Mt. Rainier Vacation

I had a vacation from work, so Hubby and I packed up and visited the kids.  I got a much needed family fix!

We also went to one of our favorite places to spend a vacation…Mt. Rainier.  You can see a few photos from previous trips by clicking here and here.

This time, I am going to share a lot of photos, so this will be a picture heavy post.  In fact, the next couple of blog posts will be picture heavy.   My good camera bit the dust some time ago, and has never been replaced, but the pocket camera does a decent job.

There is no internet/cell service at Mt. Rainier, but visiting in October is well worth the disconnect from the rest of the world!

• Clicking on a photo will give a larger view.

In the past, Hubby and I have camped with a tent, but on this trip we stayed at the lodge in Longmire.

The mountain was out!  This is the view when standing in front of the lodge.  As you can see, the weather was great!

We drove up to Paradise and spent time hiking up there.  One can spend days at Paradise as there are several trails to choose from.

Yours Truly hiking at Paradise.

Myrtle Falls

The weather is quite changeable.  A snowstorm breezed through on the mountain while we were hiking. 

Yes, the mornings were quite cool, but the fall color and majesty of the park are well worth the visit!

Mima Mounds

Hubby and I had the opportunity to visit with our kids and grandkids for the Independence holiday.

We had a fantastic time!

One of my favorite things we did was to visit the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve.  I found it to be a wonderful place when one is in need of  serenity and a gentle hike.

The Mima Mounds are a mystery.  There are many theories, but its formation remains unknown.

There are prairie flowers, lichen, butterflies and birds to enjoy.  Spring would be a great time to see wildflowers in bloom, but anytime is lovely for a peaceful stroll.

For more information, click here and here.

A Country Drive with Dad

Saturday, we had blue skies and sunshine.  Dad wanted to visit the ghost towns, so we packed up lunch, snacks and water and took a road trip.

I’ve posted about some of the ghost towns before, so I’ll give you wildflowers.  The hillsides were in full bloom this day and were lovely to behold.

Clicking on the photos will not only give you a larger view, but also the name of the flowers.

This fella was also out and about, enjoying the beautiful day!

To see posts on Old Molson Ghost Town, click here, here, here, here and here.

To see other ghost town posts, put ‘ghost town’ in the search bar on my blog.

Palouse Falls

Hubby had a fabulous idea for another impulsive day trip.  We called Dad to see if he’d like to come, packed up our lunch and headed south to Palouse Falls State Park.

Palouse Falls is a scenic gem that is nearly hidden in the scablands and canyons of southeastern Washington State.  It you want to visit a place that is off the beaten path, then this is the place for you.

There are many hiking trails and it is possible to hike to the bottom of the waterfall, or up around the top, or even behind the waterfall where the Palouse River cuts through the scabland.  Some trails are paved, many are not.  Rock climbing is allowed here too.

The falls plunge 186 feet and, incredibly, you don’t see it until you are nearly on top of it.

The orange that you see in the photos are rock climbers.

We were treated to gentle rain showers on our visit, and we had a very pleasant day.  I’m proud of my Dad; he’s in his 80’s and recently had knee replacement surgery.  Yet, he’s out here hiking!  I really do come from great stock!

The Palouse River behind the falls:

Up on a plateau:

On the way home, we visited Steptoe Butte State Park.  The butte is an unexpected height reigning over a sea of agricultural land.  It is named for Edward Steptoe, a colonel in the US Army, who, in May of 1858, was defeated by 1000 Indian warriors in a battle near here.

Steptoe Butte  is a great place for kite flying, hang gliding, picnicking and just taking in the view.

Serene.

Clicking on a photo will give you a larger look.

Douglas Falls

Think of your life as a waterfall; it may come crashing down at some point, it may have it’s ups and downs, but in the end, it will continue to flow.

– Unknown

I am one of those daughters blessed with a Mom to be proud of.  I was fortunate to have her spend a few days with me last week.

One beautiful morning, I drove her to Douglas Falls, about a 15 minute drive from my house. 

If you click on the following photo, you will see a young couple enjoying the waterfall.  They give you some perspective of the height of the fall.

I’ve been here many times, and I told Mom that the hike down is not too difficult.

To her credit, she believed me.

I should visit the park more often.  I did not realize just how deteriorated and steep the trail had become.

Many times I told her, “This is the steepest part; it’ll be better after this.” 

Ahem.

To my credit, I offered to turn back.

To her credit, she said she wanted to keep hiking.

We made it down to the foot bridge, and enjoyed watching Mill Creek flow by.

I forgot to take a photo of the bridge.  No doubt because I was relieved that we made it there without ending up at the bottom of the trail by sliding on our butts all the way down.

I did, however, take an impressive photo of the creek flowing under the bridge:

I did not have the presence of mind to snap a photo of Mom either.  She wouldn’t have appreciated it anyway.  This was an impulsive little jaunt on my part.  She had curlers in her hair, and no scarf.   But the only people in the park on this morning, were the sweet lovebirds at the top of the waterfall.  We did meet them on the trail and chewed watercress together.

We enjoyed many wildflowers along the hike.

When we hiked to the bottom of Douglas Falls, the view looked like this:

The view from the top of the waterfall.  Yup, we hiked all the way around the waterfall.

Mill Creek before coming to the falls:

Mill Creek just before entering the park.  Who would think that this serene creek would shortly fall 60 feet?

Now go back up to the first photo of Douglas Falls and remind yourself that Mom hiked full circle around the falls.

Mom has arthritis in her feet, sometimes making it painful to walk.

Mom is 81 years young.

What keeps you from enjoying God’s gifts?

I love you Mom!  Thank you for your love of life!

Clicking on a photo will show an enlarged image.

Old Molson Ghost Town – Part Five

This post concludes our little road trip.  I hope you have enjoyed it!

For Old Molson Ghost Town – Part One, click here.

I should think it was bad enough to have to crank your car to get going, but the tractors too!

This is the office for you…if you’d like to be a resident ghost in Molson:

By the way, clicking on any photo will show an enlarged photo, and my attempts at identifying what we are looking at.

Old Molson Ghost Town – Part Four

For Old Molson Ghost Town – Part One, click here.

Take note, youngins; you must provide the heat for this oven.

I think this is one wicked cool power saw!

By the way, clicking on any photo will show an enlarged photo, and my attempts at identifying what we are looking at.