Mt. Rainier National Park and the Emerald City
Tuesday we made the short drive towards Mount Rainier National Park and quickly arrived at Mounthaven RV Resort less than a mile from the entrance. And man, what a Haven it was. The park is small with only a few RV spots and some small cabins for rent. The bathrooms are nice and the trees are huge so the entire campground is shaded and cozy. It feels like a slice out of the national park but for your own personal pleasure. With our convenient location we were able to go in and out of the park with ease. On Wednesday morning we got up early and headed in so we could make it to the Paradise Visitors Center (probably the most popular spot in the park) while there was still parking and hit the trails. We chose to do the Dead Horse Trail and by the end Kyrie was pretty sure she knew how the horse died. The view was spectacular and hiking down was a breeze. The straight up did us all in though. The Visitors Center was packed when we came back down but it’s a beautiful spot and the kids, of course did their work and earned their junior ranger badges.
Once we were done in the visitors center we headed towards the Paradise Lodge to do something 10 years in the making… grab a special cup of coffee. That seems simple but I WAS PUMPED. When we visited Rainier 10 years ago I enjoyed coffee at the lodge and still recall it to this day. The Lodge is immaculate and built with enormous trees and filled with furniture built with more enormous trees. I remember sitting at the head of the biggest banquet table I had ever imagined and sipping a delicious cup of coffee. I have wondered often if the coffee and surrounding were as magical as I remembered or a memory I had built up. I am proud to report that the lodge and the coffee found there are just as wonderful as I had built them up to be in my mind. I sat back down at the table and this time shared my coffee with Kyrie. It was fun to reminisce and make new memories as well.
After we got back to the campground the sane amount of us rested up and made supper while Evan and Gray prepared for a long nights adventure back in the park. They set out to the other side of the mountain to Sunrise Visitor Center in Rainier to capture the Milky Way in all its beauty. They were successful and have amazing photos to prove it. They rolled back in around 2:30am and were a little slow to go the next day but no slower than the rest of us.
We all took it easy on Thursday until sunset when we were determined to check out the majestic Reflection Lake. The joke was on us through because it was so foggy that there was no reflection at all…or sign of anything much father than 1 foot in front of your face. It was a fun and beautiful drive though. We continued to eat like champs back at the campground (I think life on the road forces us to cook more than we do at home). On Friday we were rested and bound for Seattle.
Once in the Seattle area we parked at the Issaquah Village RV Park. It was almost comical how different it was from our spot at Rainier. While Rainier was large, comfortable and relaxing, our spot in Seattle was right next to the storage shed and laundry house. We weren’t there to hang in the camper though so it was OK. We hit the town as soon as we could and these kids were so excited to “walk in the city.” We made our first Seattle Coffee stop on our way into the city at Stumptown Coffee Roasters. It was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect but it was my most expensive cup of coffee to date. We then parked downtown and found out there were bands playing in the City Center close to the Space Needle so it made for a fun night for a stroll to check things out. There are huge sculptures of flowers that made Kyrie’s day and a playground that was pretty much built for Gray (our climber). Once we left the City Center and headed towards the University of Washington campus to a spot called Just Burgers since it had been highly recommended to us. They were indeed delicious burgers and served in a super speedy fashion which was perfect because we were starving at that point.
Saturday we were ready to take on the town again and headed for Pike Place Market. Before we arrived at the market though we found out that there was a National Park location in the city and we certainly can’t pass up a chance to learn new things and earn a Junior Ranger Badge. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site was a pretty fun and quick stop. The kids (and me too) learned tons about Seattles vital part in the Gold rush and what a crazy chain events that all was. Now on to the market… We knew it would be crowded being the weekend but it was fun to take the kids and let them see all the hustle and bustle. If you recall, they think it’s “fancy” to park on the side of the road and walk so we are about as fancy as you could get. We watched the fish be thrown. Kyrie picked out a bouquet of flowers. We ate a giant cookie and chowed down on fresh fish and chowder. We did all the things required at the market and felt great about it. I hit up another coffee shop, Storyville, on the way out. It wasn’t my favorite coffee but it came with a fun city view and time with my family so it wasn’t all bad.
On Sunday we were so happy to finally be in an area close to a church where we could worship with a community of like minded Jesus followers. We were welcomed so warmly by the people at Church on the Ridge in Snoqualmie. They took us in like we had been there a million times. We were missing our church at home and this helped ease the pain a little. It turned out that the big kids’ teacher and her husband are actually “airstreamers” as well so they met us in the parking lot after church and we were able to talk travel with them and felt like we had sweet friends by the time we left.
After church it was time to hit the road back towards Montana with one important stop on the way; picking up “Uncle Kacey” from Spokane. The kids cheered as we neared his location and it was fun for Evan and I too to know that outside adult conversation was coming. Y’all pray for him as he embarks on a week with us insane people.
