June 5 – 7: The land of big views and waterfalls

We were fortunate to explore Mount Rainier on two clear and sunny days. The spectacular views around every corner and obvious evidence of huge geological forces present in the park are what sets this park apart from the otherwise amazing scenery we saw in the Cascade Range. The snow was still fairly significant and prevented hiking at the base of Mount Rainier unless you had crampons to prevent slipping. Thankfully, the hiking near the many waterfalls was easily accessible.

We spent 3 nights in the town of Packwood, which was an exceptional jumping off point to see Mount Rainier–easily access to both southern entrance points AND it had a quilting/liquor store, Packwood Spirits–the owner was a genius and I got to visit with her on both the two days we were in the area!

Classic view with Reflection Lake in the foreground

Wind sept trees at upper elevations

Silver Falls

Narda Fallls

Bridge to Grove of the Patriarchs

Giant Douglas Firs in Grove of the Patriarchs

Entrance greeting near Chinook Pass on east side of park

Wandering near Silver Falls

Narda Falls

Narada Falls

Box Canyon–deep narrow canyon

View from the eastern area of the Mount Rainier NP

Views near Box Canyon

Fallen soldier in Grove of the Patriarchs

June 7-11:

• Camping and biking in Northern Idaho on the Rails to Trails trail starting at the south end of Lake Coeur d’Alene and ending near the east end of I-90 near the Montana border.
• Stopped at our family lake place near Trout Creek, Montana for a little local entertainment and then headed south on June 11th.

Rails to Trails across the south end of Lake Coeur d’Alane

Lake Coeur d’Alane, Idaho

Train trestle bike path!

Picnic lunch after 20 mile bike ride

Only in NW MT can an AR15 be part of a fund raising raffle

NW Montana is ready for the next election

Heading back to Colorado from Montana