Hot Spot Hopping: Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Craters of the Moon, Yellowstone

The time had come for us to leave Mt. Rainier and set out for Mt. St. Helens.  While finishing packing the Jeep, we were graced with a brief visit from this Clark’s Nutcracker.

Mt. Rainier, or Mt. Ruh-neer, or Mt. Ray-neer

I’ve heard it all three ways, and that kind of thing bugs me!  I think it should be pronounced Mt. Ray-nee-ur, but I don’t live there, so I don’t get to decide what the rainy place gets called.  No matter how you say it, the roads leading to Mt. Rainier National Park were rich with the dense green foliage one expects to find in a rainforest, which is the climate we were venturing into.