The drive to Marys Peak took 50 minutes and we did a short hike, not to the top but midway to a good spot to catch the sunset. It was indeed lovely but it sure was cold for us and this is only Summer! I can’t imagine visiting during a colder season. Brr…
We stayed a little longer after the sunset to catch some stars too. And some bright ones we did see including the Big Dipper.
We staked out this tree stump to catch the sunset
Join the stars!
Thank goodness the hike was short for when we got home, my Mi Band2 recorded slightly over a thousand steps more, so in total I, or rather we all walked 14,539 (9.0km) today. Good workout I’say.
I think the body has not quite adjusted because last night I slept at 1:20am and got up at 9:45am this morning. But it’s okay, we didn’t have to rush.
We had bagels at home for breakfast before we embarked on a more comprehensive campus tour. The weather was lovely to be out walking but it got a bit warm by noon. And what a day it was for we walked and walked and walked.
The college is beaver land. There’s beaver on the wall and on the doors, it’s pretty cool.
Beaver on the wall!
Beaver on the door
By three, we went by the FST department for their little mini celebration honoring the graduating and outstanding students. I must say we felt most proud when M1 was called upon several times to receive her certificates. That’s one smart cookie right there.
Receiving her certain with a huge smile
When we got back, I had registered 13,010 steps equivalent to 8.2km and we are not done for the day! Later we will head to Marys Peak to hike and catch the sunset. I am sure by then my legs will be like jelly. A good night’s rest after that should suffice, for tomorrow is THE day, Commencement ceremony!
When evening came, we drove our ‘new’ car to go in search of dinner. We ended up trying Mexican – Tacovore, which was very flavorful. After our meal, we checked out the local grocery store.
American food items on the shelves are huge which makes me wonder, cheaper by the bulk? We were amazed at some of the oversized items like cereal, peanut butter and chips which we don’t get back home in terms of the sizes. It’s quite an eye-opener.
Huge, huge, HUGE!!!
Biggest bag of chips ever!
The day ended with meeting parents of some of M1’s friends who are also here for the big day on Saturday.
I woke up at five this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. I think the body have adjusted but more so because sunlight came through the blinds, unlike back home where the bedroom had black-out curtains.
We had breakfast at home before taking a stroll to campus. The morning started out cool but got warmer and we worked up a sweat walking around campus and admiring the buildings and architecture.
M1 took us to meet some of her co-workers at her workplace, all of whom were such nice people who had only good words and high praises of her. How sweet. Then she went off with hubby to get the rental car while M2 and I walked a bit more to see more buildings.
By the time we walked home, we have done more than 8000 steps and it’s only two in the afternoon. Initially I thought I had adjusted but before I knew it, I zonked out again.
I think we covered only a small section of the campus, so we will do another walkabout tomorrow.
Finally by noon, we arrived yesterday after that delayed last leg departure and what a long and tiring trip it has been for us. If I counted from the time we left home for KLIA at six in the evening on Tuesday, and arrived at PDX airport by Wednesday noon in the US, meaning it’s 3.00am Thursday back home (not including the journey thereafter), the total travel time would be 33 hours. And during that time, hardly any good sleep, one can only imagine the tiredness.
The A330 aircraft being readied for the journey
Crying toddler who sat in front of me in the plane could be heard in the Immigration Hall when we all got there. And he cried all the way pass the officers. Poor little fella. Passport clearance was slow because there was only one counter opened for International passport holders but customs was a breeze because we declared everything. When we stepped out to greet our firstborn, all that traveling time and tiredness were forgotten. The family unit was complete again and the heart felt whole. What a feeling!
Then when we stepped out of the terminal, a wave of hot air greeted us. Dang it was hot! 37 degrees. Are we in the US? It felt just like arriving at KLIA only that it’s not but it’s PDX.
Our first stop was Woodburn premium outlet to keep us awake, to walk and adjust to the local time. But it was too hot to walk around outdoors so the outing was shortened. We decided we needed to eat and opted for Jack in the Box. And the premise was equally hot because there was no air-conditioning. Only the bathrooms were air-conditioned but can’t stay in there! Haha…
The food portions were huge especially the chicken fingers! Can’t be fingers when they are so huge as I don’t remember them being this size before from our last US trip. We couldn’t finish and saved them for later.
Jack in the Box
M2 and I succumbed to our tiredness and had a good power nap in the car on the way to Corvallis. But it was still early, and we had to still stay awake, otherwise it would take longer to adjust. The town is typical of any college town and it reminded me of Flagstaff and my college and those dinosaur years.
We settled down quickly, unpacked and made ourselves comfy in her room, big enough for the four of us. But by nine, after dinner we were ready to crash. Might as well for the exciting days ahead await us and we need to adjust and be ready to enjoy ourselves during this time together.
It was so stressful waiting to hear from M2. I was tired, anxiety was eating at me and the headache was kicking in. The body was going into reserve mode to stay calm. We arrived at six whilst she’s due to arrive at 8.35am. Two and a half hours of anxiety instead of a leisurely paced four-hours wait before the next flight.
