Tuesday June 8th and Wed June 9th - Mt Rainier

So Tuesday we were winging it! We didnt have a hotel for the night and werent really sure about anything except that we wanted to head to Mt Rainier. We checked out of our hotel in Seattle and went down to Laura and Gracies. We all hopped in Lauras car (me, Julia, Laura and Oliver). The sky was exceptionally clear and we had a great view of the mountain! So - off to the park we went.

In the park we hiked a small trail where we saw deer. The girls were thrilled. Then higher up we stopped to see a dam and a beautiful waterfall. We thought we should keep going for a bit longer to get up to Paradise so the girls could see snow. So we continued up to Paradise for a quick look. It was time to turn around since Laura had to get back home. So in a quick decision, we decided that Julia, Gracie and I would stay at the lodge in Paradise way up on the mountain. It was spectacular! It was clear, we played in the snow, had a nice dinner at the inn and then played some games in the lodge sitting area while someone played the piano. Someone else even joined in to sing. The lodge has been there since 1917 and they have not added some of the more modern items such as tvs and phones in the room and for sure no cell phone or internet connections! The view from the room was amazing! And - the pic posted is of Julia and Gracie leaning out 2 of the 3 windows in out room. It was a relaxing time!

Wednesday we played in the snow some more. The girls also spent some time with a park ranger and completed some activities to get a Jr Park Ranger badge from Mt Rainer. They really enjoyed it. Laura and Oli came back up to the inn and we went and checked out the visitor center before heading back down. Turned out Wednesday was rainy so all of the views were gone and it wasnt a great day for hiking so glad we did everything the day before. Cant thank Laura enough for being such a great host and showing us such a great time. We had a wonderful time just hanging with them today!

Of course Julia is sleeping again. We are keeping busy. And five pics is not enough for the last couple days so I am going to post a few more .................