Today we headed to Mt. Rainier National Park. What a beautiful day! It was clear and sunny out, and we were able to see some really good sights. That is, until we actually got to the mountain! The higher in elevation, the cloudier it got! We drove over 5,000 feet up through the most beautiful land I had ever seen. By the time we got to the new visitor's center, we were still 9,000 feet from the top of the mountain and 20 degrees colder than when we started out!
The majestic beauty of the mountain is inexplicable. I always have admired the mountain from afar, but up close it is simply breathtaking! These are just a few pics we took - they do not come close to capturing the vast beauty of it all!
This is a picture of one of the many peaks. So beautiful! It is hard to see it to scale, but most of these trees are 100+ feet tall.
This was taken right outside the brand new visitor's center! A HUGE black bear! He seemed pretty oblivious to all his onlookers (there were probably 20 or so people standing not more than 50 feet from him). He just ate some greenery and disappeared back into the forest. Besides the bear, we also witnessed some deer walking along the road.
Whew! It is a good thing I know where to evacuate in the case of a volcano! What a relief!
We had a lot of fun today. Annika was such a good girl! She was a real trooper. She spent alot of time in her carseat as there was much driving involved - all without too much fuss. It was too bad that it was as cold as it was. It would have been nice to go on some mini hike trails - they had a few paved paths that we could have taken the stroller on. And although we had blankets, a coat and a hat for Annika, the adults were not adequately geared for a walk. Besides that, I think Annika would have been too cold in any case - it was about 38 degrees up in Paradise.
We also saw a lot of dry riverbeds. It will be a great trip to go again in the spring when the melt down starts! We can only imagine the rolling rapids!
It has been a great weekend! On Friday, I took Dad and Sandy to Pike Place Market with Annika (she is an old pro now - she was the tour guide!), and also to Snoqualmie Falls. The weather has been more than accommodating for our guests, and days like these remind me how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful area!
3 comments:
Breathtaking! Hopefully Jason and I will be able to get out to visit in the spring/summer to see the rushing rivers. That kind of scenery is just our thing!
You better take me there next time I'm out there!
What beautiful pictures!!
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