Mount Rainier is Washington State's biggest volcano, at 14,410 feet high, and the National Park is even bigger around it! The park encompasses 236,381.49 acres on the west-side of the Cascade Range, and is located about 50 miles southeast of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. The park is approximately 97 percent wilderness and 3 percent National… Continue reading Seven Things you (Probably) Didn’t Know About Mt Rainier
Category: Travel
A Weekend at Lake Quinault Lodge
It had been 4 years since we had been to Lake Quinault Lodge, which is on Lake Quinault, in the Olympic National Forest. It's a grand old lodge, in the middle of a temperate rain forest. Yes, it rains. A lot. Nearly every time we have been there it has rained at some point. But… Continue reading A Weekend at Lake Quinault Lodge
Olympic National Park: Ruby Beach
Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park is a short hike that means so much to me. We try to go there yearly, if we can. Like all beaches, it changes yearly. This year the driftwood piles were very high. It was also high tide, meaning less sand to walk on. The hike down to Ruby… Continue reading Olympic National Park: Ruby Beach
Pratt Preserve Loop Trail
When I lived on Whidbey Island in Washington State, my first hiking trips were local ones, such as the ones at Ebey's Landing. Pre-internet days it was a lonely place. Not these days. Even in winter it is filled with people. Can't blame them though. It is a gorgeous area. A lot of it changed… Continue reading Pratt Preserve Loop Trail
Admiralty Inlet Preserve Trails
Kirk and I took the boys up to Whidbey Island for a short weekend. We stayed at the historical Fort Casey Inn, which was the officer housing for Fort Casey. It was built prior to World War 1. We chose the Doctor's House, which is a single house (the other houses are duplex). While they… Continue reading Admiralty Inlet Preserve Trails