking geese

Green Mountain RV Resort with a 9-hole golf course!

If you had location as y-axis and amenities/activities as x-axis, then you have four quadrants. As you go higher on the y-axis you go from near town centers to more rural preserves of nature.  On the x-axis, on the other hand, you go from no amenities except the basic site to a ton of them, including golf courses, plus many planned activities like potlucks, poker sessions, jam sessions, concerts, different tourneys, etc.!

the large deck for our private parties at Green Mountain RV Resort

the covered pool at Ponderosa Falls RV Resort

Thus Quadrant 1 (more nature, more amenities/activities) is what we will call The Nature RV Resort.  The Green Mountain RV Resort at the outskirts of Lenoir, North Carolina, near the Blue Ridge Parkway, is a candidate for this title. Many sites have a large deck, looking out to a cool, clear spring, which you can use for private socials. It is a very hilly site with lots of large trees. Aside from a clubhouse with billiards, ping pong and other game tables, it has a 9-hole golf course, tennis, volleyball courts, and a lake for fishing and boating. While we were there, a live band played at a dance where we even learned the East Coast Swing!

the fitness room at Ponderosa Falls RV Resort

a live concert at the Suwannee River Music Park

Quadrant 2 (near a city, more amenities/activities) is what we call the City RV Resort and Orlando Thousand Trails in Orlando, Florida holds this distinction. It is 6 miles away from the Disneyworld Entertainment Complex, walking distance to shopping marts, has a large clubhouse with games, billiards, ping pong, large TV and gift shop and restaurant, an exercise room, hot tubs, pools, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, volleyball courts, mini-golf course, etc., and lots of well-attended planned activities such as the New Year Ball with more than a hundred couples dancing away to a live band.

the scenic 18-hole mini golf course beside the fishing pond

basketball court and other outdoor sports areas

Quadrant 3 (near a city but minimal amenities/activities) is what we call an RV Park. We use this primarily to be near a family or friend’s home with whom we would like to visit for a longer time.  When we were at Boise, Idaho, we stayed in one that is only 10 minutes away from the home of Jim (Bill’s only son) with just a hot tub and pool, an exercise room, and a horseshoe pit. But we were able to go to Jim’s often and they also were able to stay with us over a weekend. There were no planned activities.

Star and Vino at the Big Sur Nature Park with the Pacific Ocean glistening below

Star and Vino amidst the boulders in Joshua Tree National Park

Quadrant 4 (more nature, minimal amenities/activities) is what we call a Nature Park. This is what one needs when you want to get away from it all, experience sublime solitude, and wonder at God’s creation. City/County/State Parks are mostly like these as well as parts of our national forests, Corps of Engineers’ land preserves, beach enclaves, etc. The best one that comes to mind was the national forest park along Big Sur, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Some national parks like Joshua Tree NP would also qualify but the bigger national parks like Yosemite or Yellowstone have become virtual cities with so many facilities built around and in them.

inside a clubhouse

the New Year's Ball at Orlando Thousand Trails Resort

                                    If you do full time RV’ing like we do, backyards will be excitingly varied (the same with your neighbors!) and so there really will be no excuse for boredom. Thus I have become a woman of leisure (hopefully, the substance is still there!). And even after being marooned for 4 months here, we found the Travel Inn RV Park in Elma, Washington that surprisingly has many activities: Bill has joined pool tourneys, I have lost some money from Texas Hold ‘em with the guys, and am often going to Ballys in Olympia, fiercely melting the calories away at a treadmill or meditating at the spa.

Next Wow: The Other 4 RVing Resources!

   

WOW: Opening a Door on the New Year!

the big bang at Seattle's Space Needle!

The door to 2011 opened with a big bang the minute the 2010 window closed! As the seconds ticked away, we watched the awesome fireworks display at the famous Space Needle in downtown Seattle.  Before that we were battling it out as Kinect performers on the living room stage. After all, we had to dance away the calories from the Filipino paella, steamed crabs, grilled prawns, ambrosia, and wine for dinner.

our traditional Noche Buena

After midnight, we had the traditional Filipino noche buena with the good old holiday ham, queso de bola, whole wheat pan de sal, and thick Spanish hot chocolate. And to think, just two nights ago we had spicy pot roast, steamed wild rice, five-layer salad, apple-walnut cake, and wine at a reunion of what Bill calls my ‘Estrogen’ Book Club. The following morning we woke up to another highly caloric New Year’s Day Brunch!

the 'Estrogen' Book Club with spouses 

But it is not just about festivities and good-eats.  There are changes we are trying to make for 2011. Not only did we make sure the RV is spanking clean (a Filipino tradition of New Year cleaning instead of spring cleaning). You must have also noticed the different look and feel of this blog! Not only have we increased the columns to fit more things above the fold, we also shifted to a more neutral color theme.

still found room for the New Year's Day brunch!

But we have also been looking for deeper change.   In the midst of a fund-raising campaign for a community center at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in West Seattle, Fr. Jack felt our longing for a ministry that can fit our cruising lifestyle. We were so used to rooted stewardships in our parish: the Filipino-American Association, Eucharistic ministry, and Supper Club. 

the toast at exactly midnight!

And it was as if the Holy Spirit spoke through him.  He felt that this blog is actually about wonderings on our wanderings.  We were not just going to different places; we were experiencing different levels of wonderment about His wonderful Creation! As a matter of fact, he suggested that, as we visit each new parish, big or small, we could undertake a primary research of best practices.

 

Fr. Jack Walmesley at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in West Seattle

So, beginning this year, my posts will either be an OLA (Our Lifestyle Adventures) or a WOW (Wonderings on Wanderings). This first post of the year is a WOW! And we are now in the process of formulating the research project and proposing it to a beneficiary, including the drafting of the questionnaire we will be using.  We do think we are being led to a more purpose-driven life.

But what about my ne’er forgotten desire to help my home land move to a better position in the world? Fortunately, Doug Miller, one of the DUs (Bill’s high school ‘gang’), is founder/chair of Asia Venture Philanthropy Network, an organization looking into helping Asian non-profit and social enterprises just like they succeeded to do in Europe. He needs help in sorting out Philippine needs and identifying likely grantees.

the icicle formations on rocks along Highway 8 West

Indeed a window has closed, but a HUGE door is being opened! Bill’s only hope is that, in the midst of such inspiring activities, our cruising lifestyle does not revert into a driven one! And, as if to dispel that, on our way home to the campground, a sculpture of magnificence jumped out of the rocky landscape. We share with you these striking icicle formations (the result of a string of below 30 nights) on Highway 8 West between Olympia and Elma!

Next Stop: Elma and Olympia, Washington