Last Bit of Washington State

When I first thought about writing a blog I wasn’t sure I would want to keep it up and whether I’d even have enough material to write about.  At least for now, it’s quite the opposite.  I jot down thoughts here and there and now it’s more about what not to include than trying to crank out something interesting.  So here goes with the latest batch of thoughts and doodles.  This post is less about our travels – but those will come.  We’ve got some great spots picked out in the next couple weeks!

Back a month or so, I’m doing my daily job of going through our belongings and deciding what goes to storage and what we get rid of, and I came across my first travel ‘blog’ written when I was shy of 10 years old.  The fam took a road trip to Arizona (of all places) to visit my grandparents new digs after leaving Minnesota for good.  I missed about a month of 4th grade with Mr. Chesbu and as penance had to keep a diary of our travels.  I remember the adventure starting with my dad driving our boat of a car through ridiculous snow storms, my mom’s slow allotment of new toys for my brother and I to play with, and visiting places that awed and inspired a 10 year old – like Disneyland, but also several missions in California, the Mormon Tabernacle, wineries, and even Sun City where the grandparents lived.  I still remember buying post cards and picture books with images of the various cactus I was learning about.  I also remember writing this 17 page journal and enjoying the process for the most part. Our early road trips set the foundation for what would be many more as a young adult, and now a way of life (at least for a while) as an older one.  Perhaps my writing has evolved a bit since then – but hopefully I can maintain the eyes wide open approach I had as a kid rather than the clinical one that readily possesses me.  

May 18th 1980.  If you were alive then you probably remember it, at least if you lived in WA state. It was Sunday morning and I was sitting in bed doing homework with KISW rocking some early 80’s hair metal, and I heard the announcement that Mt St Helens had finally erupted.  We knew it was coming as it had been dominating the news for weeks, but it was pretty significant to have a volcano erupt in my home state!  Even though I’ve toured most of WA, I had never been to see what was left of St Helens, so we took a day trip to check it out.  Besides the mountain seemingly split in half, you can still see where Spirit Lake spilled down into the valley taking out everything in it’s path.  It’s hard to imagine what it would have been like that day – to be there and witness that powerful display of what our planet can do, and our inability to do anything about it.

Lastly, on travel blogging, we watched the Anthony Bourdain biography this week.  Although he was obviously a troubled mind, he was brilliant and here or not, he remains my favorite travel blogger.  I read Kitchen Confidential at a time when I thought boiling noodles and sautéing some onion and garlic in olive oil made me a chef, but I loved the book even though it taught me otherwise.  Also, never order the fish on Tuesday!  As I really got into watching Parts Unknown, I realized he was showing us that our perspective may be limited.  He readily spoke about how travel changed his perspective, and although it was based on food, the show was much more than that.  Culture and experiences create strong beliefs in what one perceives is the right way to deal with a situation.  It’s unfortunate that instead of trying to identify with people’s opinions based on experiences other than our own, we hate each other for having them.  Not sure where we’re going with that but I don’t see it ending well and I don’t know how it gets any better.  Tony said this, and we’re trying!:

 “If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.” – Anthony Bourdain.

Really lastly – to lighten it up here’s one last quote:

“Clearly, we need a selfie stick”! – Tami Posel