2015 GC Session, Kosrae, Alaska, Majuro, Pohnpei & Hokkaido


Colchuck Lake, WashingtonGreetings from Guam!

Here is another late post about our activities in 2015 & 2016.

In April, 2015 I traveled to a conference in Chicago, and had a few hours to explore the town of Narita, Japan on the way there. I was fortunate to find some cherry blossoms and fresh strawberries while exploring the Narita temple grounds, and then also got to relax in a Japanese hot spring (Onsen) before catching my next flight. On the way back to Guam I had another stop in Japan, and spent a night in a capsule hotel in Tokyo. In the morning I took a train about an hour north and went skiing before returning to the airport for my flight to Guam.

In May we experienced our first storm called Typhoon Dolphin, although it was not a very strong one so there was no major damage. We have had a lot of close storms, including a number of Typhoon days off work and school, but this was the first one to actually hit Guam since we have been here.

In June we visited friends and family in the Northwest, and also got to do some hiking while there. We then attended the General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventists in San
Pewitt Family Antonio, Texas in July, where I helped at the Clinic recruiting booth. From Texas we drove to Colorado for a family gathering, and then we flew to Vancouver, Canada where we boarded a 7 day cruise to Alaska with my parents and sister.

The Alaska cruise was lots of fun with plenty of good food, activities for the kids and awesome scenery and wildlife along the way. We had stops in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, where we rented a car and drove to Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, Canada. The drive was very scenic, and we even spotted some bears along the way. The last part of the cruise was through Glacier Bay with amazing up-close views of the ice. Wildlife sightings included whales, bears, seals, and more. Our cruise ended in Seward, where we visited the Sea Life Center while my dad picked
GC Sessionup the motorhome we had reserved from Anchorage.

We spent our first night in a campground near Seward, and then explored Whittier and the Portage Valley the next day. We camped just off a small mountain road surrounded by wild berries for our second night. The following day we watched the bore tide, and then drove through Anchorage and up to the McKinley gateway town of Talkeetna for another night in a campground. We spent our fourth night on the side of a remote gravel road, hoping for views of Mt. McKinley, and we were not disappointed. A little before sunset the clouds cleared and we had awesome views, and then could still see the
Bentonsmountain for a bit in the morning before the clouds rolled in again. Our last night was spent in Anchorage, but our flights were not until evening so we took one last drive into the mountains before returning the vehicle and starting our long journey back to Guam.

A few days after we got home, Bethany started school at Guam Adventist Academy. She is very social, and loves her school friends, teachers and classes.

We had another fun Christmas in Guam for 2015, but this time my parents and sister came to visit, so we got to take them to many of the
Alaska fun holiday events.

In March of 2016 Brenda’s parents came to visit during Bethany’s spring break. We spent a few days at Leo Palace while they were here, which is an inland resort here in Guam. They have several pools, golf courses, bowling and various track & field facilities. Many athletes come from off island to train at this resort, especially during the winter months.

In April I attended a workshop in Hawaii and got to stop on the island of Kosrae for a short visit on the way there. I helped out with the computer lab at the Adventist school, and also did some exploring. The island hopper flight which goes between Guam & Hawaii with stops on the islands of Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kwajelein, and
First Day of School Majuro was a lot of fun in itself with many awesome views. I ended up taking this flight both to and from Hawaii.

In May Guam hosted the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPac), which is a large gathering of people from across the Pacific. We enjoyed traditional dance performances, arts & crafts displays, theater performances, music, movies and much more during the event. It was awesome to learn more about so many different island cultures, and I especially enjoyed an early morning gathering for a traditional welcoming of arriving canoes, some of which sailed across the open ocean to reach Guam using traditional navigation techniques.

In July we visited friends and family in the Northwest again, starting in Oregon for the 4th of July weekend. Right after landing we started picking and eating blueberries, raspberries and other wonderful northwest fruit. In Portland we got to watch the fireworks show over the river on my aunt’s boat in downtown Portland, with the best view in town. We also took the girls to the science museum where we toured a
Island Hopper View of Chuuk Lagoonsubmarine and had fun checking out the interactive exhibits. From Oregon we traveled to Washington State for quality time with Brenda’s family.

Our next stop was in Tennessee to visit friends, and I also spent some time upgrading webcasting equipment at our church there. We had a busy, but fun time reconnecting with many friends and coworkers.

From Tennessee we traveled to Maryland for time with my family. Side trips in Maryland this year included visits to Smithsonian Museums in DC, the National Zoo, Fort McHenry (a first for me), and sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.


FestPac Canoe Welcoming CeremonyWhile Brenda and Bethany traveled back to Guam in time for Bethany to start school, Abigail stayed with my parents for another week and I attended a conference in Atlanta. Abigail and I were glad to be reunited with Brenda and Bethany back in Guam after a week apart.

