The Lonely Mountain. . .

Yes, I know.  It is terribly dorky of me - but honestly - I live in a house full of hobbit-ites.  The lonely mountain is essentially in our back yard, but you may know it by another name:  Mt. Rainier.  We are so lucky, we see the mountain almost daily, and never get tired of it!  So, one weekend, when we were considering something to do, in the early afternoon, we decided to take a drive, and ended up down by Paradise, on the south side of the mountain.  

The road to Paradise Valley is UH-MAZ-ING!  It was such a wonderful drive, with so much roadside scenery, especially once you are in the park.  There are roadside waterfalls, parking, hikes, and huge riverbeds - all there, waiting for you to explore.

The highlight of our whole trip, though, most definetly was actually getting up to Paradise Valley.  We were so excited to see that just by sheer luck, we arrived at a pretty perfect time - the mountain was in bloom!  The whole trail up the hill was simply covered in wildflowers, and it was just beautiful!

It took us about 2 hours from Puyallup to get to Paradise.  The drive was easy, and nice, and we were so late in the afternoon (around 3) that all the traffic was in the opposite direction, AND there was plenty of parking everywhere!  Downside?  We did NOT bring any clothes with sleeves with us, and I got around 15 or so bug bites in the couple of hours that we were in the park. 

Have you been to a National Park lately?  Which one?  Sound off - let me hear your experiences!

Stay tuned for Trip # 2 - The Dark Side of the Moon.   Coming soon to a screen near you :)

Locally Wandering. . . In Point Defiance

So - we have finally made it back, our Euro-Vacation (life for 4 years) has ended, leaving us to adjust to a new normal. An American normal.  While I love travel, and honestly could never tire of it - I find it nice, and welcome, to be *home*.  For the last +/- 7 years, my family and I have been globe wanderers from Asia to Europe and everything in between.  Now, it's our turn to explore our home.  I am relishing in the opportunity to discover our new surroundings, and am SO happy to find so many things to do.  We have actually been *home* for almost 3 months, and this is really the first time I have had a chance to breath.  Many small trips already have been taken, with many, many more planned in the future.

Our first little outing was to the Pt. Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, WA.  A gorgeous PNW (Pacific North West) Day greeted us - not a cloud in the sky, and 80 degrees - pretty darned perfect weather for an outdoor adventure!  This is a GREAT little zoo - with something for everyone!  There are playgrounds and ziplines for the adventurous. . . 

Lots of Sea creatures for the Oceano-inclined. . . 

And lets not forget the Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!!!  Well here's a tiger cub at any rate - it was so gloriously warm, that the Lions and Bears were in hiding up in the shaded areas of their enclosures, and really not feeling so photogenic. . . 

And who doesn't love a good puffin now and again :)

I really loved this zoo.  We spent about 4 hours there, walking about and taking our time with the kiddos.  We brought picnic lunches, and sprawled out on the grass.  This was a GREAT little family outing! 

Now - if you are thinking that all Pt. Defiance is, is a zoo and aquarium, boy are you wrong.  There is so much all over the whole park - great hiking trails, beaches, rose gardens, playgrounds - I don't see how you could possibly see and explore all of it in one day.  So, we will come back.

What are your favorite local trips?  Are you in the Northwest?  Have a suggestion?  Leave a comment, and let me know!