Mt Rainier

Please forgive the length of this post but I couldn't just say a couple words and slap up a couple pictures, I wanted to try to convey the experience I had, for those who care to know.

First we drove to Mt. St. Helens. We stopped at the visitor center and learned most of the road was closed due to snow and ice. And because it was cloudy we couldn't see the mountain :(

So we dried our tears and headed to Mt Rainier National Park. We drove as far into the park as we could before the road was closed due to winter conditions. We got to within a couple miles of Mt. Rainier but never got a good view of it because of the clouds. I can't wait to go back in the summer when all the roads are open and hopefully the weather is better. Julian and I still loved it up there though. It's in my top 3 all-time favorite places, and keep in mind we saw very little of the park due to the weather conditions. If you ever get the chance to go, you must.

We stayed at the National Park Inn. Being off-season, there were a total of 4 guests besides us staying there. We pretty much had the dining room all to ourselves when we ate dinner. There were no phones (except a payphone in the lobby), no cell phone reception, no TV's, no radios, no Wi-Fi, etc. There was a lounge that consisted of a nice sitting area with a big wood-burning fireplace with books on the mantle and a table stacked with tons of board games and puzzles. Of course we had the lounge to ourselves and we played the Who Wants to be a Millionaire trivia game (I won). It was actually pretty fun.

I'll admit it was a little scary being cut off from the outside world like that. You had the feeling that a blizzard could come through any minute and you'd be trapped there forever (which wouldn't be such a bad thing come to think of it...). Earlier in the day, as we were driving up the mountain, the weather was getting worse and worse as clouds moved in and it started to snow. We were driving a little Ford Focus with no tire chains, up a slippery, winding mountain road. There were no phones on the side of the road and we had no cell phone reception. Had we gotten into trouble we would have had to wait in our car until a Park Ranger came along. Scary but exhillarating. At one point we referenced the movie "Alive" and threatened to eat one another other if it came down to it. I know, we have a sick sense of humor.

All-in-all, our stay at Mt. Ranier was very memorable. It was one of my last evenings ever with Julian and I will always cherish it. Now onto the pictures. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then here's about 20k. Enjoy.














Julian and I were laughing at these two fools.

See how the weather changed from the previous pics? It happened rapidly.

The General Store at the inn. Look how high the snow is.

"silent night" - I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk. The night was unbelievably still and serene.

It was a picture perfect adventure.

~ The End ~

Ferry Ride!

I was a little bummed out on April 8th - Julian had flewn home and I was to start my new job the next day. So I took the whole day to explore before I had to go back to the real world. I took a long, scenic drive that included my first ever ferry ride (yay!). I took the ferry to Whidbey Island, then drove the entire length of the island and crossed back through Deception Pass. I'd have to say Deception Pass State Park is one of the coolest parks I've ever been to. Here's some pics from that day. (Sorry about the crooked pictures - poor camera skills and I don't have Photoshop right now so I can't edit)

View from the ferry. (See what I mean about the weather not cooperating with my sightseeing?)

Once I got on the island I stopped at Possession Beach Waterfront Park

(Below) Taken on the way to the park. I really like the vibrant primary colors in this shot.

And the best for last - Deception Pass.

Falling off a cliff can be deadly. Who knew.

Yes, the water really was that color.

Just imagine how spectacular Deception Pass would be on a clear, sunny day. I can't wait to go back.

I'm really sorry about Mt. Rainier. I promise tomorrow will be Mt.Rainier Day - cross my heart hope to die stick a needle in my eye promise.

You guessed it, more pictures

More random sightseeing...
First up, the view of Puget Sound from Magnolia.

Next, a trip to the zoo.

(The good news is my MN Zoo membership card is accepted here so I get in free - woohoo!)

As my friend Sonya would say, who let these two fools out their cages?

Moving along, here's a view of Puget Sound from Discovery Park.

(Taken from a pier as we were too exhausted to trek down to the beach)

That's it for today. Cross your fingers for Mt. Rainier tomorrow. :)

Check out my new digs

So I figure before I continue with the sightseeing I ought to show a couple pictures of my new apartment.

For those of you who couldn't care less (and I don't blame you), please feel free to scroll up to the next post for more sightseeing/mountains. For everyone else, meaning Grandma and Mom, this is for you.

A sidenote about my new apartment - I have very mixed feelings about it. I knew it could never be as awesome as my my old place, but let's just say certain aspects are disappointing and leave it at that because I don't feel like talking about it just now and Mom, you already know what I'm talking about. I know that was a run-on sentence but I'm tired and I don't care.

Here are some of the positives:

Cool lobby.




Notice the mirrored wall . Clearly built by someone very vain, the entire building is plastered with mirrors. Also notice Julian peaking out from around the corner when I told him to get out of the shot. What a dork.

Nice view.



That tree blossomed in a matter of a few days



A big picture window in the living room has a fairly nice view and lets in lots of light.



An Angela's-eye-view from the couch

Neat-0 bathroom.



Of course one whole wall is mirrored so I can get a real good look at myself first thing in the morning. Ack.



I'm partial to the sink. It's my favorite feature after the living room window.

Last but not least ...
A nice, albeit small, bedroom.





Surprise! The closet doors are mirrored. Bet you didn't see that coming.

That ends our tour of the fabulous casa de Angela.
Now stop looking at my private rooms and personal posessions, Stalker!

My Saturday

Okaaaay, so I know I was supposed to stay home and get my place in order but... I just couldn't resist. Yesterday was an incredibly beautiful, sparkling Spring day - 65 and sunny, I couldn't help myself. The mountains were calling me...



But first I stopped at Ballinger Park. How could I stay indoors on a day like that?!?! (click picture to enlarge)

I literally left my house at 9am just to run a couple of quick errands, and didn't get home until 11:30pm - Call me impulsive. Below, in no particular order, are some of the 200+ pictures I took yesterday (yes, I'm obsessed). Enjoy!

















(Above) I stopped at a State Park and hiked up to a little cliff that had a great overlook view. (Below) Video of the view from the cliff.









That's a wrap!

Are you sick of mountains yet? Too bad because there's lots more to come.
Tomorrow - Mt Rainier. (sort of)