Some interesting things about Washington's physical geography

Washington's landscape is diverse - it has everything from desert to rainforest.  The city of Seattle is surrounded by water and mountains on both sides.  Mount Ranier is a behemoth of a mountain, rising 14409 feet from near sea level.  It is considered one of the snowiest places on Earth, and takes up so much of the moisture from the west, that an immensely dry rainshadow lies to its east.

Seattle is nestled between the Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and Lake Washington, a large freshwater lake.  The Olympic Peninsula is to the west of the Puget Sound, and contains a large temperate rainforest, formed from an average annual rainfall of 140 inches.  For reference, Seattle's average annual rainfall is 37 inches and Denver's is 14 inches (rainfall equivalent including about 60 inches of snow per year).

Seattle is also surrounded by mountains on both sides - the Olympic range to the west and the Cascades to the east.  The Cascades have been formed by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Tectonic Plate under the North American Plate.  For information on the formation of the Olympic Range, see this site.  Mount Rainier is Washington's only 14er, while five of the Cascades are active (or potentially active) volcanoes: Rainier, Baker, Adams, Glacier Peak, and most famously, Mt. St. Helens.  Rainier and Baker can both claim to be the snowiest place on earth, by different measures - Rainier by average annual snowfall and Baker by having the single snowiest year ever recorded (though there are some places in Japan that claim the title).

Anticipating a visit from a loved one or close friend brings feelings of such joy, love, and excitement. 

Happiness

What compels a person to pack their bags and move away, far from family, friends, and the familiar?  For Evan and I, like many others, it was to pursue new opportunities and for a breath of fresh air, a chance to experience something new.

There is something very palpably exciting about change. The move seems to have reignited some long buried exuberance for life and optimism in both Evan and me.  For the first time in a while, I feel content. 

There is something uniquely enchanting about Washington. This morning, when I was leaving for work, the world felt so still and the air was so misty, I just stood there dumbstruck for twenty minutes, wondering how it was that I felt I was seeing the world for the first time.

I don't know why it is the simplest things in life that bring immense pleasure - a laugh with a friend, an interesting insight from a stranger, a cup of good coffee (what Seattlite wouldn't put that in the list? :-)), and a hug from a husband.  I feel fortunate to have these things and a chance to feel such contentment.