Columbia River Highway: Wahkeena Waterfall

We had just enough time to pull into a parking spot (lucky!) and walk up to the platform at the base of Wahkeena Falls.  It was interesting to feel the temperature drop what felt like 20 degrees as we approached the falls in the shade.

I know that we will plan another trip to specifically visit this beautiful stretch of the Columbia River Highway. This was just to wet our whistle. Since it was a holiday weekend, there were a lot of people on the road, trails and standing on the platforms, yet it was unexpectedly quiet. It was as if the natural beauty brought out the respectful side of everyone. The crowd was reverent.

Seattle: Snoqualmie Falls and Plans for a Cozy Dessert

If you are on the east side of Seattle and are looking for a lovely spot to visit after dinner, may I suggest Snoqualmie Falls? 

This natural wonder has free parking and admittance from dawn till dusk. We drove over to see the falls and take a peek at the casual restaurant, The Attic at the famed Salish Lodge. We are planning on bringing guests to see the falls and thought that coffee and dessert in the famous Salish Lodge & Spa would be a nice ending to a busy day. It looks perfect; we will be back.

You can visit the official Snoqualmie Falls website to get directions and see a terrific video of the water spilling down 270 feet. It is breathtaking. We arrived around 7 o'clock on a Friday night and barely a handful of visitors were on the observation deck. This is the time of day I would like to show off the falls to visitors. The sun is setting and a warm glow lights up the mist off the falls (see below).

Seattle: Snoqualmie Falls: A Natural Wonder Minutes from Civilization

Are you kidding me?  After work, Dan said he wanted to surprise me by taking a short drive out to "see something" before we had dinner.  20 minutes after leaving his office we were at the magnificent Snoqualmie Falls.  

Visitors can park along the roadside and this waterfall is just a short walk away.  There are several viewing platforms, which provide a lot of different angles for photographing the waterfall.  

This is one of my favorite photos - the sun illuminating the forest in the distance at the sightseers are mesmerized by the roar of the falling water. It was 7:30 pm and the light was perfect.

I also wanted to show you these beautiful pine trees growing straight and strong on the edge of the rocky cliff.  Majestic.

I found a selection of videos on the Snoqualmie Falls website, if you want to see the waterfall in action. (*Note: The first video in the list is dated October 22, 2013. It shows the walk to the lower falls.  It is long and not worth it. Move on to some of the other choices.)

You can see the Salish Lodge and Spa peeking out in the top left corner of this photograph.  My good friend used to live in Seattle and she recommended that we come back to the Salish Lodge and Inn for brunch.  Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? 

Spring Waterfall

I'll get to enjoy "Spring" three times this year!  When we were in Washington two weeks ago, all of the flowering trees were in full bloom - I was in heaven.  Now that I am back home in southeastern Michigan, the trees are just beginning to show their buds, so we are still days from any real color.  I love this time of year.  I'll experience my third Spring in late May when I travel to northern Michigan.  The seasons are a full 2-3 weeks behind and I'll get to see Bradford Pears and Weeping Cherries all over again!  What a life. 

I wanted to show you this perfect sign of Spring - impromptu mountain waterfalls!  We took a gorgeous ride through the West Virginia mountains on our way from Washington D.C. to visit the grounds of historic Gettysburg.  The April Showers that fell earlier in the week created spontaneous waterfalls all along the winding road.  It was misty and beautiful!  I held onto my "always try" philosophy and rolled down the window to grab a photograph and it worked!  While not crystal clear, it does show you the rich green foliage and tumbling sprays of water that took my breath away. 

I sang a little of John Denver's "Country Road" as we drove along this gorgeous mountain road.  I just couldn't help myself.