Packwood to Fall City Washington

Copyright 2017, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Back in     2013     yes!!   2013      Man and I were in the state of Washington.  We had spent the 4th of July week in Packwood, and now, it was time to move on.  To Fall City, and the Seattle area.  It was a short visit, just a few days. Our goal was Glacier National Park, as the Going to the Sun Road had opened June 21st of that year    2013    .  We know there are only a few months of window/opportunity to drive the Going to the Sun Road.  Two years prior, we had to abort our attempts to stay out west long enough. Anyway, more about that later, I am happy to report, that yes, we made it.

The drive from Packwood took us along the eastern side of Mount Rainier, which we had not seen.  One of the first things I noted were signs for evacuation routes.  Volcano evacuation routes.  Now, for a gal that is used to ducking from tornadoes, I will admit that a sign for a volcano evacuation route was a tad bit unnerving.

Our route took us through Elbe.  According to the 2000 census, there were 21 people, 10 households, and 7 families residing in Elbe.  It is the home to the Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church, a tiny white church built by  the founding fathers of the community, German immigrants. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad begins its excursion trains in Elby, so there is a "train" presence about:

Some you can have a bite to eat in:

It seems you can spend the night in one as well:

Back on the road, Mount Rainier:

Tell me you might have just a wee bit of "view" envy.  This family has the best view and boats and water and oooooooo.  Nice set up!

There were some wonderful bridges along the way, such as this one:

Our drive today was about 130 miles.  (Maps of the part of The Trip, The Encore' can be found here.)

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