Mount Rainier

The roads are open in the mountains and the snows have mostly cleared. So, in our 2nd National Park visit in as many weekends, we took Anya's parents and aunt to Mount Rainier.

We started the day at Grove of the Patriarchs, a stand of huge old trees (Douglas Firs, Western Red Cedar, and Western Hemlock). The grove contains some of the largest trees on Earth outside of California, and they tend to inspire an emotional response in people. America doesn't have grand palaces or cathedrals like Europe, but in my opinion places like Patriarchs represent our cultural heritage - and are a reminder of why we need to protect our natural wonders. It's always reassuring to see so many kids there, and to see that they're even more impressed by the giant trees than adults are.

Next we drove to a place called Sunrise at 6400' on a mountain ridge that flanks Rainier itself. Our group wasn't up for a grueling hike, and the trails around Sunrise offer a big payoff for a small effort.

Like with the Olympic Coast, I edited down our pictures to a more manageable "best of" set for you to look at. If you want the whole thing, they're here.

Olympic Coast

Our next visitor's were Anya's parents and aunt. They were here for almost two weeks, but it flew by because we stayed so busy. First of all, the weather was typical Seattle summer: nearly perfect. We were able to do tons of stuff outside; perhaps the most memorable being a trip to the Olympic Coast.

Despite being a coastal city (there is saltwater here), Seattle is actually several hours from the Pacific Ocean. We spent one long day going to the coast on the Olympic Peninsula. You take a ferry across Puget Sound, drive around the north edge of the Olympic Mountains, and end up at a wild, barely-populated stretch of coastline that's part of Olympic National Park.

The beaches there - we went to one called Second Beach - are incredible. It's the Pacific Northwest as it must have appeared to early explorers: rugged, unforgiving, and extremely beautiful. Sea stacks line the coast, evidence of North America slowly losing the battle to the waves that pound the coast year-round. Giant salt-soaked logs line the beach, which is nice as they're the only shelter from the constant, fierce winds. And although it looks inviting, the water, fresh from Alaska, causes an immediate, pounding cold-headache in your legs. The whole experience is primeval - and humbling.

But enough writing. The pictures show it pretty well. Here's the edited "best of" album, or if you have a lot of time on your hands, the full thing.

Carly & Ross' visit

Sorry for going silent there for a while. We had visitors for most of July, and I'm just now finding time to catch up with pictures & blogging.

Our first guests were my cousin Carly and her boyfriend Ross, which was really fun. They'd never been to Seattle before, and I think we did a good job of showing them both the tourist highlights and also the locals' perspective. We did city stuff (museums, neighborhoods, food, etc.) and also got outside with a hike in the mountains and a ferry ride across the sound.

I only took a few random pictures with my new phone; they're here. Carly took a ton more; they're here.