Once we left our super cute cabin, we made it back into Mt. Rainier National Park to spend the whole day. We stopped at the Longmire Museum to explore and learn a bit more near the entrance of the park. We saw a massive slice of a tree with metal plates on it with different time stamped world events. It began growing 1293. I couldn't believe it. It was so cool to see the different world events on the tree's growth timeline. I couldn't believe trees could be that huge.
Then we went inside and saw a chart of the different hights of mountain peaks around the world which was also very neat to learn.
We then got back in the car and started driving back up to Paradise, which is were the main visitor center and lodge are located and the highest part of the park you can drive on th esouth side. The north side is still closed due to all the snow still. We made a few stops along the way up again, at different places than we did yesterday evening. We got out and hiked Christine Falls. It was so beauiful. Next time we go, I want to find out how to hike to the bridge that is just past the falls, it looks amazing! We also stopped along the Nisqually River. The part we stopped was mostly dry and you can see all the rocks and boulders but it was massively wide with a stream flowing in the middle of it. It was pretty.
We made it to Paradise again, this time for when it opened. We went and got our souvenirs then went to see a documentary about Mt. Rainier that the center offers. It was amazing. Mt. Rainier has it's very own weather system because it is so high in elevation. The weather changes very quickly. The park ranger said we came at the perfect time because a good amount of the year it is always covered by clouds and visitor don't ever get to see it. Like yesterday, we were at the same location and we didn't see it excpet for a glimpse when the clouds parted briefly. We had been there for alomst an hour wondering where it was then, bamb, there it was after the clouds parted!
Once were spent a few hours at the visitor center, we went on our way and we decided to go through the park the opposite way we came in....so yes, going further east through the rest of the park and making our tirp to Astoria later this evening even longer.....we shall see if it was worth it or not.
We were driving towards the Grove of the Partriarch, which is the oldest and largest trees in the park, we ended up stopping a lot. We stopped and hiked around a bit of the Reflection Lakes. WOW!! Talk about gorgeous! Every time I think it can't get any more breath taking, it really does. It was so so pretty. The beautiful dark blue lake water with the dark green pine trees against the mountain snow and blue skies and white clouds.....simply stunning! This is my new favorite place to be in nature! Christmas Meadows in the Uintas is now a close second....never thought I'd find a more beautiful place on earth....yep....Mt. Rainier National Park is it....wonder if anything is more beautiful than here.
We found a few more stops with beautiful waterfalls along our way. Then we came to a few tunnels going through the mountains. All the greenery, wild flowers, water, birds singing, wild life and the best part, seeing and doing it all with My Poppet has been the best gift ever!!!
We finally made it over the the Grove of the Patriarchs. We ate our picnic lunch before going on the 1.5 mile little hike to the actual grove. The deeper in we hiked, the bigger the trees were getting. I was taking so many photos but you can't get a good feel of the massive scale of them so I made Quique be in them and he looks so tiny.
We hiked through beautiful country. We saw wild life, wild flowers, massive trees, beautiful clear green, blue river with fish and rocks. We got to cross over the river with a suspension brige that can only have one person on it at a time. Well, Quique got on and started jumping on it of course which totally freaked me out more. We made it safely to the other side and stood in awe of the beauty.
We followed the path to the trees and my goodness. The most massive trees I have ever seen in my life!! Quique climbed inside of one that had fallen over and kept getting deeper and deeper in then realized how many spider webs he just went through and he held still for like 3 seconds for my photo and then jumped out like it was on fire. haha It was pretty funny but he looked so small in it. We meanered through, going slow, just stunned a place on earth like this exitsts. We sat on the benches and just listened to the trees for a good long while. They were talking! Super neat experience!! I happened to look down and saw such tiny pine cones. These huge massive trees start from something so tiny and delicate. It was truly majestic!
This was our last stop within the park. We had been getting smashed pennies from our travels and there wasn't one inside the park but someone told us there was one in a dinky town somewhere outside the park in a random tiny grocery store. Well, we found it and we got our smashed penny! What a complete shock! It was awesome though.
We drove though more beauty on our way towards the coast. We ended up stopping at a horrible little motel that it was supposed to be a non-smoking room but clearly was smoked in often. We gagged and chocked as we tried to breathe and sleep. It was the last room in the motel and in the city itself, so we were stuck!
