chrisheltra
08-17-2009, 01:15 AM
Ive been staying near Seattle for the past two weeks and this weekend I finally had a clear day so I decided to take a drive out to Mount Rainier. I started out my day by leaving the hotel at 9 AM. It took me roughly an hour to get to the park. At the gate it was confirmed that the free weekend park access that I heard about on the local news was true. Obviously it was a bit more congested this weekend than it usually is because of that. I would compare it to Walmart on tax free weekend just before school starts. I drove through the entire park and I got back to my hotel at 8 PM. Needless to say it was a busy day for me but peaceful day as well.
Shortly before getting to the park I noticed that I had lost all cell phone reception and also I could barely receive any radio stations. So it was a very quite day for me with nobody yacking at me and nobody to entertain. The day was spent going through the park at my pace. All there was the entire day was me, the rental car and the camera. From the time I entered the National park to the time I left I was in awe and simply astonished. Its amazing what nature can create if you just give it time and the elements. Every once in a while you would hear streams flowing down the mountain on the hill side of the road. Also there were quite a few observatory and picture opportunity pull offs on the cliff side of the road.
The roads tempted me so bad to keep going faster and faster they winded through the mountains like a snake. I really doubt Tail of the Dragon has anything on this place. In the photobucket link I provided you can see a few pics of the Toyota Matrix......... Er I mean Pontiac Vibe I rented for my stay out here. I must say I was very impressed with the handling of the car the whole day it just begged me to push it harder. The brakes and automatic trans also felt very good all day as well. I only smelled the brakes a few times but that was because of the very long down hill stretches. Although the Vibe did well I really think it would have been much more fun and enjoyable with a convertible sports car instead that way the roof isn't in the way of the views above. Like a Mustang, SLK, Miata or Corvette.
All in all this was the best day Ive spent alone in a very long time. If you ever get the chance to visit Mount Rainier National Park I highly recommend it. Next weekend I hope it is just as clear as it was this weekend because I want to head over to Mount St Helen's. I definatly love the mountains here more than the hills they call mountains back home. I want to come back and vacation out here someday with the wife and stay at one of the inn's inside the park. In the mean time I have to get in shape so I can do some more hiking. Unfortunately the only thing I cant adjust for is the altitude. Us sea level guys have a hard time adjusting to the 1-2 mile high locations.
If you want to learn more about Mount Rainier and Mount Rainier National Park click the following links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier_National_Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier
If I can manage to make it out to Mount St Helen's next weekend I'll start a new thread or email (for those of you that I'm emailing this too) for that adventure with pics.
Here is the link to my photobucket album I must warn you though there is a total of 387 pictures. I know its a lot to look through but its well worth it. Also I just noticed that It doesn't look like Photobucket put my pics in chronological order like I wanted them to be but you get the idea.
http://s548.photobucket.com/albums/ii342/chrisheltra/Mount%20Rainier/
Shortly before getting to the park I noticed that I had lost all cell phone reception and also I could barely receive any radio stations. So it was a very quite day for me with nobody yacking at me and nobody to entertain. The day was spent going through the park at my pace. All there was the entire day was me, the rental car and the camera. From the time I entered the National park to the time I left I was in awe and simply astonished. Its amazing what nature can create if you just give it time and the elements. Every once in a while you would hear streams flowing down the mountain on the hill side of the road. Also there were quite a few observatory and picture opportunity pull offs on the cliff side of the road.
The roads tempted me so bad to keep going faster and faster they winded through the mountains like a snake. I really doubt Tail of the Dragon has anything on this place. In the photobucket link I provided you can see a few pics of the Toyota Matrix......... Er I mean Pontiac Vibe I rented for my stay out here. I must say I was very impressed with the handling of the car the whole day it just begged me to push it harder. The brakes and automatic trans also felt very good all day as well. I only smelled the brakes a few times but that was because of the very long down hill stretches. Although the Vibe did well I really think it would have been much more fun and enjoyable with a convertible sports car instead that way the roof isn't in the way of the views above. Like a Mustang, SLK, Miata or Corvette.
All in all this was the best day Ive spent alone in a very long time. If you ever get the chance to visit Mount Rainier National Park I highly recommend it. Next weekend I hope it is just as clear as it was this weekend because I want to head over to Mount St Helen's. I definatly love the mountains here more than the hills they call mountains back home. I want to come back and vacation out here someday with the wife and stay at one of the inn's inside the park. In the mean time I have to get in shape so I can do some more hiking. Unfortunately the only thing I cant adjust for is the altitude. Us sea level guys have a hard time adjusting to the 1-2 mile high locations.
If you want to learn more about Mount Rainier and Mount Rainier National Park click the following links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier_National_Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier
If I can manage to make it out to Mount St Helen's next weekend I'll start a new thread or email (for those of you that I'm emailing this too) for that adventure with pics.
Here is the link to my photobucket album I must warn you though there is a total of 387 pictures. I know its a lot to look through but its well worth it. Also I just noticed that It doesn't look like Photobucket put my pics in chronological order like I wanted them to be but you get the idea.
http://s548.photobucket.com/albums/ii342/chrisheltra/Mount%20Rainier/