Somehow this post got lost in my shuffle of Seattle trip photos. It should be 2nd in our set at Mount Rainier National Park. We drove up the road across a large bridge that spanned the Nisqually River, filled with boulders and just waiting for next spring’s snow melt.
It’s a really impressive view up the glacial valley back towards Mount Rainer & there was very little traffic in the park, so we just stopped right in the middle of the bridge. Driving further up the road provided an even more sweeping view of the river valley, but all we could see of the peak were clouds.
We hung around a few minutes trying to catch a glimpse of the summit of Mount Rainier as the clouds sped past. It’s really hard to understand how much taller the peak is than you are, but you expect it to be about just as tall as the mountains around you & then you realize it’s towering waaaay over you. The clouds finally cleared a tiny hole just enough so we could see the peak, but we never got a clear view of the entire mountain.
Continuing down the main park road, we came to the next waterfall & got out again to stretch our legs & enjoy the incredible show of nature as water fell hundreds of feet over the cliff. 
The amount of water flowing over this falls is incredible & has created a huge circular hole in the rocks below.
If we’d had more time, I would have liked to hike down to viewing platform on the far side of the river & got a full view of this series of cascading waterfalls.
Driving further into the park towards Paradise Lodge, this was pretty much our view. It was an otherwise beautifully sun day outside, but a huge cloud just hung around Mount Rainier itself.
We stopped at Paradise Visitor Center for a little picnic & I really wished we’d had a few extra hours to hike some of the shorter trails around this area. Instead we sat on the wall, sipping on our bottle of Washington state wine, and cheese & crackers while soaking up the sun 7 fresh air.
We took the “east” way out of the park instead of doubling back on the same route we’d come in on, so this was a new part of the park for me. We came across this roaring river that had carved a really deep crevasse in the rock & was churning away far below us. Although I’d been to Mount Rainier National Park before, it was so good to go back & share all the amazing scenery with hubby.
GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Got to enjoy some gorgeous fall foliage in New York today.
Looks like a beautiful day you and hubby had
What beautiful pictures 