What glorious weather greeted us upon
our arrival in Seattle. John had lived out here for many years while flying for Northwest. He talks about how much it rains here in the great Northwest, however, it is a fact that Seattle gets less rainfall annually than Atlanta, Boston, New York, Houston Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., with 37 inches.Bright and early on Saturday morning we headed off to Mt. Rainier National Park. Mount Rainier is one of the oldest National Parks, established in 1899. Towering over Puget Sound, Mount Rainier is located 83 miles southeast of Seattle, and is the most beloved landmark in the state. The park's rich forests, waterfalls, glaciers and abundant wildlife offer a variety of outdoor adventures.
Mount Rainier is the highest peak in the Cascade Mountain Range with a summit of 14,410 feet. The "mountain" is an active volcano encased in over 35 square miles of snow and ice and more than 26 glaciers. As an active volcano Mount Rainier stands as a reminder of the beauty and power of nature. The Cascade Range has been volcanically active for millions of years, thanks to its location close to the western edge of the North American tectonic plate. The mountain we see today is relatively young in geologic terms: it formed about 500,000 years ago. Like Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes, Mount Rainier had the potential to erupt again at some unknown time. Volcanologists expect the mountain to give ample warning before entering an eruptive period, but the threat of
unexpected mudflows exists throughout the park.
One of our stops for the day was at Crystal Mountain. We took the gondola ride to the top of the ski area (which had just closed skiing the seek prior). The views from there were glorious. As we had arrived early in the day it was like our own private journey. When we had finished our wanderings it was beginning to get more crowded.
We spent the entire day sightseeing and en
joying nature!I have also discovered several more "fun" facts about Washington State:
-It is the 42nd state to join the Union and is the only state named for a President.
-Father's Day was founded here in 1910.
-"The Wave", a popular fan cheer for the past 25 years, was started by Husky fans at the University of Washington.
-Washington produces 70 percent of the nation's hops used to brew beer. Coincidentally, to overcome beer breath, the majority of the nation's mint is also grown in the state.
We also had dinner with a flight attendant friend, Susan and also had dinner with our friends, Jan and Scott. It is always so wonderful to see friends that we have not seen for awhile, just to talk and share great times!!
We are off to Anacortes for a month or so... more on our stay there later.
Love to all,
Candy and Johnny
