Autumn Splendor at Lake Sacajawea

A million shades of autumn hues from amber red to neon yellow gild the green lawns and greener waters of Lake Sacajawea. Overhead, the deep blue of a bright October afternoon contrasts with the riotous glory of fleeting color and brilliance below. From the Japanese garden to wide boulevards and elegant fountains, there is much to see in the green heart of Longview.

Grove of the Patriarchs

Towering over the crystalline waters of the Ohanapecosh river are the ancient trees of the Grove of the Patriarchs. This incredible forest has grown here in Mt. Rainier National Park for thousands of years, the titanic cedars and firs dwarfing the throngs of awed visitors make the pilgrimage to this incredible natural cathedral.

Sunrise at Fort Columbia

The rising autumn sun pours down the windswept gorge of the mighty Columbia River, and shines a warm dawn light over the elegant buildings of aging Fort Columbia. Reflections of warm morning colors glimmer on damp tideflats, and paint the rocky perimeter of the fort in subtle hues. A sleeping forest of ancient trees rises above, rays of amber light lancing through the canopy, stirring the woodland birds to wakefulness.

Waking up at Sunrise - Mt. Rainier National Park

The wafting scent of frying bacon and eggs rises up through the mists of dawn to wake sleeping campers from their tents. The glistening grease of a delicious morning meal mirror the shining glow that gilds the crinkled glaciers of Mt. Rainier as Sunrise touches the snow and ice above the quiet meadows and deep valley forests.

Lewis and Clark Salt Works - National Historical Park

Hidden down a quiet side street in the coastal town of Seaside can be found one of the very smallest National Park Units. The Lewis and Clark Salt Works are nestled behind the dunes amidst vacation homes in a square of native shrubbery.  This little island in a sea of modern development marks the place where the Corps of Discovery built a furnace from rocks with which to boil sea water and harvest salt. This provided the seasoning and preservatives they needed to sustain them through the cold and rainy winter of 1805.

Mushrooms and Waterfalls in Mt. Rainier National Park

Deep in the ancient, wild forests of Mt. Rainier National Park, a second spring has come in the waning months of summer. In earthy tones and vivid autumn shades the fungi rise from the dark earth to spread their delicate veils over the leaf mold and out from fallen logs. Amidst the waterfall, the verdant shores of creeks fed by the rains of the waning year, and in quiet glades they glow like otherworldly sentinels. Soon they shall fall back, decay, and be consumed by the creatures of this mountain realm, and their children shall slumber beneath the coming snows of winter.

Leadbetter Birding Adventure

The scouring wind howls through the shifting dunes and their islands of sheltering scrub, carrying with streamers of sand like a tawny river of air and pulverized rock. The throbbing rhythm of the ceaseless tide rises to meet the whistling breeze and coursing sand pouring from Leadbetter Point , the jutting prow of Long Beach, reaching northward to almost touch the headlands beyond the mouth of Willapa Bay. This coastal wilderness is home to a vast menagerie of wild creatures, and is a sheltering paradise that welcomes millions of migrating birds to its tumultuous ocean shores and peaceful bayside marshes.

Long Beach International Kite Festival 2019

The vast sandy sweep of Long Beach flows into the far distant horizons, and overhead fly thousands of kites in a massive, ever changing rainbow. This is the Long Beach International Kite Festival, where crazy flying creatures mingle with record setting group fliers dazzle onlookers with their aerial displays.