Washington day 1

Let me tell you that when I left Texas it was in the upper 90s, and today I was up to the low 60s.  I just might not leave because this weather is amazing!  Due to the time change, I wake up at the crack of dawn which is good so we can get an early start!  We are heading out to explore Mount Saint Helens today.

I could not be more excited!  I remember reading and hearing all about Mt St Helens as a kid so to be here is wonderful.  We grabbed our headlamps and changed the batteries in the flashlights so we can see as we explore the lava tubes at Ape Cave.  The best part is there is not a single car or person here yet!  So down we go to Ape Cave . . .

. . . it is super dark, wet, and cool!

Thank goodness for the flashlight and head lamp because it is super dark and there is no way to maneuver with the rough floor which is rocky and hard lava.  Super cool of course.  It was nearly impossible to take photos but did try and snap a couple.  About to start the journey so no turning back . . .

. . . well until you have to.  Trust me it is amazing.  We walked until we reached an area that required you to low crawl.  Apparently we should have read the map a little better because there is no way out so we turn around and walk back to the beginning.  As we exit we realize that the end point was the area we low crawled past.  Oh well it provides for a great story.  We jump into the car and the only person around was a ranger emptying the trash can.  We back track to a short trail, Trail of Two Forest.   We finally encounter other people!  I was hungry so had a breakfast of champions . . .

. . . and then set out on the Trail of Two Forest.  We noticed these perfect holes and wondered what they were from . . .

. . . then realized when the volcano erupted the lava would burn the trees and this was what was left.  Really neat and educational too.  It is amazing that trees still continue to pop up and grow in the middle of all the hard lava.  

Mount St Helens is a very spread out national park with no direct roads to connect the Johnston Ridge Observatory (north) with this area (south) so you must drive back out west, head north, then back east.  The two areas we visited are not that far apart on the map but require about 2 hours 30 minutes to go from south to north.  The drive is nice but my stomach was feeling a bit queasy too.  The weather was amazing today too so we made a stop at Elk Rock for a few photos . . .

We found the crowds and tour buses as we arrived at Johnston Ridge Observatory.  Thanks to my National Park pass we entered for free . . . it is the best yearly pass you can own in my opinion!  So we arrived and headed for the theater to watch the movie.  There are actually two movies so we exited and reentered to see the second movie.  I had read several places about how phenomenal the movies were, but they were both okay.  Of course as the movies ended the screen went up and you saw this . . .

. . . pretty awesome ending but no movie needed for that.  The day was beautiful with few clouds so we headed outside to one of the trails.  This guy greeted us on the trail . . .

We walked from the visitor center to Loowit Lookout Point.  It was a bit small for my liking with a huge drop off.

I would hear rocks tumbling down with fear that my footing would slip and would end up sliding to my death!  I just continued to enjoy the views and hope we did not meet anyone on the trail!

I also continued to smell something sweet but could not figure out where it was coming from so continued to walk and pay close attention to my feet.  We made it . . .

. . . and this proves that I am not a good selfie taker but then again it is hard to take a selfie with a regular camera too.  On the way back the smell reappeared and finally figured it out!  It was this . . .

. . . wild strawberries but did not taste one as fear of them being poisonous.  Seems as if I am afraid of a lot today!  It was back on the road to our next stop Mount Rainier National Park.

It was a slow drive due to all the construction with one lane roads, but the views seem to make it all better.

I managed to score a room at the Paradise Inn at the base of Mount Rainier . . .

. . . if ever a chance to stay inside a national park it is where I stay but sometimes it is hard to reserve a room!  Usually the rooms are not lavish but have a high price tag and the views well that are priceless since you are right in the middle of the park.  We arrived and checked into what has to be the smallest room ever but this is the view . . .

. . . not too shabby.  Since you are in the middle of paradise your dining options are limited too so to the restaurant for dinner . . . I was adventurous and ordered buffalo meatloaf.  The menu was limited but the meatloaf was amazing and exceeded my expectations!  Not only is room small with a great view there is no wifi or no TV so it was to bed by 9:00pm . . . should be able to get a super early start and hit the trails!