The beautiful Mt. Rainier in Washington state
We arrived in Washington state about 2 weeks ago, slipping across the border from Idaho into beautiful Spokane. Our first stop was Manito Park, an absolutely amazing free park with beautiful rose gardens, a conservatory, traditional English gardens, a Japanese garden, and more. We found some phenomenal rose varieties among the 1,500 bushes but we certainly didn’t see all 150. My favorite was the Herbie variety, for my wonderful uncle Herb (happy birthday too!)
I’m still amazed the park was free, in the middle of a neighborhood, as it was as impressive as most botanical gardens I have visited. We then attempted to visit another well-known park in Spokane, Riverfront Park, but our driving attempts led us over the park instead of into it, so we went to check out a brewery instead, with plans to return to the park the next morning.
Spokane Falls
We tried 5 tasty beers at NoLi Brewery (once Northern Lights), 4 dark beers and their Crystal Bitter. Notes of chocolate, coffee, and caramel made all of our options tasty, and distracted me somewhat from the fact that my phone needed to be wiped to move beyond whatever bug or hiccup it had encountered. Darn technology.
Success was ours in finally getting into Riverfront Park the next morning. The site of the 1974 World’s Fair, the park is also the site of two hydro power plants along the Spokane River. Powerful waterfalls travel along the length of the park, and a simple but powerful veteran’s memorial stands on a hill.
The Japanese Garden in Manito Park
Great coffee is among Adam’s loves, in fact I’m not sure whether he would choose good coffee or good beer if only given one choice. INDABA Coffee was a true coffee highlight for Adam, offering a hot cup brewed to order plus knowledge about brewing that he soaks up like water.
Heading west we stopped at a rest area for a quick workout, making the most of the benches and open space for some exercise. Then on to Ellensburg, WA and the very friendly Iron Horse Brewery where we were introduced to the Brewing News, a paper with regional brewing information and stories, plus a map of all the northwest breweries, valuable information for our trip.
Manito Park Conservatory
On to Mt. Rainier National Park and a beautiful wooded campground at Ohanapecosh before hikes the following day. We started a game of Rummy 500 that night, which Adam promptly won the next night. We’ve kept it going over a few games though, a good way to pass the dark, quiet, often chilly evenings at a picnic table.
Adam at our Ohanapecosh campsite
Friday we hiked and drove around Mt. Rainier, starting with the short Grove of the Patriarch’s Trail, a mile and a half through beautiful old growth forest with huge cedars and other trees averaging over 500 years old. The designation of national parks and wilderness areas, beginning with Yellowstone in 1872 and continuing with the Wilderness Act of 1964, has provided millions of people the opportunity to see beautiful natural places that might otherwise have been overrun or developed and not preserved. We have truly enjoyed all of the parks, recreation areas, and monuments that we have visited in our lifetimes so far, and this trip has been a wonderful reminder of the immense and diverse beauty across the United States.
Mt. Rainier from the Naches Peak Trail
On a recommendation from one of the park rangers at Mt. Rainier we found the 3.5mile Naches Peak Trail with views of Dewey Lake, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams. The park joined the Pacific Coast Trail for a while, a fact that greatly excited Adam. After our beautiful hike we drove up to Sunrise for a closer view of Emmons Glacier, the largest one on the mountain. The higher elevation definitely brought chillier and windier conditions, but still beautiful views.
Dewey Lake near Mt. Rainier
Then on to a quick stop for a growler fill at the Dirty Bucket Brewery in Woodinville and further north in Washington to our new home for the week, a small townhouse in Glacier, Washington, very close to Mt. Baker, the North Cascades National Park, and the Canadian border. Adventures from Glacier in our next post!
Moneys on the Move 