Because she flew domestic from Dublin to Amsterdam, M2 arrived at a different terminal. So when we finally heard from her, we quickly made our way over to the designated departing gate. Relief and happiness took over when we finally saw her.
There was a delay for the connecting flight to Portland. Instead of departing at 10.00am local time, it was retimed to 10.20am. Further delays saw us eventually taking off at 10.50am. Another long journey ahead but this time there’s no night for us as the flight was scheduled to arrive before noon. I’m so messed up by now with time, time zones, day and night.
I decided to take a painkiller to suppress the headache and try to sleep it off. With the cabin lights dimmed to simulate night, I decided to sleep but the crying toddler in front of me was just too disturbing. On top of that, there were occasions of a foul whiff coming from the front. Stinky diaper! Eewww…
We arrived at Schiphol Airport at six local time. The flight took 12 hours. I had a restless night, so ended up watching two movies, ate when I was not supposed to and now, I can feel a headache developing. Uh Oh…
Behind the smile lurks a headache developing
We had to go to the Transfer Hall for further security check, going through a body scan and the carry on luggage scans. And of course, I had to remove my Blundstone boots, all part of the process.
As we are sitting here having a coffee and juice, M2 has flown this morning as scheduled. Yay.
Next flight is in three hours’ time, a slight 20 minutes delay from the original 10.00am local time. Maybe I can sleep better on the next leg.
Today’s the day we leave! But there are worries, silly ones and several of it…
Silly #1: my cocoon is still hanging on the front tree and it’s been seven weeks since the giant caterpillar morphed into it; way overdue from what I checked online to be at this stage. Why is the moth not emerging? Is the constant rain stunting its metamorphosis? Is it even still alive and okay? I dare not climb up the ladder to check because it’s way too high. Whatever it is, looks like we will miss the moth emerging from the cocoon if it does decide to come out during our time away.
It’s nice in here, I’m not ready for the world
Silly #2: my 1000 and more Days trek on the Daily Bonus for Candy Crush Soda on the retired iPhone5S will be broken because I am not bringing the phone along. And will the iPhone XR and iPad Mini have the trek broken too being in different time zones? I told myself I should stop this obsession but I just can’t shake it off. Silly.
Day 1016 for the iPhone5S and Day 1023 for both the iPad Mini and iPhone XR
Silly #3: will Rooney, official pet number one miss us?
Should I chew on it or not? Hmm…
Silly worries aside, there are some happy reasons too…
Happy #1: the pineapple in the garden. It’s been more than two years that hubby’s been taking care of it, and thank goodness it decided to ripen on time before we leave. Harvested last Friday, the fruit of labor and love weighed a whopping two kilos! Needless to say, the juicy and home-grown pineapple was thoroughly enjoyed.
Juiciest pineapple ever!
Happy #2: the constant rain seems to be good for the habanero plant for it has thrived well and we had a bumper harvest. So much chillies! I ate a little on Wednesday night and oh my goodness, almost died from the fiery burn. This batch is super duper spicy.
The spicy level of the reds win hands down over the greens
Happy #3: we will be meeting up with M2 in Amsterdam! Yes, our baby will fly tomorrow from Ireland to meet us at Schiphol. And she will miss a few days of Summer classes which unfortunately can’t be helped. I feel it’s important for her to attend her only sister’s Commencement ceremony, hence the plan as such.
Happy #4: we will finally be seeing M1. The last time the family unit was complete was when she came back for Christmas in 2017, so that’s like a year and a half since we last saw our firstborn in person. The weekly Skype video sessions do not count. Can’t wait. A 12 hours and 40 minutes flight for the first leg, then a four-hour transit before the second leg of 10 hours and 17 minutes flight (hopefully no delays) before the family will be whole again. Yay!!!
I guess with the happy reasons outweighing the silly ones, I shouldn’t be too silly and just be happy.
I am excited that my Blundstone boots, after being fitted with new soles, will finally be put to good use from tomorrow onwards. We are flying over to the US for M1’s Commencement ceremony as she has completed her undergraduate studies.
Initially when I was doing my research for flights, I wanted to fly Eva Air because of the Hello Kitty-themed aircrafts. Heheheh… I know it’s kinda silly for a dinosaur like me but hey, Hello Kitty IS cute.
But I couldn’t find suitable connecting flights to our final destination upon arrival at LAX, SFO or even SEA. The transit options are all too short to clear immigrations. Oh well, forget Hello Kitty then.
So we are going with KLM via Amsterdam’s Airport Schiphol with a four-hour transit before the next leg directly into PDX which works out perfectly. Stay with me for the next two weeks plus for our exciting journey to the Pacific Northwest!
And yesterday I managed to schedule another body massage at the spa, a last minute little indulgence before flying. This time unlike the last time with no choice at all, I had the granny undies or G-string to choose before the session. I took the G-string thinking since I had to strip down to my bones to be worked on, I might as well wear something without hindrance to the new masseur for her to do her job.
And it was a job well done for she worked out the kinks especially on the legs and feet, in time for me to be ready for the trip!
Angieneering 
Remarks