They say Washington gets a lot of rain and seeing is believing. We've had rain every day that we've been here. During the day it periodically drizzles and during the night we have thunder, lightening and downpours.
It didn't stop us from driving 70 miles one-way to Mount Rainier. I've been pronouncing it RAIN-E-ER which is incorrect it's RAH-NEAR. See, 60 years old and still learning something new. We saved the $15 entrance fee with our park pass and the ranger said we probably wouldn't see the mountain due to the fog and rain.
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| Entrance |
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| Rustic-style Longmire Visitor's Center |
Just inside the park is the site of James Longmire's Medical Springs that the family developed in 1888. It is now a National Historic Landmark District and the original park's headquarters with exhibits and a museum. It's a 40 minute drive to Paradise. Paradise is where the second visitor's center is located. It is world-famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows. Can you believe the park averages 680 inches of snow fall each winter?
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| Surprised to see wildflowers so late in the season |
Just before we arrived in Paradise, Denis yells "there it is" and sure enough the sun peeked out, the fog cleared and we got to see the majestic 14,410 foot volcanic mountain, Mount Rainier. Denis pulled the rental car over, got out and snapped some photos. When he got back in the car, the entire mountain was shrouded in fog and disappeared completely. Unbelievable.
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| Cleared just long enough for a snapshot |
The huge amount of precipitation shapes everything, from the 25 glaciers that cap the mountain to the stands of Douglas fir, red cedar and hemlock. Remember this is an active volcano, as a matter of fact, the entire Cascade Range has been volcanically active for millions of years. Hopefully, the vulcanologist's are correct in their assumption that the mountain will give ample warning before erupting.
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| Made it to Paradise |
We watched the 20-minute video about Mount Rainier which was very good and checked out the exhibits. Remembering we had a 40-minute drive out of the park and getting pretty hungry it was time to look for a place to eat. Let me tell you, if you ever find yourself on the road to Paradise be sure to stop at Copper Creek Restaurant.
The restaurant has a bit of history and you can click on the link if you'd like to learn more:
History of Copper Creek
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| This newspaper article was varnished to the counter top |
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| We split the pesto pasta with pine nuts, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes - it was delicious |
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| Famous for their blackberry pies - the crust was amazing |
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| Love the pie cabinet |
The drive home was tiring with rain and fog. It was a long day but we're so glad we took the time to the visit Mount Rainier National Park while we were in the area.
That's all folks! Thanks for stopping in.
P.S. Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. I know 60 years young isn't a huge milestone when I'm planning, God willing, to live to 100. I also wanted to welcome my new blog readers and hope they enjoy following our adventures.
That is so neat that the fog cleared so you got to see the mountain.
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