Last full day in Washington. *Sniff, sniff* The Epilogue is the final Washington Canada blog posted Saturday or Sunday. Thank you for reading my vacation blog.
Friday September 2, 2005 at 11:00 A.M. No Plan . . . Just Do It
Steve didn't have any activities planned for Friday. He said to play it by ear. I agreed. The first stop was QFC supermarket, the market that had the 2 DVDs for $10.00. We were more inclined to purchase the two DVDs because there were no plans for Friday evening. (BTW, my flight leaves on Saturday at 5:20 P.M.) We choose to delay purchasing the DVDs to the evening so that we don't carry the DVDs in the car. In the meantime, we purchased breakfast. We purchased donuts and orange juice.
The first stop on the No Plan . . . Just Do It day was to drive to Southworth for a quick drive by. We listened to a Johnny Cash CD. The town is really small with a few retail shops. Steve told me one person purchased several parcels of land including the retail shops and plan to develop the area.
The second stop was Manchester. The weather was partly cloudy at the time, and there was lingering fog in Seattle which made the Seattle view not 100% clear. The temperature was around the 70s. In Manchester, we stopped at the house Steve’s Dad is buying. The house was in escrow at the time. We looked at the outside, walked around the backyard, and looked through the windows.
After Manchester, Steve and I drove along Puget Sound, then Rich Passage, and Port Orchard. During the drive, we passed by the United States Navy jet fuel storage containers. There was an odd fuel smell as we passed by.
Friday September 2, 2005 at 1:15 P.M. Time To Shop
We arrived in the city of Port Orchard and visited three used books stores and a pawn shop. Steve wanted to get a soda and I needed to go to the restroom so we visited Kentucky Fried Chicken first; unfortunately, the line was too long and we took off. In one of the used book stores, I purchased "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas Stanley. Steve recommended the book.
The next stop was Walgreens on Bethel Road where we purchased drinks for the continued drive west of the Puget Sound. Puget Sound separates Seattle and the many peninsulas west of Seattle. Steve suggested we visit Bremerton, the city where Olympic College is located and the college he attended, and where we can eat lunch. I didn't have a problem.
We drove on Washington Highway 166 and then drove on Washington Highway 3 to Bremerton, and finally exiting to Washington Highway 304. On Washington Highway 304, there is the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard which is before the Sinclair Inlet. When we drove on Washington Highway 3, we drove along the Sinclair Inlet. Washington Highway 304 takes drivers directly to Bremerton and to the Seattle ferries. The ferry time from Bremerton to Seattle is approximately one hour. I took lots of pictures of the boats at the naval shipyard. All of the boats I saw were aircraft carriers and destroyers. And there was an adult book store along Washington Highway 3 and before the shipyard :-))
Bremerton is a quiet town. Lots of homes built in the 1950s. The weather remained partly cloudy and in the 70s. Simple signal lights like the drive to Port Angeles and at Victoria, British Columbia. Most of the city resembles San Luis Obispo located approximately 1.5 hours north of Santa Barbara. (The last time I visited San Luis Obispo was in 1998.)
We ate at Sizzler on Wheaton Way at 2:25 P.M. I was surprised to see a Sizzler. Sizzlers are rare in California. In Sizzler, customers order their meals and pay first at the cashier before being seated. When Steve and I looked at the menu posted on the wall, we were scared when one of the workers surprised us asking if we needed helped. The worker noticed my black bag I was carrying. The black bag contained necessities for traveling. The outside of the bag has an anime drawing. Apparently, the worker is an anime fan and said it is cute. We talked a little about anime. Then we ordered our meals. Steve and I both ordered the Steak Lunch. Before we left Sizzler, I gave the worker my webcard which contained my webpage address and my email address so the worker can look at my anime cosplay pictures.
When we left the Sizzler, I noticed there was an Albertsons that sells gasoline. Oh, yeah, gas prices in Washington were going up due to Hurricane Katrina. Steve's Dad who was in California during the vacation told Steve that gas was over $3.05 a gallon in his neighborhood. And there was a McDonalds that was closed. A closed McDonalds in Washington? What a weird sight considering a ton of McDonalds dominating Washington.
Friday September 2, 2005 at 3:05 P.M. Olympic College
Steve drove around the outside of the main entrance of Olympic College. Olympic College is a much smaller De Anza College located in Cupertino, CA. The next stop was Tacoma where there is a Half Price Books store. We headed back on Washington Highway 310 to Washington Highway 3 and then to Washington Highway 16. During the trip, we debated on how important age difference is in a relationship. I said "Yes, age difference matters." Steve said, "No, age different doesn't matter." The entire time on Highway 16 from the Junction to Gig Harbor was like driving on Interstate 80 to Reno. Before passing the bridge across The Narrows, I got a good look at the Toll Plaza under construction with the new bridge.
We arrived in Tacoma at approximately 4:00 P.M. We shopped at Half Price Books store on Tacoma Mall Boulevard. The book store is really organized and easy to walk around compared to the other Half Price Books Steve and I visited. We stayed in the bookstore for 1.5 hours. Steve was having a blast purchasing many books from his list. I purchased "The Big Book of Beatrix Potter," one of my books on my wish list. I have to comment on the men’s bathroom. The bathroom is very, very clean and decorated with posters and fliers on shows, concerts, plays, movies, events, and public service messages. Anyone who owns a retail place and needs to decorate the bathroom, try the idea of posting posters and fliers. It probably increases the chance the bathroom remains clean `__*
The next bookstore was Borders on 38th Street and across the street from Half Price Books store's outdoor mall. We didn't stay too long. I purchased Tsubasa Chronicles Volume 2 manga for the plane trip back to San Jose. I know I'm going to finish Volume 1 and I needed extra reading material.
We walked across the street and visited Costco. Steve purchased The Simpsons Season 4 and Season 5. Costco had a special where the customer purchased Season 5 and another season and the customer receives $10.00 instant savings. Since Steve purchased The Simpsons DVDs, the entertainment was set for night time. The plan was to watch Simpsons and eat pizza for dinner. Great plan!
Friday September 2, 2005 at 7:15 P.M. Pizza Time
We went to Round Table Pizza on Olympic Drive in Gig Harbor. We ordered a medium pizza. My half was the combo and Steve's half was pineapple and ham. The pizza took 15 minutes to make. During the wait, Steve and I walked to FredMeyer to purchase drinks and breakfast for Saturday morning. We came back to Round Table early and Steve played Star Trex: Enterprise video game where you have to shoot Borgs.
After picking up the pizza, we drove back to Steve's Dad home. No need to stop at QFC to purchase the 2 DVDs for $10.00. There was plenty of Simpsons. For the rest of the night, we ate pizza and watched Simpsons. I stayed up to 3:00 A.M. :-O
Author’s Note: The vacation length was 8 days and 7 nights. I choose 7 parts instead of 8 parts because the last day of the vacation nothing really happened. I can explain the activities on the last day in one paragraph; in addition, I want to share my thoughts and I felt Epilogue is the better title for the last day in Washington. I know the logic doesn't make sense :P
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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.
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