Seattle 2: Mt Rainier National Park

The weather forecast for today was excellent, so I thought I'd head south-east to Mt Rainier National Park. It is a Saturday, and there were many people on the road, but the closer I got to the National Park, the more the traffic eased off.

There are so many spots to take a photo of Mt Rainier. You could stop a million times and get yet another shot. Actually, when I stopped at one of the nice rest areas and took a photo of the mountain, a guy next to me said "I wonder how many hundreds of 'wonderful shots' we already have of Mt Rainier..." But hey, that is the beauty of digital photography: You can take as many photos as you like, and then pick :)

The photo below is "typical America" to me. In many national parks have I seen such beautiful scenery and a cark park or rest area to enjoy it. This photo could have been taken anywhere in the Rockies.

Actually, I took the photo above in Niagara Falls a few years back. I use it in class to show students how tourism and design can affect wildlife. Now I can add the photo below to also show that the National Parks Service does have bins that are wildlife proof.

The photos so far have all been taken on the way up to Paradise. It might look like paradise, but the area on the mountain is actually called Paradise! There, I left the car behind and had a look at the visitor center. The architecture is quite unique, and the top floor was a beautiful 360 degree observation deck. The building could do with some upgrades though. It all looks old and dated - not in best shape.

Then I took off to hike on the trails around the area. It is very well done up there, with a number of trails of different lengths criss-crossing the area, offering something for everybody.

Particularly stunning were the meadows with a plethora of beautiful alpine flowers. They were just everywhere, and in full bloom. A sea of colours!

There are a number of Glaciers right next to each other, but if I got it right, this must be Nisqually Glacier.

This marmot took a sunbath :)

And this little fellow (chipmunk) was buzzing around a trail, almost running between people's legs. But aways behind them - they didn't even realise it was there! And whoop - off he was again ;-)

I drove back via the Nisqually Entrance, and back to Seattle. What a beautiful day! And I even got some sun!!!