I look forward to this every year. … It’s always exciting for me. All my family is involved, and we love the bag pipes and parades.  ~Jim McKenzie

Kyle playing with Thomas the Tank at Fort Ligonier Days, Ligonier, Pa. 10/11

Who doesn’t love a good parade?  I certainly do, well maybe without some of the side effects such as traffic congestion, parking issues and herds of people milling around in a small area.  Although it’s always fun to sit and watch the different floats, banners, bands and groups passing by in somewhat of a rhythm.  To be honest, I love seeing what bands are attending the parade and I like checking out their fashion flares, music choices and the quality of the Colorguard.  My old area of expertise!

On Saturday, we went to the annual Fort Ligonier Days Parade.  We’ve been attending this event for as long as I can remember, not ritually every year, but more than not.  I’ve also been taking Kyle since he was a little man sitting in my lap.  Now he requires his own seat, but seems to enjoy the parade the same.

Some years Fort Ligonier Days Weekend was so cold we needed blankets, hats, gloves and long underwear when sitting there watching the parade.  While, other years, it rained and yet some have been perfect fall days.  This past weekend God blessed us with such superb  weather!  It was sunny, mild temperature, blue skies with white fluffy clouds.  That made it more enjoyable.  I guess I wasn’t the only one who thought so, because people came out in the masses.

Anyone who has attended the parade knows, you have to place your chairs out the night before, which we always do.  Usually they are covered with trash bags to keep the rain off of them, as we did on Friday night.  Leading up to the weekend, it rained and was cold and dreary, so it was a nice surprise when the sun made its way out to greet the weekend participants.  Even when we were setting up our chairs, I believe go time was at 6:00 pm, it was drizzling.  You see there’s a specific time chairs are permitted to stake claim to small areas of the sidewalk in Ligonier, in preparation for the next day’s parade.  They don’t mess around and they mean it too!

It’s no secret I marched in the Fort Ligonier Days Parade for four years in a row during my high school days.  I was never a big fan of participating in parades, probably because most of them were hot and boring, but I will admit I loved the Fort Ligonier Days parade.  It was never really too warm or sunny.  To be honest, I didn’t mind the cold and being in the Laurel Mountains in the fall is such a pretty time of the year.  The trees show such vibrant colors everywhere, it’s like being Mary Poppins and entering your very own painting, not to mention Ligonier is so quaint and nostalgic.  Who wouldn’t love spending a day in those parts of the woods?

Kyle finally got his caramel apple at Fort Ligonier Days. He was happy! Ligonier, Pa. 10/12/13

As the parade passed us along, mom and I would make comments to Kyle like, “There goes Kyle!” as the trumpet section passed.  Kyle is starting to show interest in participating in the marching band, just like I did.  Well, I was part of the Colorguard and Kyle plays the trumpet, among the piano and guitar (kinda), but regardless, I have been encouraging this interest.  Participating in the Colorguard, Winterguard and the Indoor Drumline gave me my fondest memories and adventures of my high school years.  I really truly mean that!

Kyle’s reaction to our said comments and encouragement?  He started saying, “Ya that’s hard twirling a stick!”  He is such a little stinker!  Razzing me like that!  I made him eat his words when some of the Colorguard showed off their skills right in front of us by doing tosses, spins and such.  Thank you ladies!  Your timing was perfect!  He was certainly amazed over West Virginia University’s Colorguard, as was I!  Nice job!

I didn’t take Kyle down to the Fort this year because it was so terribly crowded and I can only handle crowds for so long, before my complete claustrophobia settles in and my patience runs low.  Kyle went on a field trip to the Fort a few years ago for school, so it’s not like he was missing out on anything.  I’ve been in the Fort a few times, mostly when I was a youngster with my family.  I remembered me and Ryan really getting a kick out of the whole place, including those dressed up like Native Americans.

True story, dad and my cousin Merle cut down and hauled in the logs whenever they renovated the Fort years ago, long before I was around.  So in a way dad helped out with rebuilding history in our very own backyard.  Too cool!  We’ve told Kyle that story a couple of times over the years.  He loves hearing it and I know he feels the same pride as I do.

As we were sitting there watching the parade pass, it dawned on me, Hempfield Marching Band was probably among the mix.  Why was that so important?  Kyle’s piano teacher was student teaching at the high school and he was assisting with their marching band.  As my revelation occurred to me, I mentioned it to Kyle and his face lit up!  He couldn’t wait to see his teacher.  And sure enough, as Hempfield passed, I looked up the street to the endless line of marching band members and I saw his teacher in full suit marching along side his students.  He was on the same side as us too!  What luck!  I pointed him out and Kyle began waving like a little manic trying to catch his attention.  Did he?  You bet!  David flashed Kyle an ‘I know you’ smile, which made Kyle’s day even more complete!

Kyle in front of the Idaho Potato truck. Yep, that’s a sculpture of a really large potato on the back of the truck! Fort Ligonier Days, Ligonier, Pa. 10/12/13

Obviously, there is more to Fort Ligonier Day’s besides the parade.  A few years ago when we were walking around another perfect day at the Fort Ligonier festivities, Kyle and I stumbled upon a huge, almost life size chess set, set-up outside one of the toy stores in town.  At that point, Kyle had already fell in love with the thought provoking and strategic game.  Naturally, he kicked my butt.

As I’ve always said, Kyle remembers EVERYTHING.  On Kyle’s agenda this year?  Yes you guessed it, the giant chess set!  He even did a little recon mission while using the restroom facilities during the parade to find exactly where the chess set was located.  That kid cracks me up!  Did we play a mean game of chess?  Nope!  There were others playing at the time of our arrival, not having any patience, I didn’t want to wait for the girls to complete their game.  Kyle was miffed.  It brought on the whines and the pouting.  I guess I really moved his cheese, but mom was waiting for us and I didn’t want her sitting there all day.  How did I make up for this disappointment?  I promised to play him chess at home.  He told me, “I can’t wait to tell you checkmate!”  Told you, he’s such a stinker!  And he did!

The only part of the tradition that did not make it into the day was the kettle corn.  Yes, we always manage to get a large bag of homemade kettle corn for the road.  This year, we truly couldn’t find the kettle corn stand among the crowds of warm bodies.  I also really didn’t feel like squeezing through people with a whinny disappointed kid.  So no kettle corn, but we certainly survived.

While hauling around our stuff, I couldn’t help but reflect on Kyle’s book.  Yes, Kyle made haste and was using his time wisely before the parade with a good book, as was I.  His chosen reading material?  The second book in the Divergent series, Insurgent by Veronica Roth.  Mine?  Lord of the Rings The Two Towers.  I already read both of the Divergent books and on another side note, I seriously can’t wait for the third and final installment, Allegiant.  Same goes for Kyle!

I remember years ago, when I was completely addicted to the Twilight books I was reading New Moon and I truly didn’t want to put it down, not even for the parade.  While sitting there some lady turned to me and said, “Wow, you are really into that book!  It must be really good?”  It was!  I could have continued with my face in the pages until completion if I didn’t have a little man sitting in my lap telling me different.  Now he was in the same boat I was in, totally addicted to the words on the pages.  That’s the chip off the old block!

