[mobike008]

TBHP Drive Meet to Mt.Rainier National Park on September 24, 2023

Drive Route



BHPians posing for a picture alongside their rides.

[mobike008]

This meet & drive trip plan was decided just a couple of days before the actual day. This drive trip was uncertain till Saturday night as weather plays an important role here n every outdoor trip that we plan.

First rains of this season was scheduled on Sunday and fortunately, it was in late afternoon so that means it would start raining on our return drive. We were in double mind but, we still decided to go ahead with the trip as everyone showed interest. It’s another thing that rains pre-poned their arrival and heavy downpour started from 1:00pm onwards when we reached the Paradise Visitor Center in Mt.Rainier National Park.

Plan was simple, we meet at 9:00am about 50 miles en-route to Mt. Rainier which would be convenient location as all of us live in different corners of Greater Seattle. At the meet location, we grabbed some coffee before heading out towards the most iconic national park of our state.

Mt Rainier is 13,500 feet tall (It’s size is 1/3rd of Mt. Everest, just to give some perspective) and is 365 days snow-capped.

Since I live North of Seattle and Mt. Rainier is located South of Seattle, it’s a bit of a drive for me. Some other BHPians live in South of Seattle so for them it’s about 30 miles shorter.

This entire day trip for me was a total of 285 Miles ( 475 kms) which didn’t sound much compared to the last “Day Trip in Porsche covering the North Cascades National Park Loop in a single day” which was 400+ miles. Here is the link to that photoblog if you haven’t read it:

Getting BHPians together is always a challenge as we all live in a busy world. The final list of BHPians who came for this drive :

1. Mobike008 (BMW X3M0i)- Avinash
2. Crackhead (Toyota Highlander)- Dhruv
3. Amol4184 (Mini Cooper)-Amol
4. Rvracer88 (BMW X3M40i)- Rahul

Rahul joined us at the meeting point only to meet us and then headed back due to another engagement. So the final count for this drive meet were just 3 BHPians. But, as they say “ 3 Musketeers” are better than “30 Buccaneers”. LOL!

We were supposed to meet at a “Popeyes” location. But, realized after reaching there that it opens only at 10:30am so we headed to a Starbucks in the next lot and grabbed some coffee and headed out at 9:30am.

It was a beautiful and atypical PNW day- Cloudy and Pleasantly chilly with day temperatures around 10C-12C.

If it was sunny, the fun of this drive might have quadrupled. Anyhoo, we enjoyed the drive towards Mt.Rainier which was roughly about 90 miles from our meeting location. All of us knew the route as we go to Mt.Rainier at least 2-4 times in a year covering all seasons.

This entire route is scenic passing through thick forest, small quaint towns. There is one particular town Elbe, Washington. This is an absolutely gorgeous and quaint town with a few trains converted into restaurants- One train is an American Cuisine, another one is Mexican and there is train that is a pizza place too. We generally stop here and enjoy a nice lunch and take some pictures as there is a scenic lake behind the trains.

This time we didn’t stop and just drove by.

There are plenty of places that we stopped before we reached the final destination in Ashford, WA- Paradise Visitor Center which is where all the hikes start on Mt.Rainier.

National Park Pass- I made a smart move and bought the National Forest Pass for $85/annum the previous night. Otherwise, it’s $35 for one time entry to Mt.Rainier National Forest. At the entry point, I showed my pass via. My Cellphone. The gentleman was not willing to accept as he wanted me to show the physical card and was insisting that I buy a day pass for $30. Well, he took this debate with the wrong person.

I stood my ground and kept debating with him and a big line of cars was queuing up behind me. He gave up and waved me through. Haha!

These folks don’t get the bigger cut when you buy a U.S National Park pass (this is valid for all parks in entire US) vs. you buying the day pass or buy the U.S National Park at their counter. Hence, his insistence for me to buy the day-pass from him. But, heck I already paid for it so why should I buy again. If you don’t stand your ground, there are people always trying to fleece you.

Anyways, we continued inside the national park and stopped at view points which were breathtaking. And, even hiked down 1-mile round trip to a gorgeous waterfall.

At around 1:00pm, we finally reached Paradise which is the main area. It started drizzling when we reached and was shocked to see that parking lot was full on a Sunday afternoon. The rain really picked up and now it was almost a heavy downpour. I circled and finally found a spot after 15 mins. We used the restroom and folks grabbed some pizza and drinks.

There are at least 10-12 hikes starting at Paradise with Medium (5 Miles) to hard-core (20 miles). Last year we did a hike of around 8 miles and I could not get up and walk to my car for a whole 1-hour…LOL

The elevation, rugged path is the killer. But, there is something awaits you after every hike which is more than worth the effort of the hike. Therefore, people in Washington don’t go to malls on weekend, they head to the mountains.

We spent a couple of hours at the visitor center. Dhruv and Amol, I believe did a short hike as they came prepared for rains whilst I was as always totally unprepared despite knowing it’s going to rain late afternoon. But, I was caught by surprise as rains decided to propane themselves. Haha!

