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| We headed south
from Seattle, and between Maple Valley and Enumclaw we stopped so
I could take a picture of our destination. This is Mount Rainier,
or 'Mother' as she is known around here. |
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| The road UP to
Sunrise ascends 6,400 feet, and in fact Sunrise is the highest point
you can drive to in Mount Rainier National Park. Three miles from
our destination was a huge lookout, so we stopped to take some photos.
Mount Rainier can be seen in the middle here. |
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| In the other
direction stretch peaks and valleys. The mountains are bisected
by winding roads which seem very narrow when you're driving on them.
Evergreens are everywhere. |
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| Tim's happy
to be amidst the mountains. |
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| Alpine and
subalpine meadows remind many folks of the Alps. |
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Here and
there you might find a small lake.
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And it was
windy!
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It's very
hard to keep one's eyes on the road when you're driving beside
scenery like this.
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| At the end of
the road is a large parking lot (which was totally packed today)
nestled in the midst of meadows and mountains. This was our lunch
view. |
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| I took a small stroll down
this path towards a Viewpoint and it didn't disappoint. |
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| The crest on the right is called
Little Tahoma - it's an arm of Mount Rainier. |
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| Here and there were these fuzzy-looking
plants called Pasqueflowers, or Western Anemones. |
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Oh boy, would I love a view
like this through my window! This is in the Museum.
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Also in the Museum were displays
of local geology, flora and fauna, like this Pine Marten.
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Around the corner was a Hoary
Marmot.
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| A cougar watched from up high. |
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| As pretty as it
is now, it's even lovelier when the Spring flowers are all in bloom,
and when the Autumn colors paint the meadows shades of gold and
orange. |
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| There are a number of hiking
paths here, and many folks were enjoying them today. |
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| If you turned yourself 360°,
you would always have something gorgeous to look at. |
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| On the way back
down, I managed to get a picture of pretty Indian Paintbrush glowing
at the side of the road. It was a wonderful day all 'round and we
both thoroughly enjoyed it. |