Yep, it’s funny how one parade has such great memories and continues to build upon those year after year.  I do enjoy walking around and seeing all the crafts and art and such.  I mean Kyle even chose to go to the Fort Ligonier Days Parade instead of waiting for Game Stop to open to get his pre-ordered Pokemon video game.  Good choice buddy!

Can’t wait for next year!

On a side note, I totally forgot my trusty phone during the parade.  Yep, therefore I got no pics or video.  Total bummer!  Kind of out of my nature, yet, totally something I would do, and did!

About a year ago, right before Breaking Dawn part 1 was to be released in theaters, I thought it might be fun to participate in a Twilight themed scavenger hunt.  I did what most of us do,  I headed straight for Google to get my answer, without success.  I found there were no such scavenger hunts offered.  Really?  At least there wasn’t anything around my area.  Then I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be so much fun to have a Twilight themed scavenger hunt for fans?’  So, what do I do when I have a great idea?  I called my sister of course.  Dumping all my thoughts into words, I told Nicole about my idea.  She heard me out, and LOVED it!

Needless to say, my mind started to work into overdrive and do what I do best, plan.  I had so many great ideas for this scavenger hunt, I couldn’t contain myself, I was jumping out of my skin with excitement.  Ok so first things first, I wanted to do this the right.  Where do I start?  Copyright privileges!  Now, that’s not such an easy task.  It’s not like the movies are sitting around waiting on my phone call.  Searching high and low for a contact became a big challenge.  Eventually, I found an old online trail and followed it to success.  Kind of.  Believe it or not, I was able to get in touch with Summit Entertainment who owned the rights to the movies, the soundtrack and the photography.  Yes, I finally got a hold of someone internally in the copyright department!  We played phone tag and spoke on the phone a few nights, as well as corresponded through email.  Unfortunately, they did not give me permission to proceed using any of their copyrighted items.  Not that I blame them really.  Seriously, it’s not like I had any credentials or solid numbers to back up my abstract plans, it was just that, an idea.  And here I was talking to a major motion picture, a franchise worth billions of dollars, about my silly little concept with a bunch of unknown variables.  I will say they were very responsive and super nice!  And frankly, I’m surprised they entertained my free thinking dreams as long as they did.  I was crushed, but not ready to give up.

Next, I decided to contact the publisher, since I knew they owned the rights to the books and the covers.  It took me some time of reaching out to different publishers and several different companies, but finally I struck it rich, in the figurative sense.  I was able to get a hold of the right person, Stephanie Meyer’s agent.  Yep, I reached the top of the chain, second in line to Stephanie Myers herself.  I was so excited just to be conversing with this behind the scenes celebrity and sharing my ideas, again I thought I was going to explode with excitement.  We went back and forth via emails, playing phone tag, and voicemail tag, for a few weeks.  She loved my ideas, at least that’s what she claimed, even the details I shared with her about the scavenger hunt (which I will not divulge at this time, until I am able to execute my Twilight themed scavenger hunt).  Naturally, Nicole and I were declined copyright permission.  Again rightfully so, I really can’t blame Summit and the publisher; here we are two strange people with an idea, no business model, no concrete numbers, or solid plan of action and then asking a major franchise for copyright privileges.  Still it was a neat experience to go through.

*Please note with all of my correspondence between Summit Entertainment and the publishers, I chose to omit names out of respect.

Some may say, I was crazy but I still knew in my heart this was a fun idea and I could make it successful, I still do.  Personally I still really appreciate both parties for entertaining my request and taking the time out of their busy do to do so.  Getting a hold of Summit Entertainment and the publishers, was not an easy task, let me tell you.  Not that it should be, because if it were, then everyone under the sun would be bothering them.  God was on my side and guided me in the right direction through my entire investigation.  Please take my broad stroke statements and be aware, trying to get contact information for the decision makers of these major companies, when I had nothing to go off of, took persistence and a blessing from above.

Thanks to my sister, the idea of scavenger hunts was not a dead dog.  Nicole called me one evening and said, “You know what I think we should do?  I think we should start a company, which focuses on scavenger hunts.  We could do ones for businesses that are team builders or leadership scavenger hunts.” I never really thought about that angel, I stopped short on my idea of Twilight and never looked past it.  So, me being in marketing, I started to scope the potential competition.  I discovered no one was doing themed scavenger hunts, at least not on a large consistent scale.  Now this, I can work with and take somewhere.  Conversing with Nicole over the phone, we discussed the ideas of themed scavenger hunts, ones focusing on movies, books, singers, history events, pop culture etc.  Nicole loved the direction and so Thrill of the Hunt was born.

In order to get started we decided to hold a SpyRing themed scavenger hunt, which will be taking place this weekend at Legion Keener Park in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  Click her for all the details.  Thrill of the Hunt was created not only to be educational and provide fun themed scavenger hunts for adults and children of all ages, but it was established on the foundation of community involvement and participation.  I want these events to not only hit major cities, but small towns as well.  At the SpyRing scavenger hunt, a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to help rebuild Playland.

Read a few articles below for more on the devastation of Playland.

This play area was really the best outdoor facility I’ve ever seen for children.  It was in a great location under trees at Legion Keener Park, entertaining kids of all ages.  It was really a project that involved the entire community.  I want to see it shine again and I want children to have the opportunity to have a safe place to play.

I usually don’t promote much on my blog, but I will give myself a little call out this time.  Please help support Thrill of the Hunt ( / ) and SpyRing ( / ), follow each company on Facebook and Twitter.  We are small town girls who want to set our dreams in motion through reinforcement of education for children and through the development of fun outlets such as a scavenger hunts, fun for the entire family.  Look for new scavenger hunt events near you or tell me where you want us to show up.  Thrill of the Hunt is a subsidiary of The Piper Corporation.

Nicole at First Beach - La Push, Olympic Peninsula

Saturday morning was another exciting day.  We survived the night in our motel.  Did I mention our heater was not working at all and the temperature dropped into the 30’s?  At one point I told Nicole, “We don’t have to worry about someone killing us, we’ll just freeze to death.”  However, we did have a small space heater to break some of the chill, adding to our camping experience.  Even Nicole found that funny!

Keeping with the same theme, we were taking our official Twilight tour with others of the same interest at 11:00 am.  After breakfast, we walked up and down the only real street in Forks, at least the only one with most of the business fronts.  Taking in an antique store and another Twilight paraphernalia store, before hitting a chocolate shop.  Nicole got some fudge and I chose a few bonbons and chocolate covered potato chips, satisfying a sweet tooth before we started to burn more calories.

When Nicole booked this tour, I was kinda skeptical.  I do love all the additional information and fun facts supplied on tours and I wanted to see  what they outlined to be specific places in the book.  However, I didn’t want this to be cheesy.  Admittingly, the tour was very well done.  Our guide (sorry I can’t remember his name and yes I said HIS) was very knowledgeable about the movies and the books, and I mean knowledgeable!  Come to think about it, so were the Chamber of Commerce people.  I bet they could sight the books faster than Stephanie Meyers herself.

Our Twilight Tour Bus... it was worth it to learn all fun facts about the area!

Before we even got started, our guide was giving us some tough trivia questions to answer and was shooting out miscellaneous information on Stephanie Meyers and the town in general.  It was wild!  He even educated us on the Quileute language, which was so much fun!  Great guy, cracking jokes the entire way and really keeping the energy of the tour going, even though he’s probably done this a million times and was sick of hearing the word Twilight.  Although, I couldn’t tell if that was the case.

