University of Washington Tour
The last day in Seattle began with a tour of the University of Washington that was done for the conference attendees and their families. Walking the campus, I loved the mixture of —style and new modern buildings. Here you see Gerberding Hall (GRB) on the right and Suzzallo Library, which are both Collegiate Gothic style of architecture that is so beautiful. This library is probably the most iconic building on campus.
This is the Graduate Reading Room, which takes up the entire western side of the library at 250 ft.long, 52 ft. wide, with a 65-ft. high ceiling. It boasts oak paneling, carved sandstone walls and a Gothic vaulted ceiling. Just breath taking! I wonder if the students realize how lucky they are to have such a gorgeous place to study.
Driving to Mount Rainier National Park
After lunch at Feierabend with Rob’s coworker, we dropped him off at the airport and headed on our way towards Mount Rainier National Park. We saw lots of interesting spots on the drive. The little town of Elbe really caught my eye.
The Little White Church of Elbe
Mount Rainier National Park
As we drove through the park, we saw the beautiful falls and the stone bridge we crossed over and had to stop and get some pics. While researching this area, I was surprised to read that this bridge was built in 1928! Christine Falls
We could hear the Narada Falls from the road and decided to pull off and check it out. When we got out of the car it started snowing!
We had a little hike down so that we could see the falls. The trail had lots of snow from earlier and mud and puddles. It was quite an adventure trying not to get all muddy and trying to not slip.
Deer and elk just mosey on across the road.
The blue bird you see below was so friendly. He let me get all sorts of pictures of him. You could tell people must feed him. He even flew over to my car window at one point.
As we drove it continued to snow the more elevated we got and I got a little nervous about the roads. We stopped at Henry M Jackson Visitor Center and looked around. We snapped some pics of us standing in the snow.
This rainbow we saw as we drove was the brightest most beautiful rainbow I’ve ever seen. We even got to see the entire thing! Pictures don’t do it justice at all.
When stopped at the visitor center, it was suggested that we hike the Grove of the Patriarchs. This .3 mile loop is an easy hike and well worth it to see ancient trees 1000 years plus!
Crossing this swing bridge was scarier than I thought it would be. Looking in between the slats on the bridge and the fact it was moving was frightening.
Does it get any more gorgeous than this!
More pics from this part of the trip
Go to page with all the posts from this trip >>> Pacific NorthWest Page
Was so disappointed in my visit to Washington. Didn’t see any of the beauty you discovered. Love the contrast between that magnificent reading room and that quiet little church. Wonder about the sandstone walls in the library. Wouldn’t think they would withstand time.
Love the photos of the wildlife, the snow and the stunning scenery. What a glorious trip.