We finally escaped the heat today. We drove from just about sea level to Cougar Rocks Campground on the flank of Mt. Rainier.
It's an easy drive to Mt. Rainier. The road winds through a series of valleys before heading up the mountain. We had been warned of 30 minute delays for road construction, but we lucked out and only had about a 2-minute delay.
We found our pull-through campsite, got the motorhome situated perfectly on the high-point of the curved driveway, and set up. Our site is somewhat shaded but gets full sun all morning. That is important because we're going to have to live off our solar power for most of our needs.
When we drove up to the Visitor Center at Paradise, we discovered the old space-ship visitor center was gone and a new Visitor Center stood in its place. The main area of the new Visitor Center is more like a hotel lobby with lots of seating to look out the windows at Mt. Rainier or the Tatoosh Range. We talked to the Rangers about the latest trail conditions and wildflowers and then checked out the gift shop and exhibits.
On our way back to camp, we stopped to check out Edith Gorge Falls, but the gorge was still filled with snow and very little of the falls was visible. We continued down the Paradise Valley Road to the trailhead for the 4th Crossing Trail. Red mountain heather and avalanche lilies surrounded a small waterfall. The trail was covered with snow just a few yards from the road, but the avalanche lilies were coming up everywhere. The challenge is that the avalanche lilies are so delicate and thin that any breeze bounces them around. It makes it very difficult to shoot with an aperature wide enough to get the depth of field when you have to stop the bouncing.
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