Around 3:30pm, we decided to head back home as the rain kept pelting away and there was little we could do outside. We decided to take a loop rood that is usually closed on weekdays. This route takes us via. Bit of a ghat section which was super foggy.

We stopped en-route briefly at a couple of scenic spots to admire and enjoy the natural beauty before driving back via. a different state route which was absolutely amazing. This route had thick green foliage with plenty of curves and an absolutely amazing route to push the car.

I decided to push the Blau Rakete to it’s extremes and had a lot of fun driving it in manual (except when taking a couple of videos) and since it was rainy, I was bit worried as I was aware that I was on almost worn out tires. But, even then the grip these tires provided in rains was satisfying as there was no slide in any time cornering at unreasonable speeds. I can only imagine how this beast will perform when I get the ALL SEASON Michelin tires.

Return drive was bit of an adrenaline high as I was able to overtake almost 50-cars (safely and as per rules when the diving line says I can overtake) over a stretch of 30-odd miles to finally reach home at 7:00pm after covering 140 miles (225kms).

That’s how a fun-day trip ended with the BHPians.

Once we head east. Most of the drive to Mt.Rainier is like this. Winding roads and beautiful foliage all through.



Crazy huh? Folks skating at high speed on these 2-lane roads.





Elbe, WA. All those trains converted to restaurants.



A short video of us driving past Elbe, Washington.

https://youtu.be/Z6EI6Ins2RU

Last 20 miles was absolutely twisty. Check the map screen.



Stop and short hike at Narada Falls inside Mt.Rainier National Park.





Narada Falls.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QcfrIay7LB0?feature=share

My most favorite picture of this trip.







Entering the National Park.



Cars lined up to pay the entrance pass.



Salmon sandwiches on the go.



Short hike here...



Gorgeous location.





Snow capped mountains.







Don't miss the background. haha!



The GROUP







Another gorgeous view of the valley on the bridge.





3 Different sizes of auto.

[mobike008]

This post has pictures of our short stay at Paradise Visitor Center at Mt.Rainier and our return drive back home. Entire drive back home which was about 140 miles away was done in blinding rain and fog (only in the mountains).

We basically split after we came down the mountains and everyone went their own way.

It wonderful experience going again to Mt. Rainier although it was for a short few hours.


Blau Rakete posing at Mt. Rainier



In front of the signboard inside the national park.



Paradise Visitor center was packed on a rainy day. I had to circle for 15-mins to find a parking. All these folks are heading up the mountain to hike.





This is where the hikes start. Due to cloudy weather can't see the mountain. Otherwise, the glorious snow capped mountain would be visible right from here as well.





Makeshift signal on the mountains. I admire the level of infrastructure work they do. They will immediately fix issues even in the remotest part of the state. Just amazing.





Entered via. Mt. Rainier National Park and exited via. Mt. Baker National Park. Haha!





Just after Paradise in the loop direction.This spot was spectacular.



A short video of this beautiful scenic Spot in Mt. Rainier

https://youtu.be/MCb0pF8vFZc

Driving away from that spot.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3Fkl3ntmvf4

Loved this place.



Reflection Lake.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=oTnytBD1w2c?feature=share

This left turn takes us to WA 410 East highway. This was one of the best backroads that I drove in a long time. Lush thick forests and clipping the beast at good speeds.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[sunilayyappa]

Good to see Team BHP meet in PNW area. Looking forward to meet you guys in upcoming meets. I stay in Bellevue area.

[Simple_User]

Nice. Any TeamBHP'ians in Atlanta, GA interested for such a meetup. We could drive up to the Smoky mountains & Dragon's tail.

[MercFan]

Excellent thread and thanks for sharing. Planning a trip to Portland in November, found out that Mt. Rainer is just 2.5hrs from Portland, will try to cover this one as well. Hopefully weather stays good.

[kinetic]

The National Parks in the PAC-NW have been on my list for too long now. Need to plan a proper roadtrip from California.

I'm curious about what you wrote regarding the National Park pass (which I highly recommend to anyone living in the US. Incredible value!). Did you try to show a purchase confirmation receipt/email through your phone? The National Park Pass site explicitly mentions that a physical card is required for entry. If that's the case, the park ranger was just trying to do his/her job. On the other hand, if there's a new rule/clause that allows a digital download, I'd love to know how. It'll be one less thing to carry in my wallet on a roadtrip.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by sunilayyappa

Good to see Team BHP meet in PNW area. Looking forward to meet you guys in upcoming meets. I stay in Bellevue area.

Nice to see a new BHP’ian from Seattle. Please subscribe and follow this thread for more upcoming meets and drives :

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-...ml#post5635337 (Team-BHP Meets @ Seattle, Washington)

What do you drive?

Originally Posted by Simple_User

Nice. Any TeamBHP'ians in Atlanta, GA interested for such a meetup. We could drive up to the Smoky mountains & Dragon's tail.

You should create a new thread for Atlanta Meet threads and combine it with nearby cities and hope some folks respond.

I did a drive from Detroit to the Smoky mountains in my Bimmer in 2021.

