March goes out like a lion in this case...

A very unusual "November" style storm hit the Northwest in the past couple of days. Nearly 2" of rain fell in the Cascade Foothills in the last 38 hours. Nature seems to be helping me with my book, as I'm currently writing the chapter which talks about the devastating floods in 2006, which shaped Mt. Rainier's landscape forever. In that storm, 18" of rain fell in just 38 hours, and literally destroyed, and I mean destroyed the park.

It really makes 2" seem petty. But the rain was just part of the problem in this odd March storm. With it came what we know out here as the Pineapple-Express, which brings warmer tropical weather along with rain. So skiing is out as all the mountains are sliding down hill. A whopper of an avalanche hit Stevens Pass after 5am this morning and buried the road under 15 feet of slushy snow. The DOT today said on the news that if a car had been in that slide, the force of the wet snow would have crushed the vehicle. Now THAT would have been a bad day. The warm tropical air mixed with moisture feels a little like a terrarium and I can almost watch the weeds growing taller in the landscaping. Thanks a lot, Hawaii. I mean seriously...could you just ship over a little of that warm, dry and wonderful weather next time (oh yeah and perhaps a palm tree or two)?

It is interesting how water is nature's ultimate power tool. She uses her water chisel to craft some enviable art work and gets to decide the outcome for her masterpiece. I threw Pup in the car tonight and headed down to Snoqualmie Falls for a front row seat to the power of water. Such a site! The Snoqualmie River is also flooding over many roadways, including the second picture here which, yes, is a road. The stairs here are to the Snoqualmie Valley trail, a frequent haunt of mine.

Lastly, I ran into the ladies at dusk. They were enjoying their dinner and told me that the salads were divine. Nothing like new fresh, chewy spring buds to tempt a palate!