Mighty Mount Rainier

By the time we arrived at Mount Rainier National Park last week on the heels of so many other national parks, I must admit I was suffering from a bit of National Park Fatigue. Although we had taken a brief hiatus from parks for the Dave Matthews concert at the gorge, it still felt like we had just come from Crater Lake and Lava Beds National Monument and I was feeling a little national parked out. Still, I was looking forward to seeing Rainier as it was one of the parks that we had applied to last winter for a volunteer gig this summer. We had gotten a positive response, but were not ultimately offered positions due to volunteer funding limitations resulting from the sequester the previous year.

None the less, I was curious to see the housing where we would have lived and the park where we would have worked and of course history told me that once I got into a National Park, the magic would take hold like it always did. So I dredged up some enthusiasm and sat up straighter as we approached the park on quiet winding road in the early afternoon.  It didn't help that it was also raining and, for the first time in many weeks, it was actually cold, but we got out at our first pullover in the park and did a short hike in an old growth forest that was actually quite enchanting.

By the time we stopped in at the first visitor center located in the historic Longmire area of the park, it was fully raining, so we grabbed our jackets and spent some time learning about the history and geography of the park. Next up was a stop at a pretty amazing waterfall and our first up close look at the strange colored water that flows from Glaciers. The milky sheen of the water is the result of what is called "glacial flour" and in places where there is little other sediment, the water pools a milky blue color.

We arrived at the campground for an early night and after a great dinner (cooked by Andre of course), we spent some time reading the park materials and making plans for the next day in hopeful anticipation of better weather. It was still raining lightly when we headed out in the morning toward the "Paradise" section of the park but the forecast called for it to clear up in the afternoon so we spent time looking through the visitor center exhibits and had a leisurely picnic lunch in the van, then decided to take a hike up through the high meadows to see if we could get our first look at a real glacier.

We had been surprised to learn that Mt. Rainier has one of the largest concentrations of glaciers in the lower 48 states and we were anxious to actually see one of the glaciers up close. We were still pretty socked-in with clouds and rain by this point, so we prepared ourselves to be disappointed.  In fact, we had been in the park for almost 24 hours and had yet to see the actual mountain itself, despite the fact that it was over 14,000 feet tall! Still, we were game for the hike anyway and that's when the magic really began. 

Deer in the flower-filled high meadow

The mist and then the rain rolls back in

One of the many Marmots in the high meadow

 

The glaciers start to reveal themselves

  

 

 

At this point it started to pour, but we no longer cared. The magic enticed us further and further down the trail as we got close enough to the glaciers to touch, taste and smell them, including a small part of the trail where we actually walked out onto a glacier to cross the trail.  It was a bit nerve-wracking as there was an intimidating drop-off to the right of the path, but Andre convinced me I could do it, and I did.

 

See - I'm not making this stuff up!!

The edge of the glacier, where ice turns to river

After an amazing 4 miles or so of damp, icy, wonders interspersed with high meadow flowers and grasses, we turned the corner on the weather and the ice for the last mile of the loop hike and enjoyed watching an entertaining bunch of Marmots whistling and munching on flowers around the many rivers and small waterfalls that gurgled over rocks and hills throughout the meadow.

By 4:30, we were back at the van and ready to drive the remaining hour and a half to get to our camping spot at the other side of the park.  We arrived at the "Sunrise" area of Mount Rainier, noted to be one of the most beautiful and decided to fore-go the planned campground and go directly up to the "Sunrise" visitor center and viewing area and just camp in the parking lot.  It was there, at about 6pm, that we finally got our first full look at Mount Rainier!

But it was the view in the morning, just as the sun was reflecting off the snow-covered mountain that really sealed the deal. Rainier was truly amazing..

Our home for the night in the Sunrise parking lot

Mount Rainier behind the Park Administration Building

In the morning, we took a beautiful hike up in the high meadow with great views of the mountain and even saw (we think) a couple of mountain goats on the high ridge across a meadow.  Here are some additional photos from Rainier.

 

Two new states - One big Surprise

Back in May I posted an entry about how many states we had not yet been to.  At the time, the count was fifteen (with one additional state, Kentucky, that we just can't remember if we've been to!). Well on our way across the country to Reno, we crossed Iowa and Nebraska off the list, dropping that number to 13 and a question mark.  Well if you have been reading the past few blog entries, you know that we entered two new states in the past week or so, Oregon and Washington.

