Asia-Pacific "Wine & Roses" Festival Report
Chris Kinberger
What a trip. The Asia-Pacific Festival was a
resounding success. I regret that every one of our FF chapter members
was not able to participate. This event was enjoyed by about 45
individuals from Thailand, Japan and the US. We had the opportunity to
meet new friends and to see friends from years past. For clarity I
will break this article into two parts: the festival in Oregon and post
exchange home stay in Washington State.
Asia-Pacific Wine & Roses Festival
The flight out of Louisville through Chicago on to
Portland on June 4th was uneventful. On arrival at Portland’s airport
we were greeted by members of the FF of Mid-Willamette Valley chapter.
They directed us to the shuttle for transport to Salem. The shuttle
dropped us off at our destination, the Red Lion Hotel in Salem. After
checking in and dropping off our luggage in our room we returned to the
first floor to check in with ladies operating the Festival welcoming desk.
Then back upstairs
to dress for the welcoming dinner. The event
started with various introductions, then a slide show by photographer Bob
Ross narrated by Oregon State Senator Frank Morse.
June 5th: In the morning we started out on our choice of
two tours. The tour selected took us by bus to
Silverton, OR, to see
the Oregon Garden, an 80 acre botanical wonder. This garden is the
premier display garden of the Northwest. Although it rained steadily
it was a real treat. Next we drove through the business district of
Silverton
to view the many murals decorating the exterior walls of many of
the buildings. After a short drive we stopped at Cooley’s Iris Garden
to see what a real green thumb can do. For lunch we enjoyed a prepared
meal on the campus of Willamette
University. On completing our lunch
it was off to the Honeywood Winery for some tasting. The next stop was
the highlight of the day, the Oregon State Capitol. We had a guided
tour and an opportunity to climb to the top of the Capitol Dome with a great
view of the city. The last stop was the Salem, Oregon, Carousel.
The hand made marvel provided us with a memorable ride. Supper was a
delicious prime rib dinner at a local restaurant.
June 6th: An early 5:30 AM start was needed to get fed
and in position for the Portland Rose Festival. A buffet breakfast
in
the basement of the Coliseum was served, then we headed upstairs to find our assigned seats.
Before the parade came the crowning of the 2009 Rose Queen. The parade
consisted of beautiful floats covered in roses, seeds and plant materials (representing the local
community and immigrants from several countries), marching bands of all
kinds, horses, rodeo queens and cowboys. On our way to the next stop (the Columbia
Gorge area) we
had a box lunch picnic at a local park. Once in the
Gorge we enjoyed the view from atop Crown Point at Vista House. 
Built
in 1915 and since remodeled several times, Vista House offered a short
respite and a panoramic view of the valley for weary travelers. On to
the inspiring view of Multnomah Falls which, at over 500 feet, was quite a
sight . The last location visited was McMenamins in Edgefield, OR.
This multi-purpose facility dates back to 1911. It now has a hotel,
brewery, winery, golf course and, of course, a restaurant. A buffet
meal of sliced
turkey, potatoes, vegetables, salad and desserts comprised
our dinner. After a long day we finally returned to the hotel around 9:30 PM.
A very long day.
June 7th: Our last day took us to the Evergreen Aviation
& Space Museum in McMinnville, OR. The first building
housed many
unique aircraft and the famous Howard Hughes aircraft, the Spruce Goose.
We had lunch in the museum while someone explained the geography of the
region and its importance to the growing of grapes for
wine. After
lunch we visited the space portion of the museum. I latched onto one
of the museum volunteers (John Jennings), a retired rocket scientist.
Wow, the things I learned about rockets! The evening ended with the
Farewell Gala at our hotel. Short speeches by event organizers and
participants were
followed by entertainment by a 4 woman sax band, songs by
the Japanese delegation, and traditional dance from the Thailand delegation. The evening ended with an invitation from Thailand, the location of the 2011
Asia-Pacific Festival.
June 8th: Up early to catch the bus to the train station
in Salem. Unfortunately, the track from Salem to Portland was closed
for renovation so Amtrak provided a bus to Portland. In Portland
(Union Station) we boarded a clean and quiet train to the Seattle area.
Cheryl and I disembarked at Tacoma since it was closer to our host family in
Enumclaw, WA. Our other seven travelling friends went on to the
Seattle Station.
Post Exchange Home Stay - Enumclaw, WA
Cheryl and I were met at the station by Ron & Sandra
Montgomery of the Seattle, WA, FF. The Montgomery's live in a very
scenic area of Washington, surrounded by snow capped mountains and tall
majestic trees. They started our stay with a driving tour of the
Tacoma area. We drove across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge over Puget
Sound to the town of Gig Harbor for supper. Then on to home to get
unpacked. The Montgomery’s stayed in their travel trailer at night to
give us privacy. I thought
that would be OK if they agreed to let us
stay in the travel trailer on our next visit. 
June 9th: We started with a 90 minute "Duck Ride."
This amphibious World War II vehicle showed us Seattle on wheels, explored
the waterfront, downtown Seattle shopping district, Pike Place Market and historic Pioneer Square, then splashed into Lake Union for a party on the
water! We took the monorail to the Westlake Center shopping & dining
complex for lunch. After lunch
we walked to The Columbia Center
(formerly the Bank of America Tower and the Columbia Seafirst Center).
It is the tallest
skyscraper in the downtown Seattle skyline, as well as the
tallest building in the State of Washington and the Pacific Northwest
region. Standing at a height of 937 feet, it is the tallest skyscraper
west of the Mississippi River. Then a walk through of the ultra modern
City Library Building. At 3:45 we reached the Farmers Market and
stopped to refresh ourselves at the location of the very first Starbucks
coffee shop. After more walking around the area, we returned to our
car and drove to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. It was a long
but very rewarding day.
June 10th: This was a free day so we took it easy
in the morning. Ron & Sandy drove us through Enumclaw and pointed out
places of interest to them. We then headed off toward Kirkland, WA,
where the Farewell Party would be held. On the way we stopped at the
Museum of Flight and drove through Redmond, WA, home of Microsoft. We
reunited with our "Festival mates" at the home of Gale Larson, hostess for
the party, and met several other Seattle FF members. It was a
pleasant evening with food, wine and new friends.
We played games, told jokes and sang. We all agreed to see each other
again.
From start to finish, a wonderful experience. If
only you could have been there!