At the end of September I had another workshop in Hawaii, and was able to stop in Majuro and Pohnpei on the way back this time. I again helped out with the computers at the Adventist schools on these islands. Majuro was very interesting because it is so long and narrow. The school in Delap sits right on the beach, so they have a lot of trouble with rust due to the salt spray getting on everything.
Fort Soledad, GuamThe ocean view from the school is very peaceful though. I also visited another Adventist school in the town of Laura, which is on the other end of Majuro. The drive to Laura takes about an hour, and you can easily see the ocean on both sides of the road most of the way there. Delap is densely populated, so pretty much every bit of land is occupied by buildings and people.


Nan Madol, PohnpeiPohnpei is a much larger island, with mountains and streams in the interior. They also have some very interesting ruins of an ancient city called Nan Madol. The city was built right on the reef using very large stones, and nobody knows for sure how they did it. It takes a couple of hours to drive around the island, and the views along the way are stunning.

In December we traveled to the island of Hokkaido, Japan for some winter weather with my parents. Upon arrival we picked up our all-wheel drive rental car and stopped at a large outlet mall for some lunch. It was a big transition from tropical weather to walking between stores on snowy sidewalks. After a little exploring we found the “food forest” (food court) and managed to order some vegetarian rice, noodle soup and
Lake Toya, Japan french fries. After lunch we stopped at a grocery store to stock up on food before driving several hours to the cabin we had booked for the week. The drive to the cabin was scenic and snowy, and it was a little tricky to find our way for the last part in the dark. The last section of road to the cabin was not ploughed, but we still managed to make it up the steep hill so that we could unload right at the cabin.

In the morning we awoke to stunning views of a winter wonderland and Lake Toya, which is in a large volcanic crater. During our stay we did lots of sledding, built snowmen, made snow angels and watched the snow fall, all right at the cabin. Our cabin didn’t have indoor running water during winter, but we refilled containers with spring water just outside the door. We had the equipment
Mt. Yotei, Japanto heat water for bathing, but ended up renting a private onsen (hot spring) in town every other day instead. The onsen included a changing/dressing area with sinks & counters, two Japanese style sit down showers, an indoor soaking pool and an outdoor soaking pool. The onsen was very relaxing, and we even had some snow flurries during one of our visits.

While in Japan we visited Rusutsu Ski Resort where Brenda and I got a chance to go snow skiing while the girls played in the snow and took advantage of unlimited free carousel rides with my parents. We also took several outings to a large hilltop resort called The Windsor Hotel to enjoy the views and frequent the French bakery. For Christmas Day we drove over a stunning snowy mountain pass to a geothermal area called Hell Valley in the
Hot Springs, Noribetsu, JapanNoribetsu area. We first went on a snowy hike to a natural footbath where the river water was warm enough for wading, and then had an eclectic lunch of seaweed tea, rice balls, pancakes, pumpkin soup, cold soba noodles, string cheese and eggs. After lunch we visited a few more geothermal features before heading off to our onsen appointment. For our last evening in Japan we visited an ice cream parlor for some local treats.

Back in Guam my sister Sarah joined us for a more traditional Christmas celebration, with lots of good food and fun times around the Christmas tree. After the holidays we got back into our usual routine of work, school and other activities and we continued to have fun and stay busy helping with Pathfinders and other ministries in our local church.

Until next time,

Andrew

Guam & Australia


Southern Mountains of GuamGreetings from Guam!

This update is about our activities at the end of 2013 through 2014. I had written most of this (and more) long ago, but am gradually catching up on getting it posted.

We were blessed to visit family and friends during the 2013 holiday season, with Thanksgiving in Washington and Christmas in Maryland. We also had our last visit with my Porter grandparents in their own home and saw lots of friends too in Tennessee. Along the way I attended conferences in Las Vegas and Chicago, so we had a full, but fun trip. We made it back home to Guam just before Abigail’s 2nd birthday, taking full advantage of her last days of free air travel.

In February of 2014 I helped organize w
Guam Boatinghat turned out to be the first annual Southern Mountains backpacking trip in Guam. We only spent one night camping, but I learned I should have brought more water and less gear. The route we took along the ridges was very steep in places, and had awesome views along the way. It was tough, but we enjoyed it and have been going back every year since then.

In March we enjoyed a visit from Brenda’s parents and had fun boating and doing other water activities while they were here.

In July we took a trip to Cairns, Australia with my parents and sister. In Australia we explored Cairns and took a day trip up the coast to Port Douglas before my parents arrived. Once my parents joined us we spent a
Great Barrier Reef Boat Trip couple of days aboard a boat diving and snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef. We then went on an amazing 4 day train tour into the Outback called the Savannahlander. We saw lots of Kangaroos, visited small towns, explored caves, toured a gorge and visited several lava tubes at the various stops along the way. Overall it was a great trip, and we highly recommend the Savannahlander. Another highlight of our trip to Cairns was Rusty’s Market, where we enjoyed all kinds of fresh produce, from Strawberries & Blueberries to Dragon Fruit.

