Jul 28-August 4, 2007 -- From southern Washington, we drove up to the northern
parts of Washington and the woods became thick, dark and damp. We learned that
this is "old growth forest" with treasured old trees and undergrowth. It is very
beautiful, but after a few days camped in this stuff you long for the sun!!
People camp in all kinds
of rigs, but this one
caught our attention
instantly. Owner Dennis
told us it took over 1900
hours of work to restore
this 1952 antique to its
modern glory. He told us
his wife was very
tolerant, letting him take
a year off of work to
complete the project.
We stopped at the town of Black Diamond, a cute town with a
historic jail and train depot. But the highlight for us was the
bakery's marionberry pie. Delicious!
For days we had driven around hoping for a glimpse of Mt.
Rainier, but there had been too much fog. As we stepped out of
the bakery we turned and were shocked to see the mountain
resting quietly on the horizon.
To get a better look at the mountain we drove up to Sunrise
Point. Others came up by bike. It looked like a hard but
rewarding ride. The next day 900 cyclists tackled three major
mountain passes in the area -- but they got a cloudy day with no
views!!
Mt. Rainier. If you look really closely you can see something of a
trail which is where the mountain climbers hike up to the
summit. 40,000 people hike to 10,000 feet every year, and of
those 10,000 make it to the summit. You can't do it all in one
day -- there is a camp up in the snow somewhere where
everyone stays overnight on the way up and the way down. It is
the tallest mountain in the US and is the training area for
mountaineers planning on ascending Kilamanjaro and other tall
peaks worldwide.
Mt. Rainier. It stands over 14,000 feet tall. The tallest point
you can drive to is at 6,400 feet -- which is the same height as
the summit of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.
From Mt. Rainier we
traveled north to
Puget Sound and the
Olympic Peninsula.
The boats and sea
life were inviting, and
the peaks of
Hurricane Ridge in
Olympic National
Park were inspiring.
From Hurricane
Ridge in Olympic
National Park we
made our way to Port
Angeles where we
boarded a ferry
bound for