It's funny, you grow up with an expectation of what you think certain states will look like. Based, of course, on movies, TV, things you've heard and just the visions you form in your mind as you hear bits and pieces about a place over the years. We were surprised by central and northern California over the summer, as it was quite different than the "visions" we had formed in our minds about California over the years, and the same happened with Oregon and Washington (at least the parts we traveled through).

I guess because I associated them both with the Cascades, I was expecting something similar to the mountains and tall pines of the Sierra Nevada's. Well in the narrow sliver we saw of central Oregon and thus far in Central Washington State, this was not the case at all. What we did find was completely stunning, and completely unexpected as we drove from Crater Lake Oregon to the Gorge in Washington. As I post this (it took me a few days to get it posted), we are driving around the Olympic Peninsula, so more updates on the rest of Washington State soon, but for now, take a look at our earlier entry into the state...

This road was reminiscent of Nebraska

Miles and miles of windmills as we approached the Columbia River

The mighty Columbia that snakes a border between Oregon and Washington

Picking a Path (Andre)

Now that our gig in Reno is over, the Dave Matthews Gorge show has come and gone, and August has turned to September, it’s time for us to pick a new path for the next stage of our journey! We try to vary between plans and spontaneity as we travel down the road. Our next ‘scheduled’ event is September 25^th through the 28^th in Marfa, TX. We will be volunteering at the Trans-Pecos Music Festival, a four-day music and cultural event in west Texas, in exchange for free admission and a camping site. 

We first heard about this event a couple of months back while listening to Outlaw Country on Satellite Radio. A DJ mentioned her upcoming shows and the Trans-Pecos Festival in Marfa. Marfa is 100 miles from Big Bend, where we’ve been wanting to get back to, so it seemed a perfect match. Laura did some looking on-line and saw the line-up which included some bands we really like including Deer Tick, a great RI band, Old 97’s a band from Austin, TX we have seen a couple of times, Elizabeth Cook, the DJ we heard the show from who does some good stuff, and lots of other bands. In truth some of the ‘cultural’ parts of the festival might be a bit of a stretch for us, I think there are some sessions on astrology, yoga, quilting – or other such things, but we’re always up for adventures.

So, having a next destination, Marfa, TX, and being at The Gorge in central Washington state, we decided a trip down the Pacific coast was in order. Kind of like connecting the dots. We’ve talked about wanting to do this at some point, so now’s the time!

We left the Gorge and drove to Tacoma, WA for a much-needed hotel stay to relax, clean up, and do laundry. We then drove to Mount Rainier, from where I am writing this entry, and only 50 miles from Tacoma. After Rainier we will drive to Seattle to check out the sights, and then onto the Olympic Peninsula where we will visit Olympic National Park and then turn south toward San Diego. We hope to visit Portland, OR (lots of breweries and brewpubs), Redwood National Park, Big Sur, perhaps a return visit to San Francisco, then Los Angeles, San Diego, and whatever else we find along the way as we drive the California coastal highway.

We’ll keep you posted!

 

In the Shadow of Volcanoes

It  seems like we have been traveling in the shadow of volcanoes for months now (which we have), and yet we are still amazed at the foreign landscapes and geological wonders along the "Ring of Fire".  No, not Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire (although that, too is pretty impressive), I'm talking about the Pacific Ring of Fire. The term generally refers to the ring of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean, including those in the cascade range that dot the landscape of California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. If you have followed our blog these past summer months, you know we have visited numerous volcanic sites in central and northern California, many along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. Well this past week, we added two more amazing volcanic lands to our repertoire. Lava Beds National Monuments, and Crater Lake National Park.

Lava Beds National Monument is a strange land formed by a half-million years of surface lava flows from one massive volcano, Medicine Lake Volcano whose many eruptions over thousand of years spewing lava, gases, rock and cinders have left in it's wake an odd environment that seems more like the surface of the moon than northern California. One of the main features of this National Park are the caves created by lava tubes that once flowed hot and fast through the land, leaving behind hollow tubular caves as they emptied and hardened. Some of these caves have been developed by the Park Service, including the installation of lights and walkways, while others are available for exploring in their original state (providing you wear appropriate gear and adhere to park rules).

While I will admit to being a bit of a "fraidy cat" about going too deeply into the many more challenging caves (some were a mile long and required hands and knees exploration, including crawling through spaces less than 12" high at places), we did explore some of the easier ones and traveled a short way into some of the more seriously challenging ones. I suspect Andre would have been willing to go further into the caves than I was willing to go - but as we do everything as a team, my half of the team said No Way! And he respected that. None the less, what we did do was pretty amazing.