As we road in our little black mini bus, we were escorted to all the key places from the book including:

Nicole & me with Bella's truck (almost) but the license plate is the one used in the movie

The Chamber of Commerce to see Bella’s truck from the book and a similar model of truck from the movie.  The license plate on the truck was actually used in the movie.

Bella Swan’s house, which is a person’s real home.  Now none of these landmarks are exactly based off of the books but they best fit the descriptions.  The lucky owners of this house were nice enough to allow people to stop and take pictures in front, just not to encroach too far on the property.

The tour guide told us a story that actually happened and why they were strict with the no trespassing rule.  Evidently, one night the owner of the house heard a noise in the kitchen and went for a closer inspection. He walked in on some Twilight fans checking out the color of  ‘Bella’s’ cupboards.  Can you imagine?  I believe it!  They didn’t mean any harm, they just were curious.  In fact they actually told the owner of the house, as they stood in the middle of the night in his kitchen, ‘We wanted to see what color was Bella’s cupboards.’  I guess it’s situations like that, that make the towns people irritated with Twilight fans.  Although, they are still apart of the tour.  Very cool!

Nicole with Carlisle Cullen's parking sing in front of Forks Hospital

Then the next stop was Forks hospital.  Yes, this tiny little town has a hospital.  It looks more like a fire hall but they don’t need a huge facility.  The guide told us that a busy day in there consisted of about 12 people, I’m sure that wasn’t a problem for Carlisle.  At this point a bee flew in our bus and as I’ve mentioned Dog Gone, I’m allergic to bees!  Me and another girl began to squeal until our tour guide took notice.  By then the bee landed in front of Nicole, who jumped out of her seat and I grabbed my book to settle this once and for all.  I got a good hit in and it dropped on the seat.  The other girl yelled “It’s a bee!” and I followed it up by saying, “I’m allergic!”.  Our tour guide turned into comical super hero by saying, “O gotcha, it’s like a black widow in the air for ya.”   He came back removed the problem and off we went.  Way to go! Of course, if I got stung, I’m sure Nicole wouldn’t have minded a trip into the Forks ER.  It might have actually topped off her bucket list.

Nicole & me in front of Forks City Hall & Police Station

As we continued to the other side of town, we made a stop at the Forks school, which was recently remodeled and beautiful.  It was really a pretty setting for a school up against the mountains and rain forest in the background.  The school also embraced the Twilight phenomena head on.  They allow people to stop in and look around, take pictures and that sort of thing.  In fact, on Stephanie Meyer day, September 13th (Bella’s birthday) the students give tours through the school.  That’s the spirit!

We made our way to Forks City Hall and the Forks Police station.  Nicole really wanted her picture in front of a cop car, but alas we were not allowed past a specific point to obtain a picture.  One item not crossed off her Twilight bucket list.

Cullen House, equipped with a cardboard cut out of Edward in the attic window

Across the yard from the City Hall and Police Station was the Cullen house.  This was the oldest house and most closely resembled Stephanie Meyer’s description in the book, except it was not positioned on a windy road in the woods.  But regardless, it’s a beautiful house and it’s used as a bed and breakfast.  We were allowed to step up on the porch where the owners graciously encourage the Twilight madness by posting a message on the whiteboard daily.  They even equipped the experience with a piano inside the front window, which we were allowed to peek through and the see the Twilight decorated front room, adding to the Twilight craze.  They even had a cardboard cut out of the one and only Edward Cullen in the attack window, which was visible from the front lawn.  Wonder if our friend earlier had the same cut out? Rain Forest, Forks, Beach…all in a Day! – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 2

Nicole, me & a girl from our tour (fellow bee hater) at the Treaty Line

Boarding our mini bus once again, we headed out of town towards the reservation.  On the way we stopped at the treaty line to get more pictures and to play with the vampire threat-o-meter.  While resting, the tour guide said that the group who makes the Twilight parodies actually shot an episode at one of the cabins there.  I’ve seen them, they are funny and I agreed with the guide, Jasper’s actor looks just like him.  During our ride to this point, our guide was giving us a lesson in the Quileute language.  Nicole asked a very good question, “What did Jacob say to Bella in New Moon?”  It was Quileute for ‘Stay With Me Forever’.  Fun facts!

Everywhere we went... it was all Twilight fun!

Moving down the road we stopped at the Jacob Black house, which also was transformed into a bed and breakfast.  Even sporting a motorcycle by the mailbox.  I will admit the house really did feel like the Jacob Black house from the book and even looked like it from the movies.  I must say these entrepreneurs are brilliant, they see an opportunity and take it.  Good for them!  I wish them all the success!  While we were there I noticed these piles of dirt everywhere.  Nicole and I noticed them in the rain forest too.  When I pushed them with my foot, it felt like soft dug up dirt.  Nicole’s explanation, it was poop.  That was funny, well not really if it was, then I would have intentionally placed my foot in crap.  So taking this as another opportunity to quiz our tour guide, I asked him about the mounds of dirt everywhere.  He said it was a critter, can’t remember the name of it, kind of like a mole or chipmunk that dug up the ground.  I guess the wolf pack better get to exterminating!

La Push - First Beach on the Olympic Peninsula

As we continued our tour, we made our way down to La Push Beach, First Beach.  Again another perfect day!  As we approached the beach the tour guide pointed out two bald eagles!  I have never seen a bald eagle in person.  Even though they were at a distance, they were amazing!  Then we saw a seal play around in the water!  I guess if we would have stopped out two weeks earlier, we might have been able to catch a glimpse of the Orca’s.  I looked for a spout out in the ocean, but nothing.

Jetting out from the beach were island type of cliffs, and I guess one of the protruding rocks was the Quileute holy ground.  We were told, as part of their tradition, they would climb the cliffs of these specific islands with their deceased, and put their corpse in a tree as a final resting place.  As I took in the scenery, I could see it happening.  I love hearing legends and traditions!

First Beach - La Push on the Olympic Peninsula

During this down time, I took the liberty of questioning our tour guide again on the mysterious drift wood logs.  Nicole thought they were strategically placed by the Quileute’s along the beach and on the rocks.  Wrong!  They were washed up on shore from swells and tsunami’s.  That must be an awesome sight to see during a storm, these huge trees crashing into the shoreline!  Again they were ENORMOUS!

We also found out that during Stephanie Meyer day, which our guide said has since turned into Stephanie Meyer weekend, everyone gathers down to First Beach.  They build bon fires and the Quileute elders come out to tell their stories and legends.  Now that is wild!  Totally worth a trip back!

Nicole in front of Jacob Black's house on the reservation

I couldn’t help but wonder, what do the natives think of all this hype and popularity.  Our guide said, for the most part they love it and embrace it because it really did their economy good.  Then he said there are those that want to be left alone and are not fans.  But the majority seem to enjoy the town’s new found fame.

