The Mountain. This massive, majestic, and dangerous volcano loomed above us wherever we went this bright, sunny Father’s Day.

The author with 2 of his daughters: Foto Left to Foto Right: Katie (10 & a half+), me (49), & TaTa (6). Kate performed over 30 cartwheels nonstop earlier this day, her personal record. We all encouraged her, of course, coached her, too, and, to be clear, it was all hands off. Left us in awe. As did being up in the snow at Paradise in Mt. Rainier National Park wearing sandals and flip-flops.

Breakfast for Daddy! Red eyes for the camera & all! Kate & Talia surprise William for Father’s Day 2008. Foto by Kristina.

Love these girls! Don’t remember as I write this over a decade later where my oldest daughter Morgan Hannah (now nonbinary Dylan Blair) was other then she had to be somewhere else for something. No matter, for I love her, too! This morning’s breakfast, however, was still a precious time to be alive with my youngest two children raised since infancy, one my stepdaughter and one whom I adopted. Blended families have challenges unique to them, as ours certainly did, and also have their own rewards, joys, and successes. This was my 14th Father’s Day, and, yes, we sure did celebrate!

A cougar! We saw lots of animals in this large, wildlife expanse. Kristina & I took the kids on a road trip towards Mt. Rainier National Park. Along the way, we spent a few hours at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park outside the town of Eatonville, WA. Cougars, sometimes called pumas or mountain lions, ranges from parts of SE Alaska and southern Yukon all the way down into southern Patagonia. Puma concolor!

Being at NW Trek was more like being in a miniature version of a big national park in Southern & Eastern Africa or in Alaska. We were shielded inside protective vehicles including a small, narrow-gauge train. Here we glimpsed a bit of green sunshine!

Ghost wolf! On the rocks! This quiet sentinel of wild beast is actually a gray wolf, Canis lupus. The kids were in awe, and so was my wife & I.

Kate & Talia posing with a bronzed statue of a moose, enormous & fierce herbivores.

A small herd of bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis, which once ranged much of Western North America from British Columbia south into Mexico. Bighorn currently exist as several subspecies, including hybridized ones, across multiple, remote ecosystems.

Bison, Bison bison, commonly called buffalo, rest in the afternoon sun near their calves.

My kids couldn’t stand not being able to dash over & pet them. Good thing they couldn’t, too. These heavy bovines can gallop up to 40 miles an hour for several miles. Well, the adults, anyway, LOL! 

Wapiti. Elk. Waapiti. Cervus canadensis. The largest subspecies is the Roosevelt Elk of the Pacific Northwest. They range from Southeastern Alaska into Northern California.

Wapiti.

Back on the road to The Mountain! Mt. Rainier soars skyward for 14,411 feet or 4,392 meters, tho some sources still say 14,410 ft. Depends on how much snow & ice & rock still cover the summit’s crater ridge? Altho named after a decorated British rear admiral and war hero (for the Empire), the volcano has had many names in a multiple languages including Tahoma or Tacoma. One Native American organization of tribal representatives recently sought to have Rainier renamed Ti’Swaq’, the Sky Wiper, the Mountain so Big She Wipes Clean the Sky.

We finally made it all the way up to Paradise, about 5400 ft up the side of The Mountain. The little national park village is roughly halfway up Mt. Rainier. Long day with many stops at so many beautiful viewpoints. We caught the afterglow up here of a fantastic sunset.

The Tatoosh Range looms next door. Soon, tho, it’ll be time to get back into our warm minivan & go.

Wearing sandals & flip-flops in the snow! Even bare feet for a bit! I’m so proud of my children, love my entire family, & miss my oldest kid. We’re at the end of spring altho down below feels like summer. Even so a cold breeze begins to blow as cold air sinks down from the massive, glacier cloaked summit above. We finally arrive back home at around midnight. Or was it one in the morning?