I have always enjoyed my weekly view of Mount Rainier from the window of an airplane…

Our weather was absolutely perfect this last weekend so the hubby and I decided it was time to actually go to the Mount Rainier National Park and truly experience this beauty up close and personal…

It is a vast area of beautiful wilderness.  There are so many hiking trails to choose from and explore.  We saw lots of bikers – both bicycles and motorcycles!  People brought their dogs and even their pumpkin carving project!

There are plenty of spots with benches to just sit and marvel at this volcano…

If you have the chance to visit this beauty, DO IT!

The Hubby and I took a road trip along Washington’s Highway 20 as well as some other interesting roads that came along the way!  At times, what we saw was not what you would expect the state of Washington to look like!

The sites were breathtaking and thought-provoking as well…

I am participating in Mosaic Monday hosted by Mary at The Little Red House. Thank you Mary.

The last day of our trip and boy did we have many miles to cover. 

First we had to say good bye to Jackson Hole! One of our favorite places to eat in Jackson Hole was the Bunnery.  They proudly served Starbucks coffee and that is about as close to a Starbucks as you get in Jackson Hole! 

I did not get that many pictures on the way back to the airport since I needed to do some of the driving.  But I still did manage to get a few shots!

We were pleasantly surprised with how beautiful Idaho was.  We drove through a portion of it and the rolling green fertile fields were amazing!

So, if you are planning a vacation, I would highly recommend Montana and Wyoming.  There are plenty of recreational activities for everyone to enjoy.

And all sorts of animals to see up close and personal not to mention all the beautiful landscapes.  Truly a vacation to remember!

Wyoming – The Grand Tetons – Overwhelming beauty! 

Oh my goodness – I felt like singing – “the hills are alive, with the sound of music”.  These mountains take your breath away! 

On the way to our day of hiking, we stopped at the Episcopal Chapel of the Transfiguration.  This little chapel had the most magnificent view of the mountain range!

We then headed to Jenny Lake  to catch a boat shuttle over to the Cascade Canyon to do some hiking.  The weather forecast called for a chance of thunderstorms so we decided to get over to the trails before the weather turned on us.  See those clouds starting to build?

Cascade Canyon offers a variety of trails and plenty of vistas and wildlife to see.  We hiked past Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, and up the Cascade Creek Trail.  A bull moose decided to take the same trail we were on so we got some great shots of him.  We also saw a marmot which is similar in appearance to a badger.

We hiked 6 miles and then headed off to see more of the national park.

We came upon another chapel – The Chapel of the Sacred Heart. The stained glass window was just gorgeous!

We then headed back to Jackson Hole to check into the inn we were staying at for the night – Oh so delightfully quaint and charming!

More photos to come of this wonderful state!

 I am linking to Blue Monday over at Sally’s and Mosaic Monday over at Mary’s