As our tour came to an end and we made our way back to the car, our very funny and friendly tour guide shared another piece of fun fact.  He said that they have a Bella Sandwich at the Subway.  In order to have a sandwich renamed, the owners had to go to corporate and get it approved.  The only Subway sandwich changed just for that location is in Forks.  He also pointed out different restaurants and such, mentioning a place that had the best salads.  What?  Are you kidding me?  I’ve been craving a great salad since I started this trip and there was a place right under my nose?  Nicole looked at me and snickered.  I mean most people talk about great steaks, seafood, pasta, not usually salads.  But there the information was shared on a great salad and we were leaving town.  Next stop back, I’ll need to confirm his claim.

Quileute School House on First Beach - La Push on the reservation - Olympic Peninsula

As the trivia was shared, he gave a non Twilight related story,  if that’s possible.  He even cracked a joke, “Now there is more than Twilight fever that exists in Forks”, or something along those lines.  He said, not only has Stephanie Meyers made her appearance in Forks for her book signing, but this small town has seen other celebrities too.  Most recently Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey Tribbiani from Friends, made a stop with his buddies while riding motorcycle along the coastline.  He said he was a great guy and took the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

Again, being excited to move on to see more of the area, we had to take one final drive around this once unknown town, now very famous, before heading back out to Port Angeles and ending up in Seattle.  It was a bittersweet feeling.  I would never want to live in Forks, but visiting this remote area was worth it.  I guess I didn’t know what to expect over our visit, especially the weather.  It was another perfect drive, all 57 miles to the closest civilization, Port Angeles.  Nicole had already planned for us to eat at La Vita E Bella, now better known as the restaurant where Bella ate mushroom ravioli with Edward.

Famous Bella Italia at Port Angeles, Washington

Once we got there, I wanted to walk around the dock and see the area a little bit more.  As I stood on the pier and looked out over the water at the boats, Nicole and I both commented on the floating logs we saw.  Yep!  Now that we were equipped with more information, than when we began this trip, our eyes began to hone in on specifics that caught our interest.  One being the washed up logs.  I couldn’t believe it, there were random logs just floating in the water!  Could you image?  I guess it’s nothing new to the locals but it still amazes me.  I mean, just think if you were in a boat just sailing along and all of a sudden you wrecked into a log?  In the middle of the ocean?  How would you explain THAT to the insurance company?

At the Cullen House... apparently they were out for the day

Once we had our fill of the sea air we headed up a couple of blocks to the restaurant.  By now all I wanted was a huge delicious salad!  I knew this was the place that was going to satisfy my craving, and it was!  Of course Nicole had the mushroom ravioli, which was very good too.  I talked to our waitress about the Twilight craze and she stated, as I’ve heard many declare, that it was great for business.  I asked her, wanting to be certain that this port, which had its place in the books and movies but was by no means the focal point of the story and was 57 miles from it, was still a hot spot for Twilight tourists.  She said, even to this day.  Amazing!  I asked, “Do you know they are Twilight fans, ’cause they order the mushroom ravioli?”  She shot me a grin and a look of ‘cha’.

Nicole in front of the Swan residence, Forks Washington

Now that Nicole got through her Twilight bucket list, at least most of it, and my stomach was occupied with a fantastic salad, we headed back to Seattle, back to the starting line.  As we put our travels in reverse, driving onto the fairy was equally as exciting, especially since I had to drive up on the second level.  Although on this ride, we remained seated in our car during the 20 minute ride across water inlet.  Nicole and I were both tired, plus I enjoyed just sitting there reading and enjoying the relaxation.  I even found left over chocolates I was munching on from Forks.  At that point it already seemed like a lifetime away.

Once we got our hotel, I was happy over the living quarters.  A beautiful big bathroom with tile floor and a granite counter top.  Sometimes it’s the little things in life we take for granted that we appreciate the most.  Taking a safe shower without fear of critters crawling out of their hiding places in the wall was a blessing.  We talked to my cousin Marianne before turning in for the night.  Next stop Seattle!

To Be Continued…

Pre-flight – Twilight Pilgrimage Prequal

Forks or Bust! – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 1

Rain Forest, Forks, Beach…all in a Day! – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 2

They’re just cliff diving, Bella. Recreation. La Push doesn’t have a mall, you know.  ~Jacob Black, New Moon, Chapter 7, p.171

Me, 'Edward', & Nicole in front of the Forks Sign... too funny!

Once I got past our dive motel, and the possibility of making the news as missing tourists, Nicole and I woke up early and refreshed ready to start the day.  When I mean early, around 5:00 or 6:00 am, which is around 8:00 or 9:00 am east coast time.  I must adapt well to traveling because I really don’t have an issue with jet lag.  In fact, I’ve only ever had it once in my life and that was because I was running on empty before I left to visit Nicole in Tucson years ago.  My sister adjusts pretty well too, although I think she wanted to sleep in more than what my patience was able to tolerate, but she was accommodating, most of the time.  On vacation, I am the word ‘GO’ from start to finish.  Typically, I’m an early riser anyway, let alone add in the excitement and anticipation of the days events, brings my hyperactive nature to a whole new level.

We started out the day in our usual fashion with breakfast.  Gotta fuel up for the long day!  Now I will admit since all the restaurants in Forks were dives, which I don’t have a problem with, but they are expensive dives.  Maybe coming from the east coast this concept is different and I needed to accept the ways of the area.  That’s another topic, but I will admit, EVERYONE was super cordial and nice.  Our waitress gave us the suggestion to head out to see the Rain Forest first thing in the morning.  Thanks for the suggestion!

The trees were growing from a dead tree... they looked like they could walk away

Anyway, we did see a little of Forks from the previous night and we decided to do a little more exploring.  First we wanted to make our way to the Chamber of Commerce, which was still closed so we continued on our course of action toward the Hoh Rain Forest, suggestion courtesy of our waitress.  It was only about 12 miles away and the scenery was amazing!  The green and luscious vegetation juxtaposed again the light blue sky, not to mention we had another beautiful sunny day.  It was perfect, a little cold, but really a great day to hike through the Hoh.

Me hugging a huge tree at Hoh National Rainforest

Nicole and I couldn’t help ourselves from stopping the car every so often, pulling off along side the road to get a closer look at the activity beyond our immediate reach.  We did this off and on as we made our way back to the Hoh Information Center.  The natural landscape was quite breathtaking and we wanted to suck up as much as we could. To really get the majesty of one of God’s masterpieces, you really have to see it first hand.  I will admit, along the way, we kept making references to Twilight such as ‘We better watch out for Victoria’ and ‘Look I thought I saw a Cullen’, of course only humoring ourselves.  But I will admit I did feel like I was in the movies/books from our surroundings.  Since I rented the car I had to drive us around, which was not on my sister’s favorites of the trip, but I couldn’t help commenting, “I drive like a Cullen.”  Nicole was only slightly amused.

We took a couple of different trails, the Hall of Mosses Trail – 3/4 mile long and the Spruce Trail – 1 1/4 mile long.  When we were reviewing the trails I spotted the Hoh River Trail – 17.3 miles long, I didn’t even get a chance to say anything and Nicole read my mind and stopped me by saying, “No!”.  That was great!  I was cracking up!  I said, “We don’t have to do the entire thing, we can do halfway and come back.” followed by a solid “No!” from Nicole.  It was about an eight on the tension scale.

