Today was one of my favorite drives. But more on that in a second.
We spent Friday at Mt. Rainier National Park. Unfortunately the clouds were low and thick and completely covered the actual mountain. (Apparently, Mt. Rainier is only visible 20% of the year.) We saw it from a distance a few other times since we’ve been in Washington, but it would have been nice to see it up close and personal.
This cross section was from a tree that started growing in the late 1200’s. Crazy:
Check out some of these dates! Sorry, I just think this is amazing:
Vandals: Beavers:
This isn’t necessarily an interesting photo, but it represents a fascinating aspect of these forests. All around us, we see fallen trees in various states of their return back to dirt, and all the different types of life they support along the way. (Cue Elton John “Circle of Life” song…)
Taking a final walk through a Washington forest at Mt. Rainier:
I find this interesting how just a trickle of water runs down all the rivers around here, but you can tell the raging river that was once here (and will be again come Spring):
We made a couple stops along the road, trying to soak up as much of Washington as we could before reaching Oregon:
We stopped in Portland to check out the local Saturday Market:
One of the more interesting street performers. This guy stood completely motionless until money was deposited in his bucket. Emily and Natalie are running away after dropping in a dollar:
A gasoline transfer technician at work. I would love to know the history behind this Oregon-wide custom of not being able to pump one’s own gas:
This trip is truly a full sensory experience. Beyond just sights and sounds are the smells. I love that just yesterday I was sniffing the pine-filled air of Washington, and today I filled my lungs with the salty sea air of the Oregon coast:
The trees near the shore are all shaped like this. Think they’ve seen a little wind?
We pulled off to let some traffic pass and it turned out to be rather picturesque:
…AND we heard sea lions barking down below. Very cool:
Just some other pics from today as we drove along Highway 101:
We’ve stopped in Brookings, Oregon at Harris Beach State Park. The internet seems decent and the beach is within walking distance, so it seems like a great place to spend the week.