We got an early start packing up the car today and getting the dogs situated, before heading to Atlanta Airport for our 3:00 PM nonstop flight to Seattle.  The kids were so excited.  We splurged with our Delta FF points on this trip and all 4 of us have First Class seats for all three legs of this trip (Atlanta -› Seattle, Seattle -› Anchorage, and Anchorage -› Atlanta).  Today's 5-hour flight was perfect - it departed early, arrived early, and we had great service (esp. from Larry our flight attendant!) the whole way!  There's nothing like First Class - too bad we can't do our adventures this way EVERY time!   But it was a must on this trip, with such long flights.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed the endless flow of Coca-Cola, chocolate bars, and other snacks, as well as free on-demand movies/TV (Jonna/Mark just turned a blind eye, for once!) and a plug at their seat to keep their iTouch units fully charged!  All the creature comforts!  As we got close to Seattle, the pilot pointed out Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and then Mt. Rainier out the kids' window.   He said we were lucky today, as the skies are usually not clear enough to see those landmarks from the plane.  We got a few beautiful pictures out the window and started to get really excited about our upcoming adventures.

After landing, we realized our bags were going to be tough to fit into the smallish taxis here, so Mark negotiated us a limo for taxi cab-rates, which continued our "First-Class" experience a little longer.  After checking into the hotel, we spent a few minutes unwinding before setting out by foot to see what a Saturday night in Seattle offers.  Our hotel, the Homewood Suites, is situated right by the water and is very nice.  We walked along Western Avenue and explored Olympic Sculpture Park, which is located only a few blocks down from our hotel. The weather was a perfect 65 degrees with a breeze ... what a great relief from the 95 degree humid climate we left behind this morning.  We walked along trails in the park which are beautifully situated along the shoreline of Puget Sound (Elliott Bay) and offer fantastic views of deep blue water and a backdrop of the magnificent Olympic Mountain Range.   We also have a distant view of the Space Needle from the front of the hotel. We toured by foot about 90 minutes up to Pier 66 on the waterfront, and then we turned back as everyone was still on EDT and starting to fade a little.  We returned to the room at midnight EDT and piled into bed by 1:00am EDT -- a long, busy, and fun day.  Tomorrow promises to be exciting too!

After breakfast this morning, we headed down to the pier and walked toward Pike Place Market.  It was especially crowded at the hotel this morning and we learned that Seattle's First Annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (25,000 runners) was held on Saturday; and today there was a "Pride" gay-rights parade scheduled followed by a "Michael Jackson Tribute Moon Walk" where 1,000+ were trying to break the record for the largest moonwalk.  Pike Place Market was so much fun.  We loved seeing all the vendors hawk their wares!  The vegetables, fruits, flowers, and seafood were plentiful!  The kids loved examining each booth and making fun souvenir purchases.  We visited the original Starbuck's Coffee (opened in 1971) to enjoy a mid-morning treat before exploring the rest of the market.  The weather was absolutely perfect, hovering in the low-70s with sun and breeze all day.  Everyone we met was very hospitable, asking where we were visiting from and where we were going.  There are many cruise ships departing at nearby ports to head to Alaska so everyone assumed we were doing the same but applauded our choice to go the Alaska RV route instead as being a "better way to see" the frontier. 

After spending a delightful morning at Pike Place Market, we headed south on 1st Avenue toward Pioneer Square.  Pioneer Square was once the heart of Seattle.  The city's founders settled here in 1852, following a brief six-month settlement at Alki Point on the far side of Elliot Bay.   The early structures in the neighborhood were mostly wooden, and nearly all burned in the Great Seattle Fire of 1889.  We visited Glasshouse Studios - the oldest (but one of the numerous) glass-blowing facilities that operate in Seattle.  The glass wares were beautiful, but unfortunately the glass-blowers work Monday-Saturday so we didn't get to see them in action.  The Klondike Gold Rush National Park Site was a must see in the Pioneer Square area.   We enjoyed learning about how Seattle was the "launching pad" for many participants of the Klondike gold rush in Alaska, and we followed the life stories of people living through that era, such as John Nordstrom (founder of Nordstrom dept. store) and Ethel Anderson (writer). We saw a short 30 minute overview film of the history of the depression in the 1890s which led many to embark on a quest for prosperity via Alaskan gold.  The kids completed the Junior Ranger Program to learn more.  The park ranger held a gold panning demonstration and explained a bit more about how the density of gold helped the eager seekers to locate where they should mine for the shiny metal.  By late afternoon we were fairly exhausted and headed back through town for some early dinner.  In true Blount fashion, we ate at a Mexican restaurant called Guayan Cantina.  The portions were ridiculously huge and two entries would have been more than enough for all four of us - delicious!  A nap was needed by all so we returned to our hotel to kick back for a while.

