The Mountain is Out

What a spectacular sight! A friend took me tooling around Puyallup, WA today and Mount Rainier was covered in snow and as clear as a bell! I still long to go to that National Park and see the wildflowers in the summer.

Crystal Mountain: A Gondola Ride to the Tip Top

That is Mount Rainier! We drove to Crystal Mountain with a picnic in a cooler and a camera in hopes of seeing this view! Apparently the clouds are finicky and a clear view of Mount Rainier can be hit or miss, but we got it! 

Ate our lunch at a picnic table at the base of the mountain near the resort ticket window. There were many families and people on dates, but I wouldn't say it was crowded We bought 2 round trip tickets ($23/ea) and rode up Crystal Mountain in this beautiful gondola. The trip is slow and relaxing and you can see such spectacular views.

This is a view from the glass-sided gondola. I wasn't sure if the height would bother me, but I loved it. 

On top of the world! The resort has chairs for visitors to sit on - it was very relaxing and I called my mom on Facetime from here! We got a perfectly clear connection and I could show her the sights from my phone - incredible. There is a neat apre-ski restaurant at the top of the mountain that serves food year round. I would love to eat here someday.

Taking the gondola up Crystal Mountain is an absolute must-do activity if you get the chance. 

Oh, and they sell snacks, drinks and ice cream at the little cafe at the base of the mountain too. I enjoyed a scoop of chocolate ice cream while we sat in chairs and relaxed at the bottom of the mountain too. Win-win.

Mount Rainier: The Perfect Vintage Postcard

I have a weakness for messages written on postcards. I can't resist picking them up and seeing what the person had to say. When the postcard is pretty, I imagine turning the image into a pillow.

Since I am new to Washington, I was immediately drawn to this beautiful image of Mount Rainier. I haven't had a chance to drive over to this grand national park (but Dan has hiked on it), but I admire it from afar whenever she shows herself.

Did you know that people refer to Mt. Rainier as they would the moon? They describe whether or not it is clear enough for the mountain to be "out." The distance and clouds can keep her (the mountain is also referred to as feminine) from being visible for days. 

What really sold me on this particular card sent in 1937 was the statement:

"I found some new views of Rainier and Alaska, nice to see some new ones for a change. This scene is taken at Paradise Lodge same as most of the Rainier cards are."

It tickles me that back in 1937 they were tired of the same old images that always appeared on the local postcards. Some guy named Brown found this new card and had to send it along to his old friend. Little did he know that we'd be taking about it 79 years later. 

He goes on to say:

"Sure would like to make a trip up there over the 4th as I get 3 days off but I'm short on cash right now. hope to get up there this year tho. The trip isn't bad but the dollar to get in the park makes it just too much if you only go up once during the year."

He would think it was outrageous that I paid $2 for his musings. But I will protect this little piece of Washington history, Brown, don't you worry.