We started the day with coffee and juice at the hotel. Even at nine o’clock, the temperatures were in the mid-twenties – and threatening to climb. We jumped in the car and headed west on US-12. We followed the Naches River to its confluence with the Tieton River, then followed the Tieton until it met up with Rimrock Lake. It was a beautiful drive and I was able to pull over to take a couple of pictures of the lake.
Not long after, we rounded a corner and were dwarfed by Mount Rainier. When I had originally planned this route, I had hoped that we might be able to see, and possibly take some pictures of Rainier, but I had no idea how massive she would look.
We continued along US-12, hoping to catch a view of Mt. Adams, but alas, we were unable to find the overlook. Just after lunch, we arrived at the I-5 and turned north towards Centralia. We stopped in Centralia to grab some lunch and also do some shopping at the Outlet Mall. Mum had an egg salad sandwich from Safeway and I grabbed a taco and quesadilla from Taco Bell. After we ate, Mum stopped at a couple of stores to pick up some early Christmas gifts; then, we were off again to Olympia. We checked into the hotel and relaxed while watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, until it was time for dinner.
Dinner was a repeat performance of last year, but less of a production. Last year we got lost on the way to the restaurant, had trouble finding parking (and when we did find it, had trouble figuring out how it worked), and also had trouble finding a table. This year, we drove the mile to the parking lot, paid the $3 in the parking box, and were able to find a table in Fish Tales Brew Pub as soon as we walked in the front door. Mum had fish and chips with an apple cider and I had fish tacos with a Vicious Circle Amber Ale.
We headed back to the hotel after dinner and watched some television before turning in for the night. Tomorrow, we head to Bellingham, and, after our annual Wal-Mart shop in Mount Vernon, will be visiting a couple of friends of mine.
Thank you for reading and I will talk to you soon.
L