Saturday, May 12th, 2001 was a very interesting day. What began as a short jaunt to the nearest mountains ended up as a ten hour drive of over four hundred miles, as we decided, on a whim, to explore Chinook Pass, one of the passes through the Cascades. From there, we drove eastward, almost to Yakima before we turned around and headed back to western Washington via White Pass. Please click HERE to see a map of our route.

Intermittent clouds somewhat obscured the grandeur of Mount Ranier, but what struck me most about the day was the contrast between the eastern and western sides of the Cascade mountains. I guess I'm used to the towering grey snow-capped mountains, cradled in evergreens, and to the pleasant air temperature here. The eastern side was greatly different - colors changed from the zillion shades of green to browns and sand colors. Not only were the evergreens sparse, so were most trees as vast piles of basalt rock towered over us. And boy, was it HOT there ! It was like being in another country.

My pictures don't do it justice, I'm afraid, but perhaps you will be able to see a little of what I mean.

Please click HERE to go to the Thumbnails page