... we left seattle and drove up 3,000 feet, through snoqualmie pass, and then back down into the dry center of washington state ... this region's yearly rainfall total of 9" is a lot less than the 190" that astoria receives, even though that coastal city is only one-hundred sixty miles away ...
... we pulled over and parked just before the tunnel taking route 12 through the mountain alongside the tieton dam ... sensing a picture opportunity, we climbed the steep cliff until we came upon a breathtaking vista of the impound and mountains beyond ...
... we stopped just before the height-of-the-land to admire the view of the valley of the north fork of clear creek ... tucked below is a waterfall cascading over two-hundred feet ...
... indeed, this is some seriously rugged terrain ...
... on the edge of 12% downgrade hairpin curve chad decided to "work the scene" ... i crossed the road to test the temperature of the water flowing down the side of the mountain—my fingers're still a bit blue ...
... due to snow cover or washed out sections, most of the mountain roads are still gated, so this is about as close as we could get to mt. rainier ... with an elevation of over 14,000 feet, it is the highest point in the state of washington ... mt. rainier is an active stratavolcano, and, especially since it is only 54 miles from the three-million people living in and around seattle, it is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world ...
... it was a bit treacherous taking a picture, too ...
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| PHOTO COURTESY CHAD TRACY |
... it's a sobering thought that the question isn't, "will this volcano erupt," but rather, "when will it happen" ... sooner or later, seattle's property values are going to take a serious dive ...
... a brief interlude for some great mexican food, then we drove back to seattle ... all things considered, a first-class wanderabout ...