Week long trip to the Pacific Northwest. Purpose of this trip was to experience the beautiful scenery, celebrate Independence Day, and enjoy cooler temperatures. A nice variety of nature: mountains, lakes, waterfalls, rivers, forests, beaches, and the ocean.

Mt Rainier National Park

I stayed two nights in Mt Rainier National Park. I stayed in Paradise Inn, located in the Paradise section of the park. Very convenient for exploring the Paradise region, which has many hiking trails with views of Mt Rainier and the valley. Paradise is probably the most popular section in the park - get there early to find parking.

The weather during my stay was perfect - sunny skies allowed for a full view of Mt Rainier. A park ranger mentioned Mt Rainier is visible about 50% throughout the year, with most of those days in the summer. Temperatures ranged from 50F - 70F, or 10C - 21C.

Reflection Lake

Parts of the Olympic Mountain range. The triangle shaped peak in the middle reminds me of Matterhorn.

Mt St Helens was visible from the park

Some people hike to the top of Mt Rainier

Many glaciers in Mt Rainier. Nisqually glacier is the closest people can hike to.

Some people skied down

Paradise River, leading to Ruby Falls

Stevens Creek

Ruby Falls

Narada Waterfall

Sunset over a valley inside the park

Sunset at Reflection Lake.

Mt Rainier just after sunset

Start of the hiking trails at Paradise.

Top of Myrtle Falls

Spotted a mermot

View of Paradise Hotel from the Skyline Train

Mermot enjoying the views

Stevens-Van Trump Historical Monument

Alder Lake, outside the park. This lake gets its bright turquoise color from the Nisqually river, which carries sediments and minerals as it flows from Mt Rainier.

Seattle

I stayed in downtown Seattle for 1 night. My purpose was to visit the Aquarium and see the fireworks on Independence Day.

The Seattle aquarium gives visitors hands on experience with animal life in Puget Sound region. The staff give several presentations - I watched the lecture about the seals and saw the staff feeing the otters. It has an underwater aquarium showcasing fish and seals as they swim. There are several outdoor viewing platforms to see seals and otters. There are also open tanks where visitors can touch starfish, sea cucumbers, and sea anemones - they feel like leather. And there is an aviary featuring common birds in the Pacific Northwest - including the tufted puffins. The puffins are mainly found in the north Pacific Ocean, and easily recognized by their large orange beaks.

River otters

Many starfish

Sea cucumbers

Jellyfish

Octopus

Black Oystercatcher

Puffins swim fast

I saw the Independence Day fireworks on a boat cruise in Lake Union. The setting sun reflected off buildings and houses - making them look like lighthouse beacons. It was a beautiful and colorful sunset before fireworks started.

Astoria

Astoria Column. Dedicated to the first people to live in this region - they overcame hardships to get here. There are 164 steps to the observation deck on top. Each step represents a donor to the column.

Panoramic views of Astoria and the Columbia River from the observation deck.

Youngs River

Full view of Astoria-Megler Bridge

The County Jail was featured in the Goonies movie. It is now a film museum.

Flavel House Museum, a Queen Anne-style Victorian mansion. In the Goonies move, it was where Mikey's father worked.

Entrance to Flavel House

Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach is a small town on the Oregon coast. It is home to Haystack Rock, a 235 ft (71.6 m) tall rock on the ocean. People can walk to it during low tide. Starfish and sea anemones hang around near the base of the rock. Puffins, seagulls, and other birds hang out at the top of the rock. Best time to see puffins on Haystack Rock is late April - early August, and between 7am - 10am.

I stayed at Hallmark Inn Cannon Beach for two nights, and my room faced the ocean - perfect view. The room has a jacuzzi to relax in.