I love to be at Reflection Lake in Mount Rainier National Park at first light.

On this particular morning, I got up a couple of hours before sunrise and made the trip by myself. It was the middle of the week, and I was hoping to see some fall color, Mount Rainier (of course), and hopefully fewer people..  The skies were crystal clear blue, and it was looking to be a beautiful day. My first stop of the day was Reflection Lake.

The view at the top was AMAZING! And it is appropriately named as you are walking around high up on a rock formation. The rock was grippy though, so I didn’t feel insecure moving about while we were up there.

We explored the rocks, checking out the various viewpoints of Mount Rainier and the surrounding hills. It was just breathtaking!

We woke up on a Saturday to one of those rare days (most years) where the sun is shining in the middle of winter! When this happens there are so many things we want to see and do. But on this particular day, we only had a few hours to spare so we need to stay close to home. Not to worry, there are lots of great things to see in the Tacoma area.

One of my favorite places to eat breakfast is at Reflection Lake in Mount Rainier National Park.

On this particular morning, I had made the trip by myself in the middle of the week hoping to see some fall color and of course – Mount Rainier.  The skies were clear blue, and it was going to be a beautiful day.

I love early morning light on the mountain. That first hour or two following sunrise is my favorite. The lighting is beautiful, and really shows the mountain off in a very special way.

It was a beautiful morning. The sun was out and the mountain was glorious with fresh snow against clear bule skies. What a great day for a hike at the mountain!

The first time I saw the alpine meadows in full bloom up at Mount Rainier was a complete accident. Scott and I decided to hike the skyline loop - a gorgeous 6-mile loop starting at Paradise. I couldn’t believe my eyes! You couldn’t design a garden more perfectly if you tried. It was just stunning!

Hiking to Fire Lookouts in Washington – High Rock Lookout

Wow! What a view! After 1.6 miles with a 1635 ft elevation gain, we had finally reached the top. The scene before us was amazing!

Where are we going to watch the moonrise this year?

Every spring and summer when we can expect better weather, I begin to look for great places to view the full moon rise. We’ve found a few great places but this one we keep coming back to.