In July I had a short trip to attend my Grandpa Porter’s memorial service in Tennessee, followed by a conference and some cousin time in Boston.

We took our 2014 annual leave in the fall, since it was our last year without kids in school. We started our trip visiting friends and family in the Northwest,
Sabannahlander Train Tripand then attended my Grandma Porter’s memorial in Tennessee. After the memorial we helped sort and pack up my grandparents house, which was a big job. We then spent time with my family in Maryland before returning to Guam.

For Christmas we enjoyed lots of different Guam activities and events, including a full size Gingerbread House warming at the Hyatt, the Guam Symphony Orchestra concert by the sea with Santa arriving in a Carabau (water buffalo) drawn sleigh, simulated snow at the mall and Christmas light display at the Governor’s house.

Until next time,

Andrew

New Zealand, Hong Kong, Macau & Family Time


Umatac Reef Hike With FriendsGreetings from Guam!

Well, it has been a long time since our last update, so a lot has happened. In the spring of 2012 the Holm family moved back to the Northwest for family reasons, and I was asked to take over managing the Medical Information Systems department at the Clinic. I have enjoyed the additional challenges, and have stayed busy with recruiting and training staff, and helping to prioritize our various strategic projects.

Shortly after Holms left I was able to attend an Adventist technology and communications conference in Hong Kong. It was a quick trip, so I really only had one free evening for exploring, but made the best of it with a trip downtown. The conference was a blessing though with lots of good networking and both educational and spiritual sessions.

In the summer of 2012 Brenda took a trip to attend her cousin’s wedding, and took Abigail with her since she could still fly for free. While Brenda spen
Manta Rayt time with family, Bethany and I went on several hikes and watched fireworks for Guam’s Liberation Day. When Brenda and Abigail returned they brought back some wonderful Washington fruit including cherries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines and apricots just in time for my birthday. Brenda also surprised me by getting a baby sitter and taking me to a dinner show at Fish Eye. The food, show and especially the time together were all great. The rest of our summer was filled with activities including beach, waterpark, and hotel days.

In the fall of 2012 we enjoyed learning more about the military on Guam with an Air Force open house air show and then a later tour of the submarine tender USS Frank Cable with a Navy friend. We also helped start a Pathfinder club at our church, which has been lots of fun while keeping us busy too.

In November our island wide Adventist churches sponsored a series of evening meetings, and I volunteered
Abigail at Lake Tekapo to help with a live webcast of the events. It was fun setting everything up for that and training volunteers to finish out the series before we left on our annual leave trip.

For annual leave we visited Tennessee for what turned out to be our last big family Thanksgiving at my grandparents house, then spent some time in Maryland with my parents. While in Maryland we took a fun day trip to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania where we looked for covered bridges and visited an Amish market. In the evening Brenda and I made a quick stop at the free part of Hershey Park, and then attended a Gaither Homecoming gospel music concert. We then spent Christmas with Brenda’s family in Washington State, with a side trip to celebrate with my family in Oregon too. Brenda and I also got to go snow skiing for a day, while her parents watched the girls. On the way home we stopped for a few days in Honolulu where we went sailing and en
Campervans Near Mt. Cookjoyed staying in the downtown area. We also met up with friends for some hiking, a visit to the Dole Plantation and some turtle spotting on the beach.
The first half of 2013 was filled with various hikes, snorkeling and gatherings with friends. One special snorkeling highlight was an April morning when around 30 Manta Rays congregated at Gun Beach. They glided within feet of us and we were able to swim with them for over an hour.

At the end of June we flew to the south island of New Zealand, where we met up with my parents and sister for a winter vacation in camper vans. We were fortunate to be able to redeem airline miles for the trip at a good rate, however the travel time was still quite long with stops in Tokyo and Singapore before we landed in Christchurch. My parents arrived a day earlier, so they were able to pick us up from the airport and take us to pick up our vehicle. After a picnic lunch and orientation on how
Campervan Fun to operate the various systems on the camper van we headed out and drove around 4 hours to the Lake Tekapo area. We had researched several possible freedom camping spots in the area, but had not anticipated how much snow was on the ground. The first spot we tried was not accessible due to the snow, and the second was also snowed in but we were able to park nearby just off the main road. By the time we got parked it was well after dark and the temperatures were below freezing. We were thankful for the gas heaters, although the one in my parents vehicle had some trouble the first night.

