Monday, July 8, 2024

Tourists Looking For Washington's Mount Rainier & Mount Wichita In Texas


Saw the photo you see here, this Monday morning, on Facebook. The mountain hovering over the scene is the volcano known as Mount Rainier. Or just, The Mountain, if you live in Western Washington.

Used in a sentence, "The Mountain is out today".  Meaning the sky is clear of clouds and you can see Mount Rainier.

The ferry, with ferry floaters crowded on the outdoor viewing deck, is in Elliot Bay, heading to dock at Seattle's Coleman Ferry Dock.

When I see photos of Mount Rainier, like this one, a telephoto zoomed in look at The Mountain, I always think it a tad unfair to those who do not live in Western Washington, who come to visit, expecting The Mountain to look like it looks in this photo.

Even when not telephotoed and zoomed in, The Mountain is still a spectacular site.

Seeing The Mountain when you are in Tacoma you are way closer to the volcano and it looks way bigger than it looks from Seattle.

Way back in the last decade of the previous century, I was with nephews Jason and Joey on a cloudy, rainy day, on a ferry heading from Seattle to Bainbridge Island.

A couple tourists asked us if we were locals. Yes, we replied. 

Could you point out to us where we would see Mount Rainier if the sky was clear? All three of us, me, Jason and Joey, pointed in the same direction, knowing intuitively where The Mountain was.

At my current Wichita Falls, Texas location it would be a bit of a surprise for a tourist to ask me if I was a local and which direction the mountain was.

Since there is only one mountain within many many miles, I guess I would point in the direction of Mount Wichita, and hope the tourists are not too disappointed if they make their way to the base of Mount Wichita and make the climb to the summit for the not too scenic look at the surrounding landscape....

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