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| Miles Traveled:
510 Total miles: 6551 Stops: Music selections: Click on highlighted words for pictures... |
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Bet you thought I was just gonna post some dumb picture of me arriving
at home, didn't you? Nope, I decided to sneak another one in there
on ya just for the hell of it. I started thinking about it as soon as I left Ontario this
morning... I gotta have something for this day, too! I didn't want
to just spend the whole day driving.. So again, I started looking
at the map to see what attractions of photo interest were near my path
home... I snapped a few pictures of the mountainous Oregon
landscape on my way, which I must say is very beautiful. I dunno
what it is about all the mountains that I love, but they really stir
something inside of me.
Oregon cops were in full mutha fuckin eff-iz-ect today... holy crap. They were all over. Fortunately, I learned my lesson in Utah yesterday, and set the cruise just slightly over the speed limit... they didn't mess with me all day. Then it hit me. On the way home, I pass right by Mount Rainier National Park.... and it didn't seem fair to post all this beautiful scenery in other states without representing Washington as well... And what would respresent Washington better than it's tallest peak, the crown jewel of the state. So I decided to alter my course and come back through the National Park, rather than on the freeway... it would only add about 30 miles on to my trip, and take me an extra hour or two to get home.... Not a bad trade off. It was early afternoon when I crosses the river into Washington State, and it started to sink in that I was getting close to home. I rounded a corner just past Richland and saw Mt. Saint Helens, and Mt Rainier in the distance. It was apparent that the weather was very clear at both of them, and I set my course for Rainier... I happened to notice, though, that my fuel gauge was getting dangerously low... stands to reason, I'd gone 380 miles on that tank. Ouch. I'm sure there's not much gas left in there, so I made a quick exit and set out to find a gas station ASAP. Soon I was back on the road, and nearing the mountain.... There are many places to stop and snap pictures, and some inspiring scenic views along the road. I found some of the roadside lakes, such as the one pictured above, to be especially impressive. Here's some pictures of the Wenatchee National Forest region, which is the area surrounding Mt. Rainier National Park. Wenatchee_Forest1 - Wenatchee_Forest2 - Rimrock_Lake Rainier itself, though, makes all these visions pale by comparison. Consider that Seattle is at sea level, and Mt. Rainier is 14,110 feet, and that the two are only 90 miles apart. Because of it's immense size, Rainier is a integral part of the Seattle skyline. Mt_Rainier1 - Mt_Rainier2 - Mt_Rainier3 It was difficult to get a good shot of Rainier because of the lighting conditions. By the time I arrived at the mountain, the sun was going down, and it was difficult to get a shot of it without it looking all washed out, but I managed to get a couple of good ones before I left. I was kinda bummed that I didn't get the most impressive shot of the mountain, though... on the way back, there is a valley that is very lush and green, with forest on either side, with Rainier towering behind it. But by the time I arrived there, it was much too dark to get a decent picture. It was getting dark, so I headed for home... and about an hour later, I was pulling into my parking space at my apartment. It feels strange to be home after 19 days away.... My cat is freaking out. But tonight, I'll sleep in my bed, and dream of the great times I had while I was on the road. My trip covered a grand total of 6551 miles, and spanned 9 states - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada. I took 950 pictures with the digital camera, and if you stay tuned I'll be posting most of them on this site as soon as I can.. For right now... It's time to rest. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. <<previous ----- <<schedule>> |