In the morning we awoke to find we were surrounded by a winter wonderland, with rolling snow covered hills, and aqua colored lakes in the distance. After a warm breakfast we went for a hike in the snow to get a better view of the lakes and surrounding mountains. Along the way we saw the first of many sheep, made some snow angels and snowmen
Milford Soundwith the girls and took lots of pictures. We then took our time driving back into the town of Lake Tekapo, with many stops to admire the views. After a late lunch in the van, we went to Tekapo Springs for a soak in several hot pools surrounded with views of the lake and snowy mountains. We spent our second night at a caravan park with electric hookups, which helped us charge batteries and stay warmer.

The next day we visited a few more sites in Lake Tekapo including the Church of the Good Shepherd and a sheep dog memorial. We then drove past several scenic lakes to the Mt. Cook area were we caught a sunset view of the mountain before spending the night in a campground.

In the morning we awoke to more sunrise lake and mountain views and then went back into the town of Mt. Cook for lunch and a short rainy hike. After exploring the visitors center and lodge, we then made our way south to the town of Queenstown on La
Colac Bayke Wakatipu. Along the way we stopped for a roadside picnic on a mountain pass. We got in to town after dark and did some grocery shopping before heading to a campground by the lake a few miles out of town.

In the morning we spent a few hours getting some campervan repairs done, then did a little shopping before heading further south. We found a free spot along the lake shore to spend the night, with excellent views.

After watching a spectacular sunrise, we continued on our way to the town of Te Anau, where we stopped for fuel and lunch. From Te Anau we started on the Milford road, and found a campsite next to a stream just before it got dark.

We had a slow morning and did some exploring around the campground before continuing on the Milford Road. We were blessed with heavy rains, which created hundreds of waterfalls on the high cliffs along the scenic route to Homer Tunnel, and then on to
Hong KongMilford Sound. We did some exploring before dark, and then spent the night for free in the parking lot with views of Milford Sound and the surrounding cliffs.

In the morning we went on a boat tour of Milford Sound, and since it was the low season we ended up being the only family on the boat. The captain took us a little ways out of the mouth of the sound, but it got really rough with big rolling waves, so we headed back to calmer waters. The views of waterfalls and steep mountains were breathtaking, and we even got a little bit of sunshine. After the boat tour we headed back south on the Milford Road and on to the southern coastal town of Colac Bay for the night. We were glad for a chance to get free wifi and laundry at the holiday park, which was located a short walk from the beach.

In the morning we made our way through Riverton and Invercargill to the Catlins region in the southernmost part of the South Island. We stopped for a short hike
Macauat slope point, which is the southernmost point of the island, and then continued on gravel roads to Curio Bay Campground. Since it was the low season the campground was unstaffed, and we had the place to ourselves with only 1 other vehicle spending the night in the large campground.

We went looking for penguins in the morning, but only found tracks in the sand along the beach. The sunrise views were awesome though, and we had fun exploring the coast before getting on the road again. We made our way north with stops along the way for scenic views and ice cream. In order to make some headway back towards Christchurch, we drove several hours after dark and made it to a free campsite on a bluff overlooking the beach called Campbells Bay.

Another great view of empty beaches greeted us in the morning, and we did a little exploring before continuing our journey north. On the way to Christchurch we stopped to look for blue penguins
Flounder again in Oamaru, but ended up seeing a sea lion on the beach instead. We had one last night in the campervans at a holiday park near the Christchurch airport before saying goodbye to my parents and sister, and catching our flight to Auckland in the morning.

Just before boarding our flight to Auckland we learned that Air New Zealand had a strict weight limit for carry-on bags. Since ours were well over the limit, we quickly juggled things to minimize our extra charges by only gate checking one extra bag.

Upon arrival in Auckland we picked up a rental car and drove to a lovely Airbnb place we had booked for a few days. Our first day in Auckland we went to the Zoo, which we all really enjoyed. The second day we drove north to Sheepworld, where we watched an informative show and got to feed baby lambs. On the way back we stopped to eat at a great little café in the small town of Sandspit. For our last day in New Zealand we attended one of the local Adventist churches, and had supper with some new friends that we met at church.

We made it back to Guam in time to celebrate Liberation Day by attending the annual parade and watching the fireworks. I then took another brief work trip to Hong Kong to attend a conference and visit the Adventist Hospital there. This time I had a little more time to explore, and enjoyed a bus tour around Hong Kong
Turtle island, and also took a day trip via ferry to attend church in Macau.

Our flight back to Guam was quite an adventure, as we boarded a plane without working AC. After taxing in preparation for take off, a determination was made that we needed to return to the gate due to the hot cabin temperature. The problem was that it was a late night flight, so all of the airport and immigration staff had left. It took most of the night to get ourselves officially back into Hong Kong, and to an airline provided hotel for a few hours of sleep and some food. At least they put us up in the very nice JW Marriot, and we did eventually make it back to Guam about 24 hours behind our original schedule.

Well, it has been several years since I first wrote this, but better late than never, I guess!

Until the next post,

Andrew