Hall of Mosses. The trees covered in moss looked like tarantula legs..creepy

The trails were easy and really neat to explore, I highly recommend it to anyone in the area to stop in and see this forest.  As we walked along, especially the Hall of Mosses, I couldn’t help but get creeped out by the moss covered trees.  They looked like giant tarantula legs.  It was a weird feeling, like I was in a B rated movie of giant spiders.  I told Nicole, who incidentally is terrified of spiders much like my issue with mice.  She was not happy with me sharing my overly active imagination and observation.

Surprisingly, the rain forest was really dry.  We managed to hit a time without much precipitation.  It worked to our benefit the entire trip so we didn’t have to slosh along in the mud and rain, considering it was cold.  It was so dry, when I pulled some moss off of the trees, it was like dust.  Normally, certain places were flooded but not on this trip, so my exploration reach extended a little bit further.  Unfortunately we didn’t see any wildlife, but I did find some deer and elk tracks.  Once we made our way back toward the car, we did spot some ducks wadding around in the water, but nothing too exciting like a Sasquatch.  During the entire walk, we kept joking around that if Kyle was with us, he’d be on the lookout for Sasquatch.  We even started to joke around saying we were going to tell him we saw one. Mind Over Mythical

Me & Nicole in the Hoh National Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula

After I gathered a few neat river rocks that seem to contain minerals for Kyle, we made our way out of the rain forest and headed back to home base, Forks.  This time we were able to stop in to the Chamber of Commerce and start working our way down our Twilight bucket list.  You know the standard, Bella truck, the Forks City sign and so forth.  I do have to share this story with everyone.  As Nicole and I started walking toward the Forks City sign, a car zipped past us and came to an abrupt stop in front of the sign.  Then, this girl jumped out wearing a New Moon T-shirt, even from a distance I knew it was a Twilight shirt.  As I got closer, I saw she was smiling from ear to ear.  Being very friendly, she turned to me and said, “Do you want your picture taken with Edward?”.  I was taken back a bit and said, “What?”, just then she popped the trunk on her car and pulled out a full length cardboard cut out of Edward Cullen!  I really didn’t know how to respond.   Just then, my sister caught up to us and Nicole’s face lit up with pure excitement.  Really?  Ok, this I will admit was the silliest thing that happened to us.  I could also see that I was clearly the minority here and I wasn’t going to spoil the mood for anyone.  So when in Rome, I went with the flow and got my picture with “Edward Cullen”.  Then we did the standard dance with the cameras and traded places with the gracious young lady who lent us her cardboard cut out.  Well, needless to say my sister and this chick bonded instantly.  I will admit, it’s pretty neat to be apart of something so big, pretty much right from the beginning.  I think of it like Star Wars and how that craze has continued to hold fans and reinvent themselves over the years, even gaining younger fans, ie Kyle.

Second Beach, La Push on the Olympic Peninsula

After our brief photo session, Nicole and I went to the only grocery store within a 50 mile radius to pick up grub for lunch.  They had a great selection of wraps, sandwiches and fried food ready to be bagged up.  We decided to pack our lunch and head out to La Push Beach for a picnic, about 12 miles in the other direction.

La Push Beach is on a Native American Reservation and there are three different beaches, First, Second and naturally Third Beach.  First beach is the only one, which can be reached by motor vehicle.  The other two beaches require a little more of leg work to reach the sandy coast way.  Nicole selected Second Beach, about 8/10 of a mile hike and an elevation of 350 feet, compared to First Beach, being a 1.40 mile hike with a 280 foot elevation.

Second Beach - La Push on the Olympic Peninsula

As we approached the Reservation, they had a sign showing the Treaty Line…No Vampires Beyond This Point.  That was kind of funny, this area really embraced the Twilight phenomenon head on, without missing any details.  Of course we stopped, took advantage of the pretty day and the photo opportunity.

It was really interesting, driving back on the road toward the beaches, you really had no idea there was an ocean within the vicinity, not even when we were hiking.  The forest is so thick and dense, I couldn’t hear any ocean waves, sea gulls, or even see the ocean sky while hiking, that is until I reached the grade to start my decent down to the beach.  At that point, I could see where the trees stopped going on forever and I heard the waves crashing.  Now I started to get excited.  As I totted our picnic lunch down the quasi steps built to assist adventurous hungry travelers such as myself, I must admit I was pretty intimidated climbing down the side of basically a cliff.  At this point I realized, I was so thankful we were there during the dry season.  If not, this would have been one huge mud luge.  There were a few muddy areas, but not what I imaged it usually looked like.  Ok at this point sadly I will admit, Nicole was not moving fast enough for me, so I dusted her on the trail and continued moving at an even more rapid pace, just from pure excitement.  I figured I’d scope the area and find a nice spot for lunch.  Well, let’s just say this decision wasn’t favored by Nicole.

La Push - First Beach on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Then as I emerged from the thick vegetation, I was immediately on LOGS!  Yes there was a beautiful sandy beach stretching out to the salt water, but all along the beach were huge logs of drift wood.  Later, I found out that since Seattle was the lumber capital,  it takes years for these logs to surface and they are thrown up on the shore during major storms and tsunamis.  Now, that was cool and very unexpected!  They were not little twigs either, they were enormous trees!  I loved them!  I couldn’t help but pull a Kyle and try and figure out how to export the logs off of the very secluded beach to make driftwood furniture.

La Push, First Beach on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

It was really quite lovely sitting on a huge piece of driftwood along a beach surrounded by cliffs on either side and a rain forest directly behind.  During lunch, this chipmunk kept trying to creep up on Nicole.  It was hilarious.  Nicole kept yelling at it to stay away and then it would run and hide, then sneak up closer to her on the log.  It would wait for her to turn around and then creep again.  I was dying and laughing so hard, but I managed to record a little bit of the bantering back and forth on video.

We stayed on Second Beach for a while, just hanging out.  Having no cell phone reception and surrounded by nature is the way to go.  I walked up and down the beach, jumping off and on logs along the way.  As I explored I noted the different people who had the same idea and others who decided to participate in the majesty of the place by pitching a tent and camping.  Now that is something I want to come back and do!

Me walking on First Beach - La Push, Washington

Then, the decision was mutually made to leave our paradise.  Even though it was kind of chilly, it was sunny.  Nicole and I both got a little sunburn on the face, the only exposed skin.  Go figure?  Actually we both knew better, but we weren’t thinking.  As we started our ascend back up the cliff of zig zagged quasi steps, Nicole’s phone rang.  What?  I had no cell service for most of the day and in the thick of a rain forest between cliffs and Nicole gets service.  It was Kyle!  Needless to say, we kept passing the phone back and forth, probably confusing the kid.  It was great to hear from him and hear how things were going on the east coast.  As he went on about wanting something else, some sort of toy, I got on the phone and reverted back to responsible mode.  Even being 2,500 miles away, I still asked, “Did you practice your instruments?”,  “Did you take the dogs out for a walk?”,  “Are you helping Gigi?” and the standard “Do you have any homework?”  O my poor little man!  He is a great kid who’s stuck with me.

