Oly and the Emerald City pt. 2

by Matt Dela Peña

We spent our third and final day together as a group in Olympia. In the morning, we hiked around a nearby forest which had a muddy trail that led to a rocky beach perched on the coast of Puget Sound. I can't remember the name of the park but it was nice.

From the shoreline to the west, you could see the dome of the Washington State Capitol dominating the Olympia skyline, while the Olympic Mountains were subtly visible to the east. This very sight alone perfectly demonstrated the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Intense rock throwing competition about to occur.

Afterwards, we returned to Josie's house to pick up the portion of the gang who didn't want to go hiking and made our way to downtown Olympia.

Our first stop: the Olympia Artesian Well. Although I'm not sure, this landmark might be the city's most visited monument after the state capitol building. Being the nature-loving people that we Pacific Northwesterners are, we tend to opt for the more sustainable ways of living.

This continuously flowing pipe provides free, clean water to all Olympians. We actually did see a lot of locals drop by to fill up their environmentally-friendly bottles as they went about their emissions-free morning jogs.

Next, we hit up the Olympia Hot Dog Eatery. All I have to say for this one is hot dog and cream cheese sandwich. Doesn't sound appetizing? Think again.

The last part of our trip, and by far the most memorable part of all, occurred at the foot of the State Capitol Grounds in a big public square with a ground fountain in the center. By this time, a wonderful sunny day emerged from the disappearing clouds. Our kids-at-heart instincts ignited shortly thereafter:

We met just over a year ago, and now you all mean the world to me. Funny how that works.

Perhaps the greatest feeling in the world is when you have a group of people—once strangers—with whom you can relive that innocent kid you once were. With these particularly beautiful people (some too beautiful to be in the photo), I've been blessed with that exact same feeling and much more.

I'm happy to say that these guys that I spent an entire weekend in Washington with are more than just my friends, they're my second family. I would gladly do for every single one of them what I wouldn't hesitate to do for my own blood. And as a full-blooded Filipino, that's sorta saying something.