Tuesday, January 4, 2018 -- Today started just before 7:00 with a little breakfast (banana and milk) before heading out for another day of skiing, this time at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. As the largest ski area in Washington (2,600 acres), there were dozens of runs to choose from and pretty nice weather. We had sunshine for a good part of the day, and high overcast for the rest. Temperatures ranged from the high 20s to 45 degrees! There were a lot of nice groomed and ungroomed runs with fabulous steep pitches and soft bumps (moguls) to bounce through. In my opinion (the rest of my family might disagree), the best stuff all day was off of Chair 6, a double that took us to 7,002 feet (also the highest point on the resort). After a slightly-sketchy entrance of skirting rocks and tree stumps while avoiding falling off the mountain, the goods unfolded before us -- glorious, wide open bowls with endless lines to choose. We made two circuits, each time enjoying the soft snow, sunshine, and perfectly steep pitch. Lunch was well deserved after that -- a mushroom-onion burger, shared package of fries, hot cocoa, and water.
Another cool thing about Crystal Mountain is its close proximity to Mt. Rainier, at 14,411 feet the highest mountain in the Cascade Range. From the top of several lifts at Crystal, we were awarded 360-degree views of mountains, the crown jewel being the towering, ruggedly majestic Rainier. Whether bathed in golden sunlight or angry gray clouds, it is just as awe-inspiring and photo-worthy.
With high-speed lifts and no crowds to speak of, we were able to get as many turns in as we could manage. Thus, after a full day of skiing (from about 9:45 to 3:30), we were content to head back down out of the mountains into the heart of downtown Seattle. We met a friend of Matthew's (my brother) to all go up in the Space Needle, being rewarded with pleasant temperatures (around 45 degrees), no wind, no precipitation, no fog/clouds, and incredible views of the bustling city 520 feet below us. My dad and I counted 16 tower cranes -- all decorated with red, green, blue, white, and yellow lights -- in a relatively small space! Afterwards, we enjoyed dinner at India Kitchen, a nearby restaurant. My coconut prawn curry and garlic naan (bread) were delicious, and even though none of us ordered dessert, our waiter brought out a free piece of cheesecake topped with a mango sauce, so I enjoyed a few bites of that. We finally made it back to our motel in North Bend just a few minutes before 10:00, so it wasn't until 11:40 that I crawled into bed (and, hence, why I didn't blog last night!).
Mt. Rainier in all its glory
Matthew, me, and our dad with Mt. Rainier behind us
Me, my dad, Matthew, and Matthew's friend (now wife!) Monica in the Space Needle
At the base of the Space Needle was a Chihuly art exhibit -- one of my favorite artists! I love the unique and colorful aspects of each piece!
The Space Needle
~Anna
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