After a refreshing nap, Mark, Jonna, and Grayson headed about 7-8 blocks west up 2nd Avenue to a park which we'd heard from the hotel concierge had the best view in Seattle.  Darby had a few blisters on her feet (new shoes + miles of walking) so she opted to stay back at the hotel.  It was a steep walk -- not quite San Francisco steep, but close -- but the view was well worth it and exceeded our expectations.  The green trees, sparkling water, Space Needle, and Mt. Rainier coupled with a perfect temperature was breathtaking.  It was an absolutely perfect day.  Seattle is a magnificent city with so much to offer.  We all agreed we love it here!  Tomorrow we will be taking a Puget Sound cruise and then heading to Mt. Rainier for an overnight look!

The boat cruise was extremely informative. We started in Lake Union and learned all about the history of the area as we cruised. There were many small, cute boat houses, including the one where Meg Ryan’s character lived in the movie Sleepless in Seattle. It was especially interesting to see how the locks work, allowing watercraft of all sizes to migrate from the fresh water of the lake to the salt water of Puget Sound. It was a bit chilly on the deck, but the view was so perfect and the air was so fresh and crisp that we didn’t want to go inside the boat for fear of missing a minute of it. Mark loves his new camera and we have taken a ton of pictures with it!

From the dock at the conclusion of the cruise, Darby and Jonna headed to the hotel to check out while Mark and Grayson picked up our rental car so that we could head to Mt. Rainier. Shortly thereafter, Mark and Grayson pulled up to the hotel in a midnight blue-colored Hummer H3 – quite the upgrade! It was perfect because with the quantity of luggage we have, we really needed the space. By 1:30 PM, we were heading south toward Mt. Rainier.

Mark brought his Garmin GPS on this trip and we blindly followed it towards Mount Rainier. About 1.5 hours into the trip, Jonna realized we were heading into the park via the northeast edge instead of the intended southwest entrance. We stopped to get a drink and a snack and checked our directions with the local shopkeeper. Assured that the route that the GPS had chosen for us was NOT problematic, we decided to continue down the road through the park to the southeast entrance gate. Before we could head off however, Jonna thought it would be a good idea to visit the restroom. It was around the corner from where the car was parked and it had an outside door. All was well until she decided to come out – the door was stuck. As Jonna can be slightly claustrophobic, panic soon set in. Being the resourceful traveler that she is and after banging on the door and calling for help to no avail, she climbed onto the sink and yelled out the opened window to someone parked nearby at the gas station. A big, burly local came to her rescue and kicked the door in freeing her. Mark and kids were enjoying another photo opp and were total oblivious to all the mayhem going on!  Lots of drama!

We finally arrived at the southeast gate of the park only to learn that an avalanche had occurred shutting down the 13 miles of road that we needed to travel to reach the Paradise Inn inside the park, which is where we had reservations to spend the night. A 60 mile detour around finally brought us to the southwest gate of the park – our original destination. All and all, it was a spectacular drive; so while it seemed outwardly like the detours and delays were a hassle, they actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because the detour gave us the opportunity to see so much of the park that we might not have otherwise seen. Mt. Rainier National Park was the 5th park designated at a national park in 1899 and it truly is a gem. There were so many places to pull off along the road to take photos and hike down to see waterfalls. Everywhere we turned we saw yet another overwhelmingly stunning view of Mt. Rainier. We never got tired of seeing it and each time we caught a glimpse of it, it was absolutely breathtaking. After numerous photo opportunities and stops along the way, we arrived at the charming Paradise Inn. It is an older hotel, but looks like a chalet. Standing right at the base of Rainier, it was a delightful setting. Crystal clear skies allowed us to see the majestic peak up close.

After we checked in and organized ourselves, Jonna decided to walk and survey the hiking opportunities for tomorrow. There was a massive amount of snow all over the ground – not just on the top of the mountain that we expected. The trails which typically wind through the meadows of wildflowers were completely covered in fluffy snow (not ice). Mt. Rainier has received 713 inches of snow this winter – about 70 inches more than a typical year (and in fact, they got 2 more inches just 1 week ago!). Hiking around the lodge area afforded us a beautiful view and a good hiking idea for tomorrow.

We were all starving – the fresh mountain air will do that – and we headed to the restaurant in the lodge for some dinner. 98% of the people that work at the lodge live right in the park because it is so far removed from civilization (There are no TV, Internet, cell service, or phones). Our dinner was delicious in a spectacular setting. At 9 PM, Park Ranger Erin presented an interesting program in the lobby that she authored which focused on the oft-mistaken and unjustly hated bird, the raven. The kids weren’t so into the idea of attending, but being the home-schoolers that we are, we decided it wasn’t something we should miss. Much to their surprise, it was of much more interest to them than expected. We ended the evening watching the sunset turn the majestic Rainier pink, then purple, over the mountain as we played the classic card game Uno at one of the large log tables in the lobby of the lodge.