Family Roadtrip to Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens

After a couple of days of doing odd-jobs around the house as well as baby sitting, we decided to reward the family with a roadtrip to see some of the prettier parts of the Northwest. We crammed all seven of us into a rented minivan and set out west. First stop was Mt. Rainier. The weather was perfect and we had a great view of the mountain and the surrounding area. Andy made a strong case for "Favorite Uncle" when he demonstrated to Victoria how cool it is to honk in a tunnel. "Uncle Andy....again!" was all she could manage through her big grin. Next was lunch in a railcar in the small mountain town of Elbe where by some technological feat, Jim was able to reach Diane on her cellphone (Qatar to Elbe...amazing!) We were running out of time but were able to head south for a quick view of steaming Mt. St. Helens. We didn't get too close but the blast area was impressive and there was a plume of steam venting from the lava dome. We found out later that the Volcano Advisory was at "Alert Level 2" because of recent activity. cool.



We took lots of pictures...many are included in the slideshow. enjoy!

View Slideshow (Click Here)