Quileute School House at La Push - First Beach

Once we got back to the car, we were both tired, but wanted to adventure down to First Beach just to check it out, in case the weather was not up to par for our tour the next day.  This beach was different, yet the same and equally as beautiful and peaceful.  We saw the Quileute school house, a few more tourists and some natives.  Actually, as I was walking up toward the school house to get a closer look, a car sped past me in the same direction, then it backed up and turned around.  Major déjà vu!  As I walked toward my sister, who was talking to the passengers in the car, I figured it out.  Low and behold it was our friends from the Chamber of Commerce.  Yep, the same girl driving around with her life size, cardboard cut out of Edward Cullen.  That was too funny!  She was checking out La Push Beach too.  I guess we are all cut from the same cloth if you’re hanging out in the remote area, unless you live there.

Coming from Port Angeles into Forks

Our ride back to our temporary home of Forks, was just as glorious as when we started our day.  We stopped along the way to continue the photo opportunities, shorting our bucket list as the day passed.  We ate at a Mexican place, which was another dive, but the food was AWESOME!  As we sat and recapped our day and our surroundings, I noticed Forks didn’t have an Italian restaurant, no movie theater, no retail chain stores.  The closest was about 57 miles away in Port Angeles.  We did manage to find one ATM, a bowling alley which was open till 10 ish (yes that’s what the sign said), one Subway (only fast food place attached to a garage), one gym, one grocery store, one cafe, one diner, two banks, two gas stations, and two churches.  There were a few other retail stores, mostly Twilight and some food, but not many.

I didn’t grow up in a city, but wow was this place a really truly small town!  In a way I kept picturing this to be like the movie Footloose.  In a way it was pretty neat being so secluded and not having the influence by a barrage of advertisements and modern day technology always buzzing, or pinging, or singing to get your attention and distract you.  Nope it was…quite.

To Be Continued…

Pre-flight – Twilight Pilgrimage Prequal
Forks or Bust! – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 1

Good luck tended to avoid me.  ~Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 1, p.11

Please be warned, this blog entry contains a lot of references to the Twilight books and movies.  If you are not fan you might get lost in Forks.

Nicole & me at Beth's Cafe on our way to tour the Boeing Plant

My flight leaving Pittsburgh was slightly late and so was my changing flight leaving Denver, but by the time I made it to Seattle I was only about 10 minutes behind.  The best part was when I was making my way to the baggage pick-up, I saw my bright red suitcase drop onto the carousel.  That never happens!  I was on time and ready to start my vacation except I was short one sister.

This trip was mostly contingent on Nicole and not me for once.  You see she had a direct flight from Dulles to Seattle, which never happens to me, and they had mechanical trouble.  I guess the plane went to take off and Nicole said she heard a loud ‘thud’ noise before they made an emergency landing.  Then they made the passengers sit on the plane and wait to tell them they couldn’t fix the issue and proceeded to board them onto another plane.  Later they realized, before taking off thank God, that it had a fuel leak.  I couldn’t believe my sister’s luck!  I did know about the delays when I was in Pittsburgh and Denver, so as I was in flight, I was hoping she was too.

Beth's Cafe as seen on Man vs. Food -Seattle 3/17/12

As I stood in Seattle’s airport, waiting for my vampire hunter companion to join me, I decided to get our rental car and get checked in at our sleeping quarters.  I texted Nicole, telling her to call me when she landed, hoping she was in the air and on her way.  Now I wasn’t prepared to take control of the itinerary, since my sister loves that job, but I did.  Got the rental? Check!  Got the room? Check!  Made myself comfy in my raccoon pant pj’s in front of the TV? Check!  Fell asleep while watching Man vs. Food Seattle? Check!  Didn’t hear my sister’s text messages at 2:00 am Seattle time (5:00 am PA time)? Check!  Was awoken by her call asking where I was? Check!

Finally my sister made it!  We where both in Seattle and ready to begin the last leg of the trip.  The next morning we made our way to the Boeing plant for a tour.  For breakfast, I wanted to stop at a restaurant called Beth’s Cafe.  I saw it on Man vs. Food the night before.  They are known for their omelets, and ironically it was on our way to the Boeing plant.  We had one of the best breakfast’s ever!  Their specialty was this Amish bread, which was incredible!  It was a fun place that gave you paper and crayons to draw pictures.  All self professed artists hung their artwork on the walls, scattered throughout the tiny restaurant.  Naturally, I had to make a picture of me and Nicole for Kyle.  Nicole hung it up somewhere before departing.  This place was a tiny little dive in a really cute neighborhood.  As we drove in and out of the area I instantly fell in love with it.  That place is on the list of ‘must go backs’.

Nicole in front of Beth's Cafe.. best omelet! Try the Amish bread!! 5/17/12

Getting to the Boeing plant wasn’t too far and was on a nice stretch of highway overlooking what was going to be a perfect day.  Entering onto the Boeing property was awe inspiring.  Just to see the planes parked, and the sheer size of the buildings!  Too cool!  Our tour lasted nearly two hours and we covered quite a bit of distance, between riding and walking around.  Being in the Boeing plant was much like looking across the Grand Canyon.  You really don’t comprehend the size of the space and it’s hard to get a perspective, until you find a tiny person way down on the floor and make a direct comparison.  On a side note, that tour was amazing!  I highly recommend it to anyone making their way to Seattle.  Now some fun facts I learned on the tour:

• The plant employs around 35,000 people
• They have three shifts
• The only employees who can park around the perimeter of the building, must have worked there for at least 20 years.
• The plant has 11 cafeterias
• Boeing supplies 2,000 bicycles for the employees to use and get around
• The color pigment used to paint the planes weights more than the white color paint
• On the side of the Boeing building resides the world’s largest digital print graphic, making it’s way to the Guinness Book of World Records

Me & Nicole at the Boeing Plant in Seattle, WA 5/17/12

After our tour and taking in all the displays and information, we decided to head out and set our GPS for Forks.  It was going to take us about four hours.  It was such a pretty day and we were totally stoked that the ride was no big deal.

What I didn’t realize, was that we needed to cross on a ferryboat.  Another first for both of us!  I imagined we looked like such tourists, when I try to drive up on the ferry without a ticket.  I still have no idea how the guy new I needed a ticket, but he did and he directed us down the road.  It was neat sitting in the loading zone, engines turned off.  Of course, we were getting out and taking pictures, just like tourists.  I will admit I was Four Squaring, Twittering, and Facebooking throughout the trip.  I’m guessing we had a few eyes roll our way from the locals, but that doesn’t bother me.  Once the ferry arrived all engines began to turn on.  That was my cue, showtime!  Cautiously, I drove our rental car onto the ferryboat for a 20 minute ride.  Not being able to control my thoughts, I said, “How would I explain it to the insurance agency that I drove my car into the water?”  Nicole, quickly laughed and said, “Yes Aunt Heather that would not be good.”

Boeing Plant - Seattle Washington 5/17/12

As the car was parked, Nicole and I jumped out to walk around and to go up on the deck to take in the sights.  It was chilly no doubt, but worth the experience.  We could even see the city of Seattle peaking over the coastline.  Projecting a little humor, I even played my Titanic part at the front of the boat.  It was all fun until the seagulls started to fly around us.  Nicole said, “That would be funny if they pooped on you!”  Well, first I’d like to say, that would not have been funny and secondly if it would happen to anyone, it was going to be me.  I kept trying to throw up my hands and arms around to scare them away, but they just continued circling above our heads.  Needless to say, I abandon my post admitting defeat.

