Part I: First Five Photos
Paradise, on Mt Rainier, is 112 miles from my house by the most direct route. I know this because I've driven it 4 times in the last week looking for the perfect picture of this great mountain. The first trip, I spent the night at the remodeled Paradise Inn. Good news, the remodel didn't harm the historic Inn's character. Bad news, most of the improvements were to infrastructure items which also didn't improve the Inn much from a visitor's perspective.

On the first trip, I came prepared for cold, for rain (or snow), and for wind ... just not all four at the same time. The clouds started at the ground and it was difficult to see beyond about 20 feet. Not much good for photography. On the second trip, the weather had warmed up, the wind stopped, and the skies were clear ... better than clear, humidity was very low. A perfect day for photos.

I drug my sorry ass out of bed at 5:00 AM and was on the mountain by 8:00. I was there so early I had it to myself for a couple of hours. By noon I'd hiked about as far as my aging and slightly hurty knees would go and returned home with these lovely photos. The line of cars at the National Park entrance was 2 miles long when I left. I got out while the getting was good!

Part II: Last Seven Photos
Several weeks later my wife and I returned to hike the Sunrise side of the mountain. Very different feel. Very different climate. Great fun. Great hiking. Less of a story line.

I put my long 300 mm lens on my camera with the intent of exploring the texture of the glaciers descending from the mountain. As we hiked, our perspective changed as did the direction and intensity of the sun. The weather was perfect ... temperature in the 60's, humidity low, a cloudless day ... truly a lovely spot. I am delighted with the photos that result ... just what I wanted.