Continuing

In Yellowstone, we got to see Old Faithful go off, which was cool considering it went dormant for many years afterwards. I suspect we didn't do nearly as much as there was to do there, as we had to get to dad's next job, but I have never forgotten the beauty of that place. The Grand Tetons were huge and breathtaking, especially when I was so small,
but for some reason I remember Yellowstone more.

We were moving to Washington state, Fort Lewis to be exact, and I got to have a mountain in my front yard for the next couple of years: Mt. Rainier. Turns out that Rainier is actually a dormant volcano. Well, possibly not quite so dormant actually. After what happened with St Helena, no one looks at Rainier quite the same. I always liked having that lone mountain looming over the house when I went to school (kindergarten) or out to play. His head was often in the clouds, but he was always watching over me.

I only remember actually going to Rainier once in the time we were there. My mom's parents came to visit and we drove up to the ice caves (man-made.) The station wagon, necessary for the number of people on the trip, did not like the snow, or the elevation.
i know we were delayed, but can't remember if we were stuck in a snow bank or the car just over heated.
The caves were neat, but the visit was pretty short and I never got back to Rainier before we moved again. I would like to. I have a picture of it seen from probably Seattle on a bulletin board at home that makes me wistful. Dad got promoted while we were in Washington, and the drive mom had to make to the ceremony was harrowing ( I remember mom's stress level and the car sliding, but not much more)but I don't know if it was up the mountain. My physical encounters with Rainier are limited as of now, but I hope to change that. More about that corner of the US later.