Me on the ferryboat...heading to Forks. Titanic pose 5/17/12

Soon we made our way back to the parked car in the front of the line on our side.  Again, my thoughts started to pour out of my mouth by saying, “This would be my luck, the boat goes to dock, hits the side of the boat hard and shoves all the cars directly into ours.  I would have to tell the insurance agency that I wasn’t even in the car during the time of the accident  The car wasn’t even on.”  We both laughed reluctantly because if something this unexpected and off the wall was going to happen, again it was with me.  Nicole just chuckled and said, “Yes Aunt Heather.”  I could tell she couldn’t even handle a situation like that at the moment, especially with the rest of our trip clearly ahead of us.  Riding the ferryboat was a really neat experience.  Now, if I had to do it everyday for work, maybe not so much, but for a first timer.  Yep, totally worth it!

During our journey towards Forks we had to pass through Port Angeles.  Stopping the car to look around and stretched our legs, we hit up a couple of stores.  I found this pretty purple dress in a second hand store for only $5!  That made my day even better!  We scoped out the Italian restaurant, made famous by Twilight, that Nicole wanted to eventually sit down for dinner sometime on our trip.  It was starting to get late, even though it was still very light outside, when we continued another 57 miles toward our final destination of Forks.

It was a beautiful ride the entire way.  The same consistent weather all day, a little cold but sunny and perfect blue skies.  Driving along a cliff/rain forest and a sea of water was a bit intimidating but very majestic.  All along the way at specific times, we saw waterfalls between the trees.  Of course this sparked more intense thoughts like, ‘Wonder what they do with a heavy snowfall?’ ‘Wonder if there’s another way in and out of this area?’ ‘Wonder what happens if the roads are icy?’  We were just thankful to have never found out the answers to any of those questions making it to Forks by 8:00 pm Thursday night.

My first impression of Forks?  Deserted dive town!  It is a depressed city located in the middle of nowhere!  There really wasn’t any glamor to it.  One red light, one grocery store, and every place we saw seemed to be a dive.  I’ll tell you more about Forks later.  But first let’s discuss our living quarters.  As the GPS guided us in, I didn’t know how to react.  It was more than a dump, it was a scene for a murder story.  I looked at Nicole and she just laughed saying, “Let’s just take a look at it, it might not be that bad.”  Yikes!  Really?  You are still that positive?  We had a great day and all our luck was soon to come to an end.

Front of our motel in Forks, WA...can you say Bates Motel? 5/17/12

As we pulled up to our door, I said, “Nicole I think I saw an episode just like this on Criminal Minds!  We are literally staying at the Bates Motel!”  She laughed and encouraged me again.  Our room was on the end and I noticed there was a sort of make shift room attached to the side.  I didn’t care, I saw that episode of Criminal Minds where someone was watching this couple from a secret door in the wall.  I went on telling Nicole and going into detail as I went to inspect the cubbyhole.  While Nicole did not object, and normally she w0uld have, she didn’t join me either.  She was just as curious, but was satisfied that I looked around.  Seemed safe enough.

As we opened the door, I did notice the carpet looked new.  I was semi at ease until I walked into the bathroom.  Part of the shower was separated from the wall and I just got the chills.  The only thing that didn’t have me packing was the new, very clean toilet.  I turned to Nicole and she started to laugh and I said, “Ok I guess this is just like camping.”  Both laughing she said, “Ya, just like camping.  Plus there really wasn’t many options for hotels around here.”  I said, “Ok but help put me at ease so I don’t catch some sort of fungus in the shower and let’s go to the store for bleach.”  Nicole laughed and agreed.  Once we saw the stark white towels hanging and clean white sheets under the old bedspread, we both agreed and headed back out the door for munchies and bleach.

Side view of our 'motel'...with or without the flowers it was equally as creepy... 5/17/12

We chose, what looked like a dinner to eat along the main strip.  The waiter there was very nice and so was the rest of the people.  At this point, I really wanted a big salad.  I love a good crunch, veggie filled salad, in fact I crave them.  I was in luck, they had a salad bar!  Upon closer inspection of the feast laid out before us, I noticed all the lettuce on my plate was slimy and brown.  Even Nicole commented.  I slid all that lettuce back off and took inventory of the selection.  Minimal at best.  We started to laugh, because it was kind of funny.  Our waiter was very nice and accommodating, the kitchen even made me a large plate of grilled vegetables, which were done just like mom does.  At this point, we noticed the Twilight theme has crept into every crevice of this town.  It was pretty neat and exciting, especially in the grocery store.

Once we got back, I realized we have been riding in a car for hours, and the day before I was on the plane all day.  My legs were tight and sore.  They needed to be stretched out, so I decided to strap on my Brooks and head out for a run.  Nicole, alarmed said, “Where are you going? How long are you going to be gone?”  I agreed to just go to the edge of town, a straight shot and back again.  I figured I’d get in about three miles.  In the meantime, I made Nicole spray down that bathroom with bleach so when I got back I could take a safe shower.

During my run, I noticed it was a bit colder than earlier in the day and my legs where really tight.  I headed straight for the other side of town till I got to the edge and noticed I didn’t even hit a mile!  Really?  The town isn’t even a mile long?  My Run Keeper said I was at 7/10 of a mile.  So I weaved in and out of the side streets trying to gain a little more mileage, which was pointless because I already lost my focus and my legs were still stiff.  Whatever, it was getting late anyway.  I decided to head back to another adventure…the shower.

To Be Continued…

Pre-flight – Twilight Pilgrimage Prequal

Ever since Stephanie Meyer created the Twilight book, published in 2005 and then released the remainder of the series, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, The Short Second Life of Brie Tanner, and the not-yet-officially released Midnight Sun, my sister and I have been wanting to go to the location of where it all takes place.  The Twilight books are on my list of top books ever!  I’m not sure if I’m embarrassed to say it, but I’ve read each of the books at least three times, and they never get old!  My sister is the guilty party who got me started in the series and the movies.  I remember our conversation exactly, she said, “Heather you have to start reading the Twilight books, they are so good!”  I rolled my eyes and said, “Nicole, “I’m not reading some teenager books.”  Nicole chose to push the subject further by saying, “Heather, trust me just read Twilight and if you don’t like it, then you don’t have to read the rest.”  Fair enough I thought.

New Moon - Bella & Edwards

Well, Nicole’s persistence paid off and I was hooked by chapter three of Twilight.  What makes the books so appealing?  Enough to sell over 116 million copies world wide?  I’m not really sure.  But I do know from my perspective the story is one of a simple love story that encapsulates danger and action without gore, scandal or drama.  It almost omits the day-to-day issues and responsibilities and lets you run free, well not that you can run with a vampire, ’cause their fast. (pun)  Somehow Stephanie Meyer created this world that draws you into it and you become entranced, almost memorized by the simplicity of a small town filled with monsters, who happen to be good people, well at least the residence.  Not to mention they take place in a real life place called Forks.

When Stephanie Meyer had her dream about the vampire and the girl, she needed a setting for her story.  Where does one find answers now-a-days?  The internet of course.  She actually Googled the rainiest place on the continental United States, and what popped up but the one and only Forks?  Then of course, she did her do diligence and really researched the town and surrounding areas, hence La Push Beach and the usage of the Quileute Tribe.  This is where my story starts.