It was an amazing trip. Check out my travelogue here :

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5214182 (Photoblog- BMW Roadtrip from Detroit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park + Nashville)

Originally Posted by MercFan

Excellent thread and thanks for sharing. Planning a trip to Portland in November, found out that Mt. Rainer is just 2.5hrs from Portland, will try to cover this one as well. Hopefully weather stays good.

Welcome to Washington. If you are visiting Portland, Mt. Rainer isn’t too far and is really worth a visit. It’s one of the most beautiful national forest with a rare triangle shaped Mt.Rainier and we normally visit it at least 3-4 times in a year as each season the entire landscape changes completely.

We were in Mt.Rainier just last month but, it was at Sunrise and not Paradise.

You can check out this photoblog:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5604075 (3 Germans (BMW, Mercedes, Audi) | A Day-Trip to Mt. Rainier National Park)

However, I would recommend a “sole trip to Washington” as there are just too many amazing outdoor locales to cover in this beautiful state.

Happy to help if you need any specific info. Enjoy your trip to WA.

Originally Posted by kinetic

The National Parks in the PAC-NW have been on my list for too long now. Need to plan a proper roadtrip from California.

I'm curious about what you wrote regarding the National Park pass (which I highly recommend to anyone living in the US. Incredible value!). Did you try to show a purchase confirmation receipt/email through your phone? The National Park Pass site explicitly mentions that a physical card is required for entry. If that's the case, the park ranger was just trying to do his/her job. On the other hand, if there's a new rule/clause that allows a digital download, I'd love to know how. It'll be one less thing to carry in my wallet on a roadtrip.

Yup. As mentioned in my post, I showed him the digital pass and attender was not accepting it and wanted a physical card. Well, I told him I bought it just a day before and he kept insisting.

He might be doing his job but, I too was doing mine which is explaining him that I will not be paying for something that I already paid for.

Rules are meant to make our lives easy but, if they don’t, change them (in your own style, which is staying your ground and let the cars pile up behind you).

[Simple_User]

Originally Posted by mobike008

You should create a new thread for Atlanta Meet threads and combine it with nearby cities and hope some folks respond.

I did a drive from Detroit to the Smoky mountains in my Bimmer in 2021.

That's a great idea, I'll do that. Thank you.
Will also checkout your other Travelogue.

[Abhi99]

Thanks for sharing - always good to read about these meets.

Are there any BHP'ians in Detroit/ Chicago/ Midwest area ? Would love to plan and participate in such meets.

[mac187]

Great pics Avinash. We have been roasting here in TX for months now. Envy you being able to enjoy great weather, great roads and the icing is your Bimmer. Were you able to enjoy the twisties or did the rain play spoil sport there?

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by mac187

Great pics Avinash. We have been roasting here in TX for months now. Envy you being able to enjoy great weather, great roads and the icing is your Bimmer. Were you able to enjoy the twisties or did the rain play spoil sport there?

Thanks. I know about TX and the heat wave. One thing I can never bear is the heat.

I'm super glad that I live in PNW as heat is one problem we never have to deal with.

I think you missed reading the last paragraph of my post. Even in rains, the Bimmer was doing some unreasonable speeds and held on to the ground quite nicely.

Pasting it below again.

How you been? How's your Y? You disappeared from the horizon after acquiring the Y. Haha!

Originally Posted by mobike008

T
I decided to push the Blau Rakete to it’s extremes and had a lot of fun driving it in manual (except when taking a couple of videos) and since it was rainy, I was bit worried as I was aware that I was on almost worn out tires. But, even then the grip these tires provided in rains was satisfying as there was no slide in any time cornering at unreasonable speeds. I can only imagine how this beast will perform when I get the ALL SEASON Michelin tires.

Return drive was bit of an adrenaline high as I was able to overtake almost 50-cars (safely and as per rules when the diving line says I can overtake) over a stretch of 30-odd miles to finally reach home at 7:00pm after covering 140 miles (225kms).

Originally Posted by Abhi99

Thanks for sharing - always good to read about these meets.

Are there any BHP'ians in Detroit/ Chicago/ Midwest area ? Would love to plan and participate in such meets.

When I used to live in Detroit, there used to be meets galore. Now it happens in spurts and bursts. Check the meet threads for the Detroit meets.

Originally Posted by Simple_User

That's a great idea, I'll do that. Thank you.
Will also checkout your other Travelogue.

[kinetic]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Yup. As mentioned in my post, I showed him the digital pass and attender was not accepting it and wanted a physical card. Well, I told him I bought it just a day before and he kept insisting.

He might be doing his job but, I too was doing mine which is explaining him that I will not be paying for something that I already paid for.

Rules are meant to make our lives easy but, if they don’t, change them (in your own style, which is staying your ground and let the cars pile up behind you).

Are you referring to the "America The Beautiful" pass or some other equivalent pass from a different provider? I can't seem to figure it out. Would love to leave my card at home and use the digital version only on roadtrips.

[sunilayyappa]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Nice to see a new BHP’ian from Seattle. Please subscribe and follow this thread for more upcoming meets and drives :

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-...ml#post5635337 (Team-BHP Meets @ Seattle, Washington)

What do you drive?

Currently i am driving my 3 month old Model Y