Washington

Seattle Skyline

The Seattle skyline from the balcony of our stateroom as the cruise gets underway. Wish we could have had this type of weather throughout the trip.

The Sun Breaks Through

The early October sun starts to come through the clouds over Lake Diablo in North Cascades National Park.

Early Snow

An early season snow coats the evergreen trees in the last rays of the sun along The North Cascades Highway inside the park.

Racing The Sun

I catch the last of the sun on one of the many peaks framing the road through North cascades National Park as we race to the end of the road to try to catch sunset (we didn't quite make it :) )

Amazing Sunset

The view from First Beach, along the Pacific coast of Olympic National Park, was spectacular, especially after the sun went down, as we were treated to one of the most amazing cloud free displays of color I have ever seen. A 7 frame bracketing sequence was used to try to bring out all the amazing colors that were visible by eye.

Amazing Sunset #2

It was almost impossible to put the camera away when shooting the sunset views on First Beach in Olympic National Park, as the colors and compositions changed depending on which direction you pointed the camera.

Moonlit Beach

A 30 second exposure on the beach near Kalaloch Lodge (pronounced kuh-LAY-lock) in full moonlight shows the Big Dipper directly to the north. The large amounts of driftwood (some very big logs!) are a feature of many of the beaches along the coast of the park.

Admiring the View

A couple deer join us as we admire the wonderful view from Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, as sunset approaches.

Last Rays On Mount Rainier

The last rays of the sun light up some of the amazing ice and snow covering Mount Rainier.

Mount Rainier Weather

Morning clouds shroud the very peak of Mount Rainier, a sure sign of changing weather on the way.

Ranger Station View

Mount Rainier from the Paradise Ranger station, on a perfect fall day, with a carpet of huckleberry in the foreground.

Amazing Hiking View

Mount Rainer peeks through the clouds as we enjoy the the view from one of the many beautiful hiking trails in Mount Rainer National Park. The fall colors of the huckleberry add to the scene.

Massive Washout

A large debris field marks the path of some sort of a previous cataclysmic event - perhaps a flood or avalanche, that swept through this area of Mount Rainier National Park. Even here, there are patches of vibrant color to soften the scene.