After successfully finding the terminal in Portland (much easier access than the one in Newark), Rod headed northward into Washington.

The first stop was the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Rod chose entry from the north side, stopping first at the Cold Water Ridge Visitors Center, where the wild flowers were blooming in profusion.

This view is down the valley away from the mountain.

The next stop was the Johnston Ridge Observatory, the closest approach by auto to Mount St. Helens from the northwest.

Another shot from Johnston Ridge.

Driving north, Rod camped at the west entrance to Mount Ranier National Park, next to a stream gray with the glacial runoff.

The next morning he drove to Henry M Jackson Memorial Visitor Center to get a good view of the mountain and take a walk on a trail starting there. Apparently July 19 is a bit too early to expect to walk the trail, or for that matter, even verify that there is a Mount Ranier.

Giving up on the mountain, Rod descended and hiked through the Grove of The Patriarchs (big non-sequoia type trees), then made his way to a drier, sunnier stopover in Wenatchee WA.