Hey guys!Last weekend I went to Washington to visit my brother and sister in law at their new home in Port Orchard, WA. It was a very fun visit and I took lots of photos that I am thrilled to share.Day 1 - Port OrchardAfter leaving the Seattle airport, we drove back to Port Orchard where they live. The first part of this place that really impressed me was all of the greenery. So many tall trees and bright colors. I also got lucky with a nice blue sky on this gorgeous day. Here's some shots of the beautiful scenery in the area.Day 2 - SeattleOn our day to visit Seattle, we took one of the ferry rides to get over to that side of town. Lots of people use it daily as their main transportation. Definitely was a first for me. Here are some of the shots I took while we rode over there.We started by lining up with other cars. Once the ferry arrived, we rode the car up onto the boat. I've always seen these things on tv but have never been on one. Was real cool!The ferry is pretty large and has plenty of space for lots of cars and people. Be careful going outside during the ride as it was quite windy! At one point I had to plant my feet against a railing to make sure I didn't fly backwards. During the ride we could see an amazing view of Mount Rainier in the distance. It all honestly looked like a painting.Once arriving in Seattle, I was quick to take in the beautiful surroundings. While my brother was driving us towards town, I had opportunities to stick the camera out the sunroof and snap some photos of the city. I loved seeing the tall buildings underneath a gorgeous sky, but one of them stuck out in particular. I later found it was called Rainier Tower. Personally I first thought of a lava lamp when I saw it. Very cool architecture! See it to the right.We had such a nice day. Perfect temperature and beautiful skies. These are my favorite kind of clouds. Our first stop was the Pike Place Farmer's Market in town. It was crowded, but also a very popular spot to visit in town. The market was filled with vendors, artists, and lots of tourists. Many sold fresh seafood since you're right up on the shore. One had a fish throwing thing they do. Then we saw a nice view of a ferris wheel with the Seahawks' football stadium in the background. And then also saw the first Starbucks store. This was a cool part of town.Next we went out to towards the famous landmark, The Space Needle. I was really excited to get close to it. With this beautiful day I know we would get some cool shots. I did realize though that its a much different perspective being that close. While I loved getting shots up close, I made sure to grab at least another shot while we were driving so you could see that famous view from the side.When I visit next, I'll definitely want to go up towards the top. Here's a few shots of the Space Needle including one using my crystal ball which I brought along. By the way, I did learn that holding a crystal ball in the sunlight for a longer period of time actually can burn you. I wasn't burnt bad or anything, but it quickly felt as if my hand were an ant underneath a magnifying glass! Day 3 - Mount Rainier National ParkThis is an exciting piece of my vacation to share. We had such a blast seeing this place. Mount Rainier is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world and its sitting right in the pacific northwest just an hour and a half drive from Port Orchard. It's an active volcano that has the potential to erupt at any time. Mother nature is very hard to predict. The national park in whole is a beautiful place and it is something everyone should see at some point in their lives.Driving up the mountain, there are various lookout points with gorgeous views. My favorite was Christine Falls with the waterfall flowing from above. I didn't have a tripod handy and wanted to get a long exposure for the smooth water effect. I used a rock as a tripod and got one of my favorite nature shots to date. There were thousands upon thousands of trees stacked in the mountains. Everything around us just looked surreal. The highest point we could drive to was at 5,400 feet above sea level at the visitors center. That's where this first shot in the gallery below is at.I had such a blast and I cannot wait to visit again in the future. If you are interested in purchasing a print of any of the above images, please message me on my contact page. Some of these will make gorgeous prints.Thanks for taking the time to check out my post! Leave a comment and let me know if you've ever visited a national park! I'd love to hear your suggestions on where to visit.-Mike
