Craig July 18, Why we live in AZ.

We were awakened early by the pitter patter of rain on the motorhome roof. Not a torrent, but a steady drumming that continued for the better part of the day.

The campground is a mix of cabins and rv sites set amidst old growth cedar trees. These huge 200’ trees completely screen the sky. They do a great job of filtering out any direct sunlight making midday when partly cloudy seem like twilight. With the dark grey of the rainy day, it felt like we were in a cave. Motivation was almost nil, it was all we could do to get the kids out of bed by 10:00am.

When we finally got rolling, we headed into the park. We explored the “Westside road” which was closed only 3 miles in due to flooding. With the rain continuing to fall, we were reluctant to stray far from the car, so we drive through the park the opposite side to the park village there called Ohanapecosh.

Along the way the rain cleared for brief periods giving us some great views. The low level clouds created dramatic effects surrounding the mountains and filling the valleys. Waterfalls were plentiful and running strong with the added moisture.

When we arrived at Ohanapecosh, we stopped at the ranger station. The kids had completed the requirements and were able to get their Junior Ranger badges. They were quizzed on plants and animals as well as general park info by what had to be the kookiest ranger ever. After taking the Junior Ranger pledge, we headed out for a short nature walk.

We left the park in search of forest road 52 which would bring us back around to the campground without having to go back through the park. Well, I missed it and rather than ask directions, we drove the long way around (only 60 miles, instead of the 20 it would have been).

The rain continued to fall all the way back to camp and through a good part of the night.

Matt July 18: Rain, Rain, and More Rain

There was rain all day. The rain started at 5:00 a.m. and went until 2:15! We drove back to Mt. Rainier National Park today. First we stopped at Christine Falls. Then we drove to Ohanapecosh on the other side of the park. After a while we drove to the RV. At the RV we watched a movie and went to bed.

Leah July 18, driving me nuts

Today we just drove around Mt.Rainer. It was really boring. We drove up along a road until we hit a gate that said ROAD CLOSED. It was closed because it was flooded out.

We drove to Christine Falls. The little trail to the falls wasn’t even a trail. It was only 20
ft. to the falls. It was very cool.

We got in the jeep and drove to a viewpoint. We got to go on a bridge that showed the river. We went on a trail that was .25 one way. It lead us to another bridge.

When we got back to the jeep we drove to the Ohanapecosh visitor center. Matt and I got our junior ranger stuff. After that we went on a nature walk. It was very short. We got to see some hot springs.

When we finished the trail we drove to the motor home. I played a couple games of solitaire. Then mom put in Brothers Grimm. When the movie got over we made the beds and went to sleep.