Wert - Day 5

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

It was cold as we were getting ready to go to Mt. Rainier National Park.  I was staring at my limited clothing options and trying to figure out how to dress for this day.  I asked Mike, "What are you wearing?" and he said, "Everything."  As we were packing up, Mike said, "Why is this suitcase so empty? Where is all the stuff that was in it?" and I reminded him, "You're wearing it."  The only restaurant anywhere near there was closed on Tuesdays, so we were glad to have some food leftover from yesterday's Safeway stop and the granola bars I always travel with to give to homeless people.  

It was the first clear weather day we've had: sunny and beautiful and perfect for seeing Mt. Rainier.  Mike was so excited when he first glimpsed it that he pulled over to get out and take a picture and forgot to take his seatbelt off. He loves mountains, especially snow-covered huge ones.  

Natural heart shape melted in the snow

The trail to a waterfall became snowpacked so we had to slip and slide our way down to the falls. 

We spotted this mysterious creature near the falls and watched it for awhile.  We couldn't tell what it was, but it reminded us of our old cat Choco, so that's what we're calling it.  (Update: research shows me this is a rodent called a hoary marmot. It is not Choco after all.) 

After a perfect day at Mt. Rainier, we drove to Seaside, Oregon, and checked in to a Best Western and walked to the beach. 

          Someone was blowing bubbles on the beach.