Mt. Rainier from the eastern approach on Hwy 12.
My girlfriend and I went on a short road trip for the weekend to get out from under the gray skies on the western side of the state. We left 57F and cloudy Seattle to 78F and sunny Yakima.
It was very sunny and much drier, which suited me just fine.
The terrain is somewhat similar to the areas in the South Western desert areas. Lots of chaparral, sage, and light breezes. I even saw some Gambel’s quail, which surprised me. On our way out there, we detoured off the main highway to take a side road which ran along a river (Hwy 821). It is a very popular road for the motorcycle crowd: many were out on the road enjoying the day, too.
We took a different route back the next day. This is how we came upon The Mountain, as it is commonly referred to.