On the road again - Mt. Rainer

October 6 - The adventures have started up again.  Betsy and I, along with brother Paul, sister Elaine and Paul's companion Barbara, left Portland on Friday to tour the National Parks of the Pacific Northwest.  We rented a 5-person van/SUV and with our luggage, we are a full carload.

We left Portland in clear, sunny weather and arrived at Mt. Rainer National Park mid afternoon.  The weather forecast for the weekend was for rain, so we immediately drove up to Paradise and strolled around the area.  We saw the main lodge,closed for winter, the annex, which is under renovation and all boarded up.  We walked a bit up the Vista Trail to Myrtle Falls.

We then visited to the Visitor's Center, looking at the various exhibits and stopping in the gift shop.  It remained clear but windy and cool, at elevation 5,400 feet.

We drove back toward Longmire, our overnight accommodations for the next 3 nights, stopping at two roadside waterfalls - first Narada Falls and second Christine Falls.  

We arrived back in Longmire after 5:00 and checked into the National Park Inn.  Betsy and I have a single bed room; the others have a two-bedroom, 3 bed room both on the second floor.  We enjoyed dinner in the first floor restaurant and retired.

October 7 - We awoke to cloudy, cool and rainy weather.  Breakfasted in the restaurant and prepared for a "strenuous" hike up to and return from Comet Falls (it looks like the tail of a comet).  There were several sections of steep, rocky and 'rooty' trail and as we rose the mist turned to rain, to sleet and finally snow.  We arrive in sight of the falls, took photos and retreated back down the trail passing back into rain, sometimes heavy.  The trail was surprisingly busy, given the wet weather, and many of the hikers looked ill-equipped.

This is snow falling

We enjoyed a break for snacks in the community room (with fireplace) and some mini-scones supplied by the Inn.  Betsy, Barbara, Paul and I then walked about 2 miles of the Wonderland Trail from Longmire to just past Cougar Rock Campground along the Nisqually River, in the rain.  The Wonderland Trail is the 93-mile 'around the mountain' trail.  We returned (chilled and wet), cleaned up and decided to drive west to Ashford for dinner.  

After about 20 miles and crossing out of the park, we stopped at the first available restaurant, which was crowded and involved a 45 minute wait.  We decided to move on and stopped at the next available place - The Highland Steakhouse - pretty much a country tavern with a bar on one side, dining room on the other side and a young country music band that cranked up at 8:00 pm.  The dining room was having an Octoberfest Special - brats and German potato salad.  They had a good but limited beer selection.  Tired of having our hearing assaulted, we drove back to the inn for quiet and time for reading before retiring.  

There was no WiFi at the inn so that is why this entry is arriving on the date it is arriving (if that makes any sense).