Mountains, Cities, and Seas

Pushing up into Washington.  The Lizards enjoyed a visit to Mount Rainier, though it's out of their natural desert habitat.

Rainier looms above the forest.  It still wows me with its massive beauty every time I see it.

This gorge is a good 100 feet deep, on the southeast slopes of Rainier.

Glaciers roll down Rainier's south side.

The ferry terminal at Port Angeles, with the wind and fog blowing briskly into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

A tanker looms out of the fog at Port Angeles.

MV Coho arriving!  The ferry has been hauling folks and their vehicles across the strait between Port Angeles and Victoria since 1959.  It has to be a challenging job maneuvering the ferry in and out of its slip, given the strong tides and currents, but the experienced crew does it flawlessly.

Leaving Port Angeles.  The crisp clear skies here gave way to fog in just a couple minutes as we moved into the strait.

Nearing Victoria, we were past the fog bank and out into the sunshine again.  Olympic mountains in the background, magnificent as usual.

Totem pole in Thunderbird Park, Victoria.

The Empress Hotel, a plush destination for over 100 years. I had a waffle here in 1959.

British Columbia House of Parliament.