Mount Rainier

We spent the better part of the day driving down the Olympic Peninsula toward Mount Rainier, ever on the alert for a laundromat to tame the laundry beast that is taking over the motorhome.  We found a private campground in Silver Spring not too far from Mount Rainier.  Although the campsite was a great price, the washers and dryers were not installed yet. Yet another day of living with that laundry monkey on our backs.

 
The next morning we drove to Mount Rainier and were greeted with our favorite, road construction.  The road from the historic Nisqually entrance to Paradise is under construction until 2016.  The first phase is from the entrance to Longmire which totals about seven miles.  We were warned to expect delays up to 30 minutes.

The visitor’s centers at Longmire and Paradise had only been open for a few days but campgrounds within the park are not scheduled to open until late May-June.  So, except for the construction equipment, we were the biggest thing on the road.  Right now Mount Rainier is basically a beautiful day use area with construction.

 We safely made it to Paradise and enjoyed the spectacular views of the mountain.  Unfortunately, due to the snow the trails were closed.

 

After exploring the visitor's center we turned the RV around and slowly made our way back down the mountain.

That white line is the road to Paradise, oh my!

 
We definitely need to return to Mount Rainer in the late summer or early fall to enjoy the trails, meadows, waterfalls and vistas.

Today's 3 Fun Facts:

1. There are 25 glaciers capping Mount Rainier.
2. Paradise was named by Martha Longmire.  When she first saw the subalpine meadow she exclaimed "Oh what a Paradise".
3. The construction workers were amazed that we would drive this beast to Paradise this time of year.