Mount Rainier

Here are pictures from our visit to the Mt. Rainier area . The one with the flowers was from our patio table at the cafe on the summit of Crystal Mountain. Okay, the flowers were actually in planters around the deck, but it made for a pretty picture.

I’m also including a picture of Mt. St. Helens, about 60 miles away. Those of us old enough to remember it will never forget when it erupted in May, 1980. It’s generally considered the worst natural disaster in US history.

Liz along the White River

These gondolas rise about 2,000 feet to the summit of Crystal Mountain, which is at about 7,000 feet and has a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier. 

Mt. St. Helens

Seattle

We decided to ride up to explore Seattle area for a few days. The last time I was there was in 1979. I was a first lieutenant and assigned as a PAO for an exercise for three weeks at Fort Lewis. It was six months before I met Liz. That trip to the Pacific NW was a good one. But this one was a whole lot more fun.

Obligatory stops included the Pike's Public Market and the Space Needle.

Oregon Highlights: Rodeo for the Holiday

One of the ways they celebrate the 4th of July  in Eugene, Oregon is with a four-day rodeo. It was awesome. We had front row seats which were perfect... especially when we were dodging clumps of dirt the horses kicked up.

Oregon Update: Spring Falls

There are ten spectacular waterfalls in Spring Falls State Park, and  we hiked to them all. In total, we did more than 5 miles of trails. Once again our thanks to my friend George for being host and wilderness guide. Oregon is an amazing state.

Oregon Highlights: The Coast

We have enjoyed our time on the Oregon coast so much we extended a second night. Liz says it's  magical there. I agree. We’ve spent our time on the coast exploring, visiting lighthouses, eating great seafood, and taking a whale watching charter. Yes, we saw about a dozen whales. They can get as 45-50 feet, which is bigger than our RV, and we saw several less than 100 yards away from the boat. 

Oregon Highlights: The Ems

Minor League Baseball, the Eugene Emeralds (Cubs system) vs the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays).  For just $10 I had a second row seat behind the dugout.

A few fun facts. The Ems play their games at the University of Oregon’s PK Park, across from the Duck’s football stadium. It’s a pretty new, really nice park and great minor league atmosphere. This is a Northwest League game, a short season single-A league.

Oregon Highlights: Crater Lake

A “must visit” in southern Oregon is the amazing Crater Lake National Park. The water is an amazing blue and the pictures don’t do it justice. We spent a lot of time taking in the incredible views from the rim and had lunch in the historic lodge. And yes, at 7,000+ feet, there  was still a fair amount of snow there in June.