Mount Rainier National Park - 7/31/10
350 miles round trip and 13 hours. A long day....
The obligatory shot of Mount Saint Helens at the McClellan viewpoint
'cept the Gifford Pinchot forest was pretty much socked in.
Did get to push a guy on a bagger out of a ditch there though...
took the turn a little wide, I suspect
The car in front of us hit an elk in the fog... better them than us.
The ride started out pretty dicey.
Patti gave me a hug when the ride was over.... probably because she was happy to still be alive..
There are many perils on the road to Paradise..
The view was a little better at Clearwater
The Original Easyrider® and Mr. Dilligaf at the Clearwater viewpoint
Near Randle, Washington... at the end of pothole road known as F.R. 25
Above: Julie got the best picture of the day of Mount Rainier
Below: Paradise, Washington. Mount Rainier National Park
elevation 5,400 feet
The mountain is completely socked in here.
Some nice trails but you can only hike for about
a mile before getting into deep snow. Lots of critters....
An Olympic Marmot taking a midday break
Paradise Visitors Center
I was amazed at how mobbed this place was, especially considering how remote it is.
There were literally hundreds of people here.
The Dilligafs
Above: Yours truly leading the way
This is about as close to the mountain as you can get from any paved road inside the park
These would be even more gorgeous views if there wasn't so much cloud cover.
National Park Inn, Longmire, Washington
Below: I stayed here in 1988. Nice, but rustic
Looks like they gave the place a coat of paint since I was last here.
You used to be able to get gas at the filling station.
And W-A-A-A-A-Y less people knew about this place....
Coffee and pie at Spiffy's and then head for home
8:30 PM so it's still light out, but not for long
The day wasn't all that warm to start out with but got downright chilly on the way home.
Two *B-I-G* deer ran right out in front of us on Skyline Drive...
It was late, cold and foggy out... just the kind of weather that brings them out
Ride to Detroit Lake
Ride to Hells Canyon