 

One of the more developed caves, fully lit and amazing

No lighting in this one, except the natural light at the entrance

Schonchin Butte, a cinder cone in the park with a fire lookout atop

Cave entrances like this were all over the park enticing visitors below

These volcanic ash and rock fields covered much of the land along the roadsides

Next up was Crater Lake National Park, a completely different but no less stunning landscape, further up the ring of fire in southern Oregon. Formed by a massive volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago of the once mighty Mount Mazama, Crater lake was formed when the violent release of gas and magma from deep under the mountain literally blew away the top half of the mountain. The mountain then literally collapsed around itself creating a deep crater that eventually filled with rain and snowmelt, creating the Nation's deepest lake (1,943 foot deep at its deepest point).  There are no rivers that flow in or out of the lake, it's water is solely comprised of thousands of years of rain and snowmelt giving it a clarity and purity like no other body of water on earth.  As you will see from the photos to follow, Crater lake is stunningly beautiful - one of the most peaceful and beautiful places we've ever been.

Wizard Island is a Cinder Cone Volcano created by a new volcanic eruption
 deep under the lake floor after the lake was already formed

 

Another volcano visible in the distance, far from Crater Lake

A Clark's Nutcracker perched on a tree at the edge of the lake

Wizard Island

Andre braves the cold lake water in one of only two places in the park
 accessible to swimmers (after a one mile hike down to it).

Pumice Castle, a natural formation along the lakeside

This small island within the lake is referred to as "Phantom Ship"

Plaikni Falls

The "Pinnacles"

These sharp pointed Pinnacles are actually fossilized fumaroles
 that once allowed geothermal gas to escape upward through lava

 

Dave and the Gorge (Andre)

As you may know, Laura and I (perhaps me a bit more than Laura) are big Dave Matthews fans. We’ve seen the band in a variety of interesting and amazing places. These places have included Wrigley Field in Chicago, Bader Field at Atlantic City, Governor’s Island in New York Harbor, Philadelphia, and now the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington State. If you are not familiar with the Gorge, check out this link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gorge_Amphitheatre. It is an outdoor music venue built right on the shores of the Columbia River – it is stunning to say the least.

Dave Matthews plays a three day show at the Gorge each Labor Day Weekend, and needless to say, it is reputed to be an amazing experience. Well, we can now say, having been there ourselves, the reputation is dead-on. The scenery is stellar. The music right on the shores of the Columbia River is surreal. And, getting to and being at the Dave show at the Gorge is a happening scene!

We got tickets for the Sunday show – no we did not go all three days, we’re kind of homeless you may remember! We arrived early, just before noon, to soak in the whole experience. We walked around to check out the venue and sights.

 

Welcome to the world famous Gorge Amphitheatre..

Hanging out by the van prior to the show

 

We then opened up the awning on the van, got out our camp chairs, and let the fun begin. The gates opened at 1:00 and the show started at 3:00. Several opening acts played on a side stage before the main opener, Brandi Carlisle played on the main stage at 6:00. Dave did an acoustic set starting at 7:30 then a full electric set followed that.

I’ll admit that overall the set list was a bit ‘quirky’ but I think that fits the setting. Dave fans often seek out special shows where rare or unusually songs are played, and this did not disappoint. Most impressive to me are the following songs: the first time I saw Typical Situation, a solo acoustic version of Watchtower, a great version of Loving Wings, Steady as We Go (a song he has not played since 2006), and The Stone. The ‘quirkier’ parts, from my perspective, where ending the show with Sledgehammer, a Peter Gabriel cover he does occasionally, and the end of the encore section with Shake Me Like a Monkey – not a particular favorite of mine. But, art is in the eye of the beholder, so I get it that others may prefer these songs more than me!

The show ended a bit after 11:00 and since many people camp on site, it only took us 45 minutes or so to get out of the parking lot and head to our home for the night.

Laura and I were talking afterwards that we have a funny habit on occasion of saying that we should do something and more often than not, assuming it’s a good idea, we do it. Well several years ago we had a conversation about how we had to get to the Gorge someday. Check!

Enjoy some of the sights, we certainly did!

Through the gates and ready to head in...

 

A first look at the lawn and the beautiful Gorge Landscape (Quincy, WA)

 

Chairs set up and ready for the music to begin..

 

More of the gorgeous Scenery - Hard to beat the beauty of this concert venue

The show begins

Late night finale...