Mt Rainier

[khiemtran]

Another city, another active volcano. On a clear day, the views from Seattle are very impressive.




Also, at night, there were times when the snow-capped volcano would just sort of ghost into existence out of the haze as the setting sun caught it, and then slowly fade again as night fell. One moment it was invisible, the next it was glowing orange over the city, the next it was gone again.

Want a closer look? Well, that was the limit of my camera zoom, but they did have some of those big sightseeing binoculars down by the waterfront and this is the view using my little camera down one of the eyepieces.



Okay, so not the best shot, but I had some fun trying to get it to work. The detail through those binoculars (when you use them with your eyes and aren't mucking around with a little camera) was really amazing. It felt like I could have seen people at the summit, if there were any. Or maybe a Bigfoot climbing up the sides.

Comments

[carl-allery.livejournal.com]

That's a great shot through the binoculars! I know what you mean about that volcano - it's a real fantasy mountain and totally surreal when it looms behind the modern buildings of central Seattle as your shot with the foreground cranes shows. :)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was quite a shock to see it sometimes, looming in the background. Of course, after visiting Herculaneum, I'm just a little bit edgy when looking at volcanoes now...

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

That's a mean-looking volcano...

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did find myself wonder just how long the pyroclastic surge would take to reach us if it blew.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're just as morbid as me!!

[rymrytr.livejournal.com]

Tahoma or Tacoma (as the American Indians called it - you have to say it with a throat-clearing sound - a Chinook word meaning "Mountain"), called Mt Rainier by some British Captain who though he had discovered something, the locals knew all about. >grin<

Anyway, the reason it looks so close but is actually far away, is that by volume, if you hauled it away, You would need nearly 3 other of the Cascade Volcanoes, to refill the space. It's more than 50 miles from Seattle. Wikipedia

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It's certainly staggering to look at.