Ina & Debby visit Snoqualmie ~ July 2011

Pike's Market in Seattle

Ina & Debby with Rachel the pig!


Ina and the Dungeness Crab!

We had to duck.....the fish were flying!

The sun was shining and a crusie ship was in the harbor! And I am sure everyone from that ship was in the market........very busy!

Market from Pine Street...

Rows of bouquets!

Lots of veggies!

Tis the season for Rainier Cherries! Yum!

Beautiful flowers!

But do not fear...we were able to find the Quilt Store down under the market! ( :

Good-bye market!

A quick stop at the Space Needle!

A stop at Snoqualmie Falls!

With the large snowfall and the late melt the falls are gushing compared to the average July!

A mandatory walk to Twin Falls ( : turned out to be enjoyable!

The moss in the trees and the cool lushness of summer is always spectacular!

Bye!

Sunday we drove to Mt. Rainier.

Our first stop was the Grove of the Patriarchs. This 1.5 mile roundtrip trail passes through a beautiful old-growth forest. It leads across the Ohanapecosh River to an island of ancient giant trees.

Amazing old-growth!

This gives you an idea of the size of the trees!

We crossed the Ohanapecosh River on a swinging bridge. The blue glacier water was so clear we could see the bottom of the river.

This trail was destroyed by the floods a few years ago. It is awesome that they were able to restore it!

On to the next stop!

We decided to stop at a roadside pull-off on Steven's Canyon to eat our lunch. Ina spotted a flat rock to serve as our table. The wildflowers were everywhere. Unfortunately, the mountain was in the clouds straight ahead of us.

So we had to settle for this view.... and a sandwich never tasted so good! The veggies and dip hit the spot too!

Several times during lunch the mountian peak did peek out at us and we could see the smooth weather clouds circling the top of the mountain. Awesome!

As we drove on to Lake Louise there were dazzling wildflowers along the road.

The Avalanche Lilly's were spectacular, but in order to view "the most breathtaking wildflower meadows on Earth" one has to hike into the meadows.

Reflection Lake is a perfect photo stop. The mountain cooperated slightly with a peek at its mountain top! We went on to the Visitor Center at Paradise Inn. We did not hike out to the wildflowers as there is still snow on the trails.

By the time we arrived at the Paradise River the mountain was out.

This mountain wonderland is famous for its dense forests, dazzling wildflower meadows, tremendous snowfields, and and rugged glaciers. On this sunny day we experienced the fresh smell of living trees and soil, the soothing and sometimes deafening sound of falling water, and the intense green of the Pacific Northwest. The huge amount of total precipitation shapes everything you see, from the 26 glaciers that cap the mountain to the dense stands of Douglas fir, western red-cedar and western hemlock that contrubute to the old-growth forest at its base.

As an active volcano Mt. Rainier stands as a reminder of the beauty and power of nature. It has the potential to erupt again at some unknown time.

We are very lucky to have this beautiful mountain nearby to visit!