Right off our front porch is one of the most beautiful sights you can see in these parts, Mount Rainier. But seeing as we had the Olivers in town, the front porch wasn't quite close enough. After the Fourth, we took off for a round the mountain day trip.
Our first stop: Suntop Lookout. This is a beautiful area just to the north of Mount Rainier and is one of many fire lookouts in the national forest. While there, we talked with the people who were staying in the lookout who gave us a tour and a small history lesson. Turns out the fire lookouts in the area pulled double-duty during WWII as an aircraft warning tower. We also found out that we can camp there (hmmm....). Beautiful views and wildflowers were all around the area and our first big view of the mountain.
Next up, we headed for Crystal Mountain. The gondola runs during the summer and the Summit House was beckoning us for lunch. Again, blue skies, sunshine, and some of the best views greeted us. And a little bit of snow.... So much fun to play in it in July.
After filling our bellies with food and a small snowball fight, we hopped back in the car to continue 'round the mountain. We drove through/by the Grove of the Patriarchs, Box Canyon, and Martha Falls in order to get to our next stop: Reflection Lake.
This lake is the "typical" Mount Rainier picture -- the one with the mountain in the distance and a perfect mirror reflection in the water below. On our visit, the snow hadn't quite melted all the way, but it was still a sight to see.
After playing in the snow some more, it was time to really go look at some waterfalls.
Narada Falls was up first. The hike to the bottom was a little steep and slippery, so Shirley stayed with the girls at the top. Boy did they miss out!
Grammy and her girls
Narada Falls, Ronnie and Robert, & the view from the top of the falls.
One of our last stops on the tour was Christine Falls. Like I could really pass up an opportunity to see a waterfall sporting my moniker. Of course, it didn't disappoint.
On the way home, we swung through and checked out the campsites... Just for future reference.
