I loved Washington State and there were many memorable moments.  Here are a few photographs which summarise my visit and I hope at the same time that you may find them amazing.

Firstly, on clear nights we had so many stars to view.  The area was light pollution free and as these pictures show there are starry skies.  A wonderful place for stargazing.

Second, the reservoirs around Mount Rainier were very low.  A low water mark is normal at this time of year as they generally fill up in the spring when the snow melts and runs down the mountain.  However this year, the levels were very low.  In the Alder reservoir, the remains of the towns that were submerged were becoming visible again.  However, this one of the tree stumps was quite sensational and almost alien like in its appearance.

Thirdly, there was smoke around the mountains, some of it from log burning cabins.  Smoke clouds from smouldering fires that were still burning from the summer months lingered over the landscape. 

My first view of Mount Rainier which is to the far left of the following picture, was exciting. What caught my attention is the amazing cloud fornatiion as shown here. I had never seen lenticular cloud formation before and this is caused by the heat of the mountains. They are dormant volcanoes and so the thermal currents produce interesting cloud formations.

The final pictures show the warmth of the log cabin both outside and inside.  The cabins were warm and cosy.  The bright lights contrast with the dark of the forest.  Inside the cabins are ready for a long time of celebration, starting with Thanksgiving and moving onto Christmas.

Thanksgiving is all about family and we had a lot of fun during our week in Ashford near to Mount Rainier National Park as this picture shows!!

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