感恩节游西雅图俄勒冈之流水账 (w English)
Like the previous three trips to Seattle, it was nighttime when we landed. The city welcomes us with its serene beautiful skyline, the colorful neon lights lit up the dark sky. The freeway we took after getting out of airport is No. 5, an interstate highway that runs across from CA to WA, the same highway we frequent in CA. However connected, the same freeway in Seattle is 1000 miles away, 20 hours’ drive from our California home, a distance not easily to be transcended.
My daughter was in her red new sweater when she met us at the gate. It’s chilly. I wrapped her with the coat in my hand, hugged her and hurried inside. She prepared crisp roasted turkey and carrot for us. They were delicious, and my husband complimented her in a flattery way that she is a better cook than me. Sure, that’s mom’s wishes too.
In the next few days my daughter showed us around a few new places in Seattle, and we went as far as to Oregon this time, a neighboring state bordered by Columbia river. Our five days’ trip can be briefed as follows:
Day1: Seattle, WA
a. Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, a national historic landmark, “the first lock facility constructed and remains the only one capable of handling Ocean-going vessel. At the time, these were the only locks in the country accommodating tidal fluctuations and separating fresh and salt water”.
b. Kerry Park. It provides a perfect viewpoint of overlooking downtown Seattle. From there, we relish the towering iconic Space Needle thrusting out of the surrounding skyscrapers.
c. Bruce Lee’s cemetery. Being a fan of Bruce Lee, my husband finally had a chance to pay respect to him. It turned out that the day before his visit is Bruce Lee’s birthday. Flowers were displayed in front of the tombs (his and his son’s) to honor a dragon that was buried here, a legendary Kongfu master whom people still remember today after his death for almost half a century.
Day 2: Portland, Oregon
a. Pittock Mansion: A historic House Museum situated at the mountain area was originally resided and owned by a business tycoon, a British born journalist. However magnificent the location and window views are, the mansion is in no way comparable to Hearst castle.
b. Washington Park: Strolling along the canopied forest, we found International Rose Test Garden a gem, where myriads of different roses are nurtured, a few of them still blooming in the cold winter.
c. Powell bookstore: The world’s largest independent bookstore, where new, used, rare or out-of-print books are sold. My husband, who claims to have finished all his life-long reading at college, asked a store assistant to locate a Bruce Lee’s English version biography book, but to no avail. He ended up buying a book of Lee’s kongfu.
Day 3: Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
a. Columbia River Gorge: Our trip is highlighted by the visit to the Multnomah Fall. Tucked away in the depth of Columbia river gorge, the Multnomah Fall is ranked the 3rd place in the world, right after Yosemite’s fall. After stopping by a gorgeous waterfall called Bridal’s Veil in the pristine cold morning, we braced to Multnomah Fall. The view is stunningly beautiful, unique in the freezing winter, when water drops spilled from the falls were frozen to white snowy ice hanging on the cliffs. I slipped and would have fallen to the icy ground, had it not been propped up by a kind visitor in the back.
b. Mt. Hood: Our drive to Mt. Hood was later hindered by the snowy road condition. But a brief drive-thru at the lower elevation gave us a glimpse of the winter mountain, where inches tall snow carpeted the surface, and coated heavily over the tree branches. The fresh snow, glistening under the sun like shining stars, helped create a dreamy white wonderland.
c. Twin Rocks beach: A- three-hour drive through meandering mountainous road took us from the mountain to the sea. Coming from southern CA, we are never short of beaches. But a look at Twin Rocks beach still excited us. Two elephant-shaped rocks standing side by side are said to be chiseled by the wind and wave over million years, a testimony of nature power.
d. Tillamook creamery: In the twilight on our way back, we visited Tillamook creamery, the 48th largest diary processor in North America. Through the window, we toured the facilities and watched the cheese being sealed into a 42 pounds’ package. Before we set out again, we had dinner there, treating ourselves to their freshly made ice creams as a desert.
Oregon is known as a state without sales tax. To complete our trip, my daughter and I rushed to a big mall before it closed, and she bought herself a new iPhone, making this trip more worthwhile and memorable.
We reached home a little after 12.
Day 4: 12/01/2019
It was drizzling on the first morning of December. We had a lazy relaxed morning, before she had to get up and work on her project for about two hours. Then we hit the road again around 2 pm, shopping at Ikea, Costco and 99 Ranch, to replenish her daily supplies.
Day 5: 12/02/2019
It’s Monday, and my daughter has to go to work, as an important project is due in a week. After sending her off to work, we cleaned up her apartment, finished the laundry and packed for our leave. It was about 1:30 when we drove by her office and dropped off the key. I hugged her and waved good-bye as she went back to the glass window building. Our flight is 6:55 pm. With five hours to go, we leisurely toured the city with Google’s GPS. When we left for airport at 4:20, we never expected the traffic in downtown Seattle to be so horrible, worse even than LA. One-mile long drive took more than 40 minutes, slower than if we walk on foot. What we thought to have ample time for the flight ended up with a hasty rush.
It is always nice to be back home, a sweet home.