The Wedding We Could Have Had...

As most of you who read this blog are aware, Sarah and I were wed at the Crystal Mountain ski resort.  Like every bride, Sarah had hoped for sunny skies.  We and our guests would ride the chairlifts to the top of the resort and have a beautiful ceremony with Mt Rainier as a backdrop.  It was not to be.  The wedding weekend was exemplified by typical Pacific Northwest weather; clouds, fog, and mist.  As such we went with the indoor backup plan.

In August Sarah and I returned to Crystal Mountain to celebrate our 3 year anniversary.  Grandma watched Grace while just Mom & Dad took a parent's weekend apart from the baby.  The weather this year was nearly cloudless, warm, and spectacular; everything our wedding could have been.  We enjoyed some hiking in and around the resort area and dined in the Summit House Restaurant with the sun setting behind the Cascade Mountains and Mt Rainier staring us in the face.  The food was descent, but the view was stunning.  We left our table four times (with food on the table) to go outside and enjoy an unobstructed view of the true beauty nature has to offer.  The photos cannot begin to demonstrate how amazing out location truly was.

Sarah riding in the new gondolas.  What?  No ski lifts!!

These gondolas were nice.  And I don't mean nice like a low milage rental car;
I mean nice like a brand new sports car.

Mount Rainier coming into view as we reached the summit.

Mt Adams was also visible in the background...

 Sarah glowing in the sunset.

The Sunset pose.  Remember to never give your camera to a 

stranger - they always cut your head off... or in this case,

the giant mountain that was suppose to be the backdrop.

It was also a full moon that night.  Amazing!

See all of the photos from our Crystal Mountain Anniversary trip at Picasa.

The next day we hiked in the NW corner of Mt Rainier National Park in the Sunrise area along a ridge to an old fire lookout tower.  The views were even more dramatic and the hike was a perfect end to a wonderful anniversary weekend.  We finally had the wedding weekend we had hoped for - but without all the family and friends.  

Start of the hike, just above Sunrise parking lot. 

Our lunch spot, near the Freemont fire lookout. 

A look back at the trail along the ridge 

The end of the trail with the fire tower & a fog covered Puget Sound in the background. 

I could live here...