寻找我们的营地花了一点时间。Ang’ata Migration Camp位于草原和灌木间的高地上，营地的主人在介绍如果处理废物的时候说，“after you’ve done your business, we will take your business to the business center and they will be buried underground”，这真是一种幽默的方式来讲述有些难以启齿的事实。
OpenStack is an open-source project for cloud computing. While started only 3 years ago, it’s growing up quickly and started picking up momentums in recent years, together with new tech trends/hypes, such as Virtualization, SDN, NFV and son on. I went to Hong Kong earlier this month to attend OpenStack Summit. It’s the first summit held outside of the US. With more than 3,500 attendees, it’s clear that there were a lot of enthusiasm around OpenStack.
Openstack Summit 2013, Hong Kong
As an OpenStack Network Model (Neutron) contributor, I was mostly in the developer sessions. This is my first time been to the summit. It’s interesting to note that OpenStack community is very much like United Nations. Different companies with different agenda come together to try to find some common ground moving forward. There are powerful companies, but the less powerful ones can dynamically form into groups based on interests so their ideas can be more influential. People here are competitors and colleagues at the same time. Together, many innovations are incubated.
There were a lot of interesting sessions during the summit, so I only managed to go to the city twice in one relatively free day. Taking Airport Express, from the Expo to the city Central is a half-an-hour ride. 九龍, 尖沙咀, 蘭桂坊, 銅鑼灣, 皇后大道, for those names that I heard so many times from Hong Kong movies and TV series, I finally had a chance to see them in person.
I didn’t bring my bulky DSLR, but rented a Fujifilm X100S based on friends’ recommendation. I also for the first time experimented street photography in manual focus mode. I converted the picture into BW in the post-processing. I am totally a newbie in all these 3 aspects (street photography, manual mode and BW pictures).
2013.8.3~4We arrived at Portland at early afternoon. We first checked into the hotel near the airport then drove into the city.
We parked the car near North Park Blocks. The city center around W. Burnside Street and downtown didn’t impress me. The street is noisy. The famous Powell’s Books is a very busy store, with a lot of books and a lot of people, but the surrounding still made me feel a bit run-down.
Powell\'s Books, Pearl District, Portland, OR
We walked along SW Stark Street towards downtown. We had a cup of coffee at Stumptown Coffe Roasters and stopped by several interesting shops. The perception I had about Portland is quite different from other American cities I’ve been to, but I can’t explain what it is, the way people dressed, the style that stores are arranged, just somewhat different. It’s said that Portland is the new magnet for hipsters. Maybe that’s where my feelings came from.
A bike sculpture, Burnside and 13th Av. intersection, Portland, OR
SW Stark St., Portland, OR
Street view from Stumptown Coffee Roasters on SW Stark St, Portland, OR
Jackpot Records, Downtown Portland, OR
We still prefer more modern styles. After asking for direction, we walked towards the shopping district. We had a rest at Pioneer Courthouse Square and felt that it’s where we belong to.
Light Rail, Downtown Portland, OR
Pioneer Courthouse, Portland, OR
Street food carts, Portland, OR
We had dinner at Yama Sushi & Sake Bar in Pearl District. This seems to be a high-end section of the city. The arrangement of streets, stores and parks are well considered and organized. According to explorethepearl.com, “the Pearl is clear validation that high-quality, inner-city communities can revive from the ashes of urban decay”
North Park Blocks, Portland, OR
Jamison Square, Pearl District, Portland, OR
We left the city by NW Fremont Bridge. Overlooked the city by the river from this direction, it’s lovely and alive. My original impression had changed.
The next day morning, we drove along the Columbia River and went to see Multnomah Falls. Only 30 minutes from the city, the park offers quite magnificent view of this two-step waterfall.
Multnomah Falls, Oregon
We plan to visit the city again before flying back home. However, northbound highway 84 was shutdown for road construction. All the local roads were quite jammed. We eventually gave up and had a lunch at Thai Seasons restaurant. One side of wall is dedicated to the restaurant’s mission statement writing on the blackboard, to buy local and to be environmental friendly.
We left the city at afternoon and concluded our 4-day trip to Mt. Rainier and Portland, Oregon. A short and rewarding get away.
2013.8.35am at morning, I didn’t gave up the hope that the sky might be cleared. Looking out through the window, I could see surrounding mountains clearly. Magic! I grabbed my gears and run out of the hotel, together with several fellow photographers.
When we got to the reflection lake, thick fog still dominated the lake. Another two photographers told me, they came last year and it was a day like this. Although the paradise area was clear, the sun hadn’t shown up until too late around the reflection lake. Pondered for a while, we decided to go some other places. 2 miles back toward the paradise area on the left-hand side, there is a vista point that is facing the mountain and overlooks the valley. No cloud, the light was warm.
Mt. Rainier Sunrise
The reflection lake must be good now. We all drove back. Less than 10 minutes after we left, the sun has dispersed the cloud, only light fog remained above the surface of the lake. A short trail led me to the lake shore. It was perfect, I couldn’t ask for better conditions. I spent about half an hour around at the lake side.
Sunrise over Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier
Sunrise over Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier
I went back to the lodge to meet my wife and we decided to do some hiking in this beautiful morning. Nisqually Vista Trail is at the west side of paradise area. The trail is a loop and easy to walk, unfortunately it’s not as exciting as the Skyline Trail. The glacier retreats fast, there was not much too see indeed; and the flowers were not abundant.
Nisqually Vista Trail, Paradise, Mt. Rainier
Panorama view from Nisquallly parking lot, Mt. Rainier
We decided to have a walk again between the lodge and the Myrtle Falls, the same section of Skyline Trail we hiked the previous day. It’s around 8am. The view was fascinating, but as the sun rose higher, the light quickly became too harsh for photographing.
Skyline Trail, Paradise, Mt. Rainier
Myrtle Falls, Skyline Trail, Paradise, Mt. Rainier
We returned the lodge in time to catch up their serving of breakfast. We checked out the lodge at 9am. Our destination was Portland, Oregon, so we would leaving from the Nisqually Entrance. Not far