TOUR DE WASHINGTON I

Two months ago our super awesome friend Mike came to visit my hubby and I.  These two guys drove a rental truck with all our stuff that had been in storage for the past year from Ohio to Washington State.  Then the three of us took a five-day road trip and had a blast driving all over beautiful Washington State!

Between the three of us, we took about 1000 pictures on this trip so I will attempt to narrow down how many I post...  

There are so many good pictures - I have split this post 

up into two different sections.  Please see TOUR DE WASHINGTON II for the 2nd half.

Day 1

Super Cool Mike

(He could melt all dis' stuff)

William and I, yes, with snow in the background, 

in the middle of May.  Welcome to WA State!  

Shout out to Cincinnati family and friends!  We miss you all!

Beautiful scenery along the way

Can you see the mountain (covered with snow) 

in the background?  That's Mt. Rainier! 

(It's hard to spot, but if you look right in the middle of the picture, just above our heads and to the left, you will see it)

Ready for our Washington Adventure!  

Day 2 

Mt. Rainier

Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning six major rivers. Sub-alpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park’s ecosystems. 

A lifetime of discovery awaits.

Here we are at the base of Mt. Rainier.  We spent several hours climbing around on the rocks and were amazed at the views, waterfalls, and magnitude of God's creation.  

The further west & higher up in altitude we drove, the colder it became.  Yes, I am wearing my winter coat and scarf in the middle of May.  

Breathtaking!!!

We are so glad we were able to see the top of Mt. Rainier the day before from a couple hours away.  The day we were here, the weather was overcast and drizzly so the top of 

Rainier was not visible.

Driving further up Rainier, 

we had fun playing in the rain and loved 

the cool mist on our faces from the waterfalls.    

My husband thinks he's funny

and most of the time, 

he is

These orange markers show where the road is.  They are so tall because the snow is that deep in the heart of winter!

This is a wall of plowed snow.  The day we were there, we could go as far as Paradise.  Many of the roads into the park were closed due to the snow with only one way in and one way out of the park.  The rain kept many visitors away 

so we had the place mostly to ourselves.    

Me & my hubby

Hiking at the base of Mt. Rainier.  

There must be some big beavers in this here park.  

Ready for some good grub after some good all day trekking.

The hamburger is not happy as it's about to get eaten.... (no smiley face - get it?)

Day 3 

Ocean Shores

There is a rainbow in the middle of this picture.  Can you see it?  Our friend Mike saw three rainbows that day.  Rainbows are a sign of God's promises (Genesis 9:13) and they are also used to describe the radiance of God in Ezekiel 1:28.  I love this description in God's Word, especially since it was misty and overcast that day.  "Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around Him (the Lord). This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I (Ezekiel) saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking."  The Lord can be seen throughout all of creation, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear.  

After visiting Ocean Shores, we headed 

North along the coast on HWY 101, stopping at 
several beaches along the Pacific Northwest Coast.  

We found many whole sand dollars on our adventure.  I grew up going to Florida visiting my grandparents and always kept my eyes out for a real sand dollar but never found one.  

I found about 10 on this trip!

Two cool dudes

A cool dude and his cool dudette wife, with her very cool boots

Driving to Neah Bay

We stopped along the way to stretch our legs in the Olympic National Forest and to see THE...

Can you see us? (hint - blue umbrella at base of tree)

This tree is monstrous!  

No wonder with 12 feet of rainfall per year.    

Another place we stopped while driving on HWY 101 was 

Ruby Beach.  We were told this is a must see beach, and it was!!  We spent a couple hours walking along the beach, climbing on the huge cliffs, and just enjoying the cool salty beach air.  AHHH!!

To be continued....

Please see TOUR DE WASHINGTON II 
for the second half of this post.