Since the books, and no doubt the movies have been released, Forks has been put on the map, literally. I’m not really a big fan of the movies, it’s more like the movies make the books so real and exciting, but regardless it’s all fun.  Fork’s, a small rural town with a population of roughly 3,000 people, positioned in the middle of nowhere on the Olympic Peninsula, is a hot spot for Twilight fans, even to this day.  Nicole and I ran into at least a dozen fans passing through the area, but I’ll get to the stories as they unfold.  Now that the background behind this trip has been established, let the trip begin!

I have always wanted to see Seattle and visit my cousin who lives outside of the city.  With this trip I was getting my cake and eating it too, plus a pilgrimage to Forks!  Nicole and I decided to do an extended weekend, sneaking out and back from Wednesday, May 16th through Monday, May 21st.  My sister was flying out of the Dulles Airport and I was coming from Pittsburgh.  The anticipation of this trip was like two children getting ready for a field trip.  As word got out about the trip, my friends wanted to come ‘vampire hunting’ and instructed me to ‘watch out for Victoria’ and so forth.  My sister and I did the typical count down and romanticized about the trip beforehand.  The weeks and days leading up to our departure we would text funny messages like, ‘I want to go here’ and show a picture from the movie.

When I travel, there are certain things you can count on.  I always pack light, as I’ve mentioned in Traveling Habits and speed walk everywhere, especially in airports.  By nature I am not a person who strolls or takes their time to get from point A to point B, I walk with a purpose, even if I’m not in a hurry.  All this sounds great, except you can also count on me arriving at my destination without bags, because the airline lost them, or me missing my flight all together.  The mismanagement of bags, I certainly can’t control, but it does seem to happen to me, a lot. Then let’s discuss my missed flights.  Sometimes it’s not my fault, just the luck of draw with flight delays and schedules.  Unfortunately, more than not, it’s usually my fault.  Missing flights on a number of occasions is a result of not allowing enough time to tackle lines and traffic, or not paying attention to my emails when flights are moved around and are ahead of schedule.  My sister is well aware of these minor hiccups involved with me traveling and her method to alleviate them is to threaten me.  A conversation with Nicole would always seem to include “And you better not miss your flight.  I’m not waiting for you.” or “You miss your flight and you’re on your own.”  All empty promises, but quite funny! Even up to the minute I was suppose to leave, I worked a half day on Wednesday, and Nicole was texting me asking if I left yet and reminding me of my departure time.  What I was not aware of, was that she registered my cell phone for calls and text message updates.  Boy, she covered all basis!  And she had alerts on my flight information sent to her phone as well.   That’s my sister, very thorough!

Leaving work halfway through the day on Wednesday, meant that I would have made it to the airport without stress.  But I decided to take a slight detour before heading to the airport.  You see, Kyle asked me for a new folder for school a week prior, he said, “Aunt Heather my fold is in two pieces and I need a new one.”  Well, I can’t have Kyle running into a roadblock such as a torn folder holding all his homework, now could I?  I had an extra plain black folder at the house and I put it in the car to leave with him, but alas I kept forgetting to pass it along.

Now, there I was leaving work, suppose to be heading straight to the airport, but I looked down in my front seat to see Kyle’s folder.  What to do? What to do? What else?  Stop by his school and drop it off with a note!  I will admit it was a bit out of my way, but I didn’t care, although my sister’s voice chirping in my ear about not missing my flight was certainly going off as clear as day.

As I pulled up to his school I was all wound up, getting ready to leave for the airport and sneaking Kyle his folder with a note, it was already a great day!  The minute I stepped into the school, who stepped off of the staircase into the hallway leading a line of kids?  The one and only Mr. Kyle Piper!  He saw me first and all I heard was, “Aunt Heather! What are you doing here?”  Being totally surprised and taken aback, I said, “I came to give you your folder silly.”  He just looked at this plain black glossy folder, and said, “Ok”.  I gave him a sideways hug, since full hugs and kisses are totally forbidden, especially in front of all his friends in school.  I asked him “Where are you off to?” with a reply of “Math class”.  Just then a few of his friends tried to catch my attention and waved at me, and then they reached for the folder in Kyle’s hands.  I heard a few voices whisper, “What’s the folder for?” and “Let me see it.” Wow!  If I would have known this folder was going to get such attention I would have purchased him a really cool one, like The Avengers or something better than just plain black, but at least it wasn’t pink!

This entire encounter took maybe five minutes.  I didn’t want to hold Kyle up, since I didn’t have permission to be in the school anyway and let alone hold up the line of students and distract Kyle.  I told him I was off to the airport to meet up with Aunt Nikki in Seattle.  He said, “You’re not going to be home this weekend?” I said, “No buddy, remember we talked about his.  I’m going to Seattle with your Aunt Nikki, I won’t be back till late Monday night.  I’ll be missing only one of your baseball games.”  He gave me a pensive look as if our plans were finally making sense to him and disrupted the flow.  I reiterated that his Gigi was still going to be picking him up on Friday.  He gave me a cute little sideways smile, before I darted right back out of the door.

As I left, I was so excited that I called my mom and told her about my little chance encounter.  It really left me with a great feeling!  Even though I knew I was going to miss him, I got to talk to him and I got one last little hug.  That meant more to me than anything!  Sometimes it’s just those unplanned chances in life that really stick with you and make the world of difference.  That was one for the books!

Next stop, Pittsburgh airport, but first one more detour.  I had to fuel up the car.  Being completely on empty is not a new concept with me.  I tend to forget or wait until I am on fumes before I fill up the gas tank.  When I noticed that I was in the danger range, according to the fuel gauge, I thought, ‘Nicole would kill me if I didn’t make my flight because I ran out of gas!’  Stopping at Sheetz, which was on my way, I also picked up a burrito M-T-O for dinner, win win killing two birds and thinking once I got situated I would eat.  Perfect!

Getting to the airport in good time, I was pretty relaxed, never loosing any of my excitement built up previously.  It’s a good thing too, because I had to park way out at the furthest end of extended-long term parking.  There were NO parking places.  I don’t mind walking, especially on nice sunny days when I have enough time, in fact I must admit I enjoyed my walk.  It helps to stretch out my legs and burn off some energy before having to be confined to a plane seat for hours.  I must say, this time the only issue I ran into was at security when they accused me of having a container of liquid in my bag.  What? I knew I didn’t have anything like that, I try to make sure I remain in compliance with the airline rules, as to not be delayed.  Here the lady with the latex gloves came over to me to inspect my bag further and she pulled out my burrito.  She said, “What’s this?” and I quickly put her mind to rest by saying, “A burrito.”  Really?  It has Sheetz M-T-O written all over the wrapper.  At first, I thought I was going to have to unwrap my dinner to prove to her it was in fact a burrito, but she put it back in my bag and instructed me to continue on my way.  I guess they are only doing their job and trying to keep everyone safe.  It just took me off guard.  Maybe the foil wrapping made the machines go off?  Who knows but now I was on my way.

I actually really enjoy sitting at an airport.  I always get a new book, and this time I bought two new ones, each one being two books in one, The Vampire Diaries.  I’ve always wanted to read those books and I thought it was appropriate on this trip.  Sitting there reading with no interruptions, except for text messages between me and Nicole, is my favorite part of traveling.  That is the time where I can relax and my vacation begins.

to be continued…