Road Trip: Mt. Rainier, Bellingham

We left Portland on Sunday morning and headed for Mt. Rainier. We enjoyed the beautiful drive and now both firmly believe that Washington is the most beautiful state ever. We hit Rainier park and started the drive to reach the viewpoint. It was a cold and drizzly day but it was spectacular. The roads were fairly clear of drivers (and if anyone was behind me I pulled over because I was going SUPER slow. It was too beautiful to go fast) and the clouds were cozy. Unfortunately the clouds were so heavy that we couldn't actually see Rainier. But we did see a small patch of snow that we believe is part of Rainier and we saw the lodge at the top, which was adorable. I'm not disappointed but I am going to go back someday.

After Rainier we started our long trek to Bellingham. We thought we got lost but in the end we just had to follow the signs for Seattle and we were okay. The drive was lovely with a few smatterings of rain here and there. 

When we got into Bellingham we had no idea where to eat but we knew we didn't want to drive far. The Olive Garden won. (I know, I know, we should have picked something fancier. But at that point we had been in the car for 8 hours and we just wanted food). We toured Bellingham a little bit after and saw the beautiful coast line and got pumpkin chocolate chip cookies at Fred Meyer (first day of fall and all). I love the ocean and the mountains together. Nothing beats it. 

Travel Tip #1: bring a map to figure out where you're going. Phones and Google can be a little inaccurate or at the very least can be completely confusing in the way you get somewhere (and they don't work everywhere). Also always follow signs for the places you are going. They usually tend to be more helpful than your own ideas.