After our stint at Chinook Pass, we swung into the National Park (A chance to use my Golden Eagle Pass!), and went up to the Sunrise Recreation area.  The views were amazing!

We hadn't been up to Mt Rainier for a while, so it felt really good to be going back!

The views along the way are nothing short of Spectacular!

One cool spot is "Skookum Falls Viewpoint".  Across the river from the road, a large ridge sports a very impressive falls. 

In the winter, these falls create a massive wall of ice, but in the summer, they gracefully sweep down the face of the ridge, keeping the path free of plants as they go.  In the spring, at the height of the snowmelt, these falls have quite a bit of water flowing over them.

Close up, it must be an impressive sight!

 
The views in the park are quite the display of nature!

They're so awesome, they sometimes almost look fake!

 
There's a viewpoint just shy of the rec area... and one look around can tell you why!

Its amazing how far you can see on a nice day!

Sunrise is 6400 feet above sea level.

I few up in Maine - its highest point is Mount Katahdin (Penobscot for "The Greatest Mountain"), at about 5260 feet, just shy of a mile. almost 1150 feet lower than Sunrise. 

My cousin is visiting from Florida... where the highest point is a mere 370 feet - more than 6000 feet less than where we were!

Its the end of June, but its early spring on the alpine meadows... flowers are beginning to crop up where the snow has been gone for a while... the other regions were just 'waking up' after a long winter.  By Mid to Late July, these fields will be covered in flowers.

The plants have to hurry, because the snow returns at the end of August.

 
The views around Sunrise are SPECTACULAR!  Literally in every direction, the scenery is incredible!

There was what looked like a snow cave on the side of the mountain's slope...

I could have stayed there all day! 

We hadn't eaten in a while, so we grabbed a quick lunch at the cafe.

I got a grilled cheese sandwich, a pop, and a bag of chips.  The chips bag was inflated like a balloon in the thinner air.  it was pretty cool. 

After we ate, we regrettably had to head for home.

The roads are fairly well maintained, although you do see rocks in the roadway sometimes, giving more emphasis on the "Falling rocks crushing the car" sign than it might otherwise have.

 
On the way out, we were treated to one final look at the Mountain.

One thing about visiting Mt Rainier - there's never enough time, and you always want to come back!

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