I had spent some time hanging out with a friend in Yakima this past weekend. I woke up early on Monday morning to get on the road early enough to catch the sunrise somewhere along the way - I didn't really have a place in mind, just figured I would stop once I found a location. As I headed north on Interstate 82, I could see both Mt Rainier and Mt Adams as I climbed out of the Yakima valley - my first stop was at the rest area as it has a nice view of both mountains. I noticed the moon up overhead of Rainier and thought I would wait and try to catch the moon setting over the summit... Well, that didn't happen. The moon was taking entirely too long and the sunrise was washing out the details of the moon; plus, the colors just weren't happening over either of the peaks.

I jumped back in the car and continued my way along I-82, eventually pulling off at the military area along the route. The clouds over the hills had some lovely shapes and the sky provided some beautiful colors, but it never really became a "wow!" sunrise, which was fine as it's just nice to watch something so beautiful.

I proceeded to make my way towards Seattle, not really stopping until I made it to the summit of Snoqualmie Pass. This was the first day in at least a week that the sky was blue and the sun was shinning, revealing a freshly snow coated landscape. I absolutely love how the mountains look with fresh snow - they have so much more character: their most rugged features come alive when the blanket of white is covering their features.

I'm pretty sure I spent about 6 hours along the pass, stopping and taking in the scenes while snapping some photos. Mountains I have seen many times over looked completely new to me as their most flattering characteristics became visible with the white snow providing a remarkable contrast to the deep blue of the sky above. I was in awe, having no concept of time, just enjoying the views and getting lost in the moment.

Hours and hours later, after visiting places I had been previously and exploring some new areas, I made my way down to Seattle. It was merely a day late of the full moon and I knew the moon was going to be rising behind the Seattle skyline. I made my way to my favorite place to view the Seattle skyline: Alki Beach. I shot some blue hour images and waited, patiently, for the moon to rise.

Enjoy the representation of just how much beauty you can see in merely one day in the lovely state of Washington. And best of all, all of these places required very little work other than some motivation and dedication to be outside - no hiking, no breaking a sweat, just ambition!

Dawn till Dusk: A drive from central Washington to the Puget Sound