Of Mountains and Metros

Hello vicarious vacationers and welcome to the Pacific Northwest. After a few days on the Oregon coast, we turned inland to Crater Lake National Park. The aptly named lake sits in the gigantic crater of an extinct volcano and is the deepest in the US. We hiked to the top of Mt. Scott, the highest point in the park, for a bird’s eye view of the stunning blue water. Besides the view, we were rewarded with butterfly flurries along the way with a continual stream of the paper winged rascals fluttering by us in the wind. Sadly, mosquito flurries followed at our campsite later that night.
































From Crater Lake, we made for Portland, with a quick stop for a locals’ favorite day hike in the shadow of Mt. Hood (great tip, Doc!). The trail’s first destination was the shores of the glassy expanse fittingly known as Mirror Lake, which afforded us a great view of the actual and an inverted Hood. Further up the trail, we crested at a knob called Tom, Dick, & Harry. Delightedly, we found ourselves surrounded by snow-shrouded sentinels, including the volcanic peaks of Mount St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, and of course, Mt. Hood. We even got a sneak preview of Mt. Rainier’s icy crown, which our close friend the atlas tells us is at least 75 miles away as the crow flies.






Portland rolled out the red carpet that afternoon, bathing itself in sun, offering up cold beer to thirsty throats, and providing an endless array of endearing streets to entice the carefree pedestrian. We did not last long in this pressure cooker of urban relaxation, hastily declaring a “city day” and enjoying everything the town has to offer. This included an expertly Pricelined hotel and the gluttony of two pillows apiece and hot showers that did not run on quarters!





Our next leg was a few days in Mt. Rainier National Park, which quickly snagged the honor of dark horse destination thus far on our trip. We had minimal expectations of the park, assuming that it was merely a tall mountain and a visitors’ center. Instead we found miles and miles of hiking trails, verdant mountains on all sides, and a landscape smothered in vibrant wildflowers. All of this was in addition to the glaciated specter of Rainier lurking around every turn and over every pass. In the evenings, after long days of summer sun, we could hear the thunderous rumblings of the glaciers shifting and groaning on the mountain. We loved our time here and added it to the ever-growing list of places that deserve another trip and further exploration.






After Rainier, civilization beckoned once again and we pointed our two-door mobile home towards Seattle. Here we were lucky enough to stay with a friend and her charming family near the University of Washington (thanks again, Sarah and Michael!). A few of the many luxuries at our B&B included a washing machine, home cooking, and free Pokeman lessons from 6 year old Nigel. By day, we donned the white Reeboks and fanny packs and did a stint as tourists, walking through the Pike Place Market, checking out the Fremont Troll, and gorging ourselves on blackberries at Gas Works Park. On our way out of town we were thrilled to intersect more Austin friends, who rose to the mighty challenge of finding a non-chain restaurant in Bellevue (thanks Eric and Cynthia!).







Last night, we left Seattle in our rear view mirrors, hopping a ferry to the Olympic Peninsula and to our next exploit…









P.S. As always, thanks for your positive feedback. The traveling part is easy for us, but the documentation can feel like work. We’re glad that we can provide you a weekly break from reality to trek with us!