Mt Rainier

Today was rainier - and yet it was perfectly clear and sunny...ba-dum--cha. Sorry, a very poor joke. The weather here continues to be perfect (weird for this part of the world) and Mt Rainier is a national park southeast of Seattle. It is advertised as the 4th highest peak in America outside of Alaska. I wonder how Alaska feels about being excluded like that, however, Rainier is magnificent. It is a snow and glacier covered volcanic cone that stands way above all the surrounding mountains. Mt St Helens to the south probably gave it a run for its money until it lost it's head in a bit of a tantrum so now Rainier stands proud and tall and all alone. At this time of year the wildflowers are in full swing and there are pretty cascades in every gully. The mountain itself is just one part of the magnificent views which last for a jawdropping- breathtaking-mindboggling 360 degrees.

And then in the evening, back in Seattle, the alien spacecraft has arrived...