RV trip ...

Place: Long Beach in Washington, Seaside in Oregon, Another park in Washington.
Date: Christmas 2005

My first proper trip in the States ... 3 day RV trip. The three places we visited Long Beach in Washington, Seaside in Oregon and Another park in Washington.

The first time in my life ... my geography was really pathetic. I had no clue where we had gone or what we did. It is really amusing me today that we had been to Long Beach. I feel like jumping up high in the air and screaming 'I know this place. I know this place'. I still cannot believe I was so clueless as to where I went.

The thing I remember most of this trip was eating and cards. I have never eaten so much in my life nor have been with ppl who eat soo much in my life. Singapore had pretty much shrunk my appetite. Coming from Singapore, this exposure to US life-style was pretty over-whelming. It was non-stop food supply and alcohol too.

Another thing I remember distinctly ... is the feel of freezing air on my face ... I think it was Seaside. We had walked on the beach in the darkness without knowing how far the ocean was or how deep it was getting. We could feel a stream of water below our feet. We were judging the distance from the ocean based on that ... and the sound of the waters also. There was total darkness around us. This darkness made the whole evening even more beautiful. Everything was left to our own imagination. It sure made my mind work overtime. I had tried to imagine everything around me ... the vastness of the ocean, the color of the waters, the foot prints we left behind, the bushes we crossed, car trails on the sand, anyone else as crazy as us ... maybe even dogs?
The only thing that was real was the chill air that froze my face and hands. We reached a pole and marked that for reference to get back to it the next day. For the first time in my life, I went to a beach ... walked back without even touching the waters ... and still wet all over. Just thinking of that night n the winds can run a chill down my spine even today.

The night ahead ... greeted us with strong winds. Even the RV was shaking non-stop thru the night. The next day we were back to see the sand-dunes ... this time it was the turn of sand filled winds that could so casually hurt your eye. If I were even half the American I am today, I would have tried to judge the speed of the winds. A friend had even attempted to fly along with he gusts of wind. We also got to see the ocean in the bright light. Just for stats, the pole was far-far away from the ocean. We hadnt even walked half the distance.

The drive to Seaside and back was good too. We drove on 101 next to the ocean. Despite the chilly weather and covered skies, the drive looked good. Not bright but pleasant. Even the short bridge between Oregon and Washington had excited me. The highway next to the waters and the curving ramp ... it felt new then. We had a trail of 5 cars behind our slow moving RV all the time. Without a license, I missed driving this RV. I am sure I would have liked it. Driving a RV would have been a notable experience .. especially in the Safeway parking lot. Although I didnt think it as such a big deal till I bought my own car.

I met a bunch of smart people who all knew to play cards well and ate well. Despite having so few activities in the trip, the trip was never boring. They lived life the happy way and enjoyed it. The second day even saw a new addon to the RV. He joined us out of nowhere ... despite phones not working, despite the rains, despite the darkness ... he knew exactly where we were and made it with perfect timing.

Overall ... I was off to a pretty good start in the States.