Mountain Paradise and sea lions in Oregon.

Summer in the Pacific Northwest is truly wonderful.  It is sunny almost every day, it barely rains, and the evening air reminds me of the Mediterranean climates.

No wonder why the surrounding mountain trails are so popular in the summer. One of them is the Mount Rainier National Park. We decided to make a visit.   

Mountain Rainier is a dormant volcano and is also the highest peak in the state of Washington.  With good visibility, I often see from afar its snowy peak. It is also often themed on paintings, reproductions and souvenirs from Seattle.

When my Dad visited us in March, he was curious of the Mountain’s name. With the help of Wikipedia, we learned that George Vancouver, famous British explorer and naval officer of the Royal Navy, called it at end of the XVIIIth century, in honor of his friend to Peter Rainier. The name prevailed even despite the American Revolutionary War.

We entered the park in the car and drove almost to the top. We chose a less challenging trail Paradise. It was quite busy, but very pleasant. After a walk among foggy and flourishing meadows, we could not pass on iced coffee in the nearby hotel with a beautiful view of the peaks of the Cascade Mountains.

Last weekend however we explored the coastal town of Newport in Oregon. Its stunning local beach is adorned and illuminated by mysterious lighthouse, The Yaquina Head Light.

In the attached video you may see charming and very noisy sea lions that attract the city’s tourists.  Amusingly, on the famous Bachelor Row’s decks, only male species can be seen. In August they arrive to the port leaving females with offspring for the winter in warmer California.

And today we are packing bags for our exotic honeymoon.  We should not forget to stack them with colorful lei...

                           
                                   If you can't see well, pls click here:)

H.xx