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Mount Rainier |
| We circled up across the western peninsula of Washington, then headed eastward after passing Seattle (which we did not go into because we’re both urbanophobic). Instead we proceeded on to Mt. Rainier National Park, which was breathtaking. Rainier is the highest point in Washington (10k + feet) and of course, snow covered. We drove about a mile up the side of Mt. Rainier to the visitors’ center, and encountered a lot of snow along the way. |
 Snow at Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington in June!! click HERE for more info. |
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The visitors’ center still had snow up to the roof. Dan was a bit miffed at me when I jumped both feet into a stream of snowmelt and soaked both our
trouser legs. (He got even later on that same day.) We drove down the side of Rainier to a place called Narada Falls. The parking area was situated at head of the falls, so in order to get a good view of it we had to follow a trail a short way down the hillside – a snow-covered trail, that is. Being a true Maineiac, I had no trouble navigating the slippery path, but some poor little Asian girl in front of us spent most of the time on her backside! When we got to the viewing platform for the falls, Dan suggested I stand there while he took a picture. Of course, I was soaked with backsplash by the time he finished. We were even at last! |
Narada Falls, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington. More info HERE |
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We went down to Mt. St. Helens and drove to the nearest viewing point but it was so overcast that day that the crater was hidden by clouds. The area leading up to the volcano still shows signs of the eruption more than two decades ago. The valley below is a wasteland of mudflows and dead trees and Mother Nature has her hands full trying to recover. We didn't stay long at Mt. St. Helens since the weather was so crappy. Years ago I'd heard mention of a desert in Washington but had put the notion out of my head because it contradicted with my mental images of vast forests and endless apple orchards. As it turns out, there really is a desert in Washington, at the Columbia River Plateau, east of the Cascades. When we entered the Plateau it was like entering another world. We drove through desolate canyons to northern Washington and the Grand Coulee Dam. It is not the most impressive engineering marvel, I admit, but we were able to get out of the car and stretch our legs and watch an informative documentary with a spelling error in the credits. All in all, quite fun. As a footnote to our visit to Washington State, there really is a city named George, Washington. Clever, huh? |
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Florida Road trip, American Road trip, touring the USA, American National Parks, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Grand Tetons, Lake Tahoe, Redwood Forest, Boston, Washington State, Mount Rainer, Yellowstone, Lake Powell, Las Vegas, New York, Montana, Road Trip America. |