Vacation Day 2

Thursday morning we planned to head down south to visit Mount Rainier. On a clear day, you can see the mountain from 100 miles away.







The weather was more like this.







A few hours (and about 300 gummi bears) later we reached Mount Rainier National Park (after making a couple stops to trade drivers and to use a rest area by a pretty little lake). Winding roads and switchbacks led up and up and up, until we reached the Paradise area. In the parking lot we climbed out of the cars and stretched, looking around at all of the ... snow. The roads and parking lot were clear, but snow covered the grass, the trees, and any wildflowers that may have been thinking it's about time for Spring to show up. More snow fell from the grey sky, making it impossible to even tell which direction the peak of Mt. Rainier was. I think it was somewhere behind Paradise Inn (the picture on the right).


We looked at the displays in the visitors center, ate our lunch, and did a little shopping. This was probably the kids' favorite part of the day - there was a whole building for them to run around in, with stairs and ramps and windows. Okay, we all enjoyed a chance to stretch out and run around a bit. Or in the case of my spouse, a chance to play on the Pocket PC.


Then we headed back down the mountain, stopping for a few pictures and a short hike on the way. We took a different route home, where we passed by the Northwest Trek Park. It was already closed, so I guess we'll have to go back another day. We paused somewhere south of Sumner for a pizza dinner, and then we drove the rest of the way home to relax, eat birthday cake and ice cream, and get some rest before Day 3.

The highlights of the day (for me) were:

(1) The deer we saw as we drove through the park.


This deer must see a lot of people - it kept eating while we took pictures and video.



(2) Waterfalls along the road - the melting snow meant there were lots of waterfalls.


(3) Hiking - after an abortive attempt at a trail near one of the waterfalls, we successfully hiked the Three Firs Trail. It involved a lot of slipping and sliding and even crossing a bit of a stream. The trees were huge! I like how the moss made them look creepy too.