Weekend Trip

Last weekend I was able to take some time to travel to Mt Ranier. Although the mountain was beautiful, the trip there was the highlight of the day. I went over White Pass at 4000 feet and had spectacular vistas to enjoy. Ranier about filled up the horizon at one point.(photo) My acrophobia kicked in mildly when the pass traveled along a several hundred foot drop with a guardrail between me and the great blue sky. It took about an hour to get to Mt Ranier National Park and a lot of it was mountain driving. Fortunately traffic was very light and it was a beautiful day. The thought of doing the cross on a snowy day or with  a bunch of trailer trucks was inconceivable for me.

At the park, several trails were marked for day trips. I went to Silver Falls, about 3 miles round trip. The forest in Washington is totally different from Vermont. Most abundant are the pole pines( photo) . Straight as an arrow and very tall, they make up the vast majority of the trees. Here and there are scattered Hemlocks. The undergrowth is sparse but some wildflowers were in bloom. The falls were beautiful.(photo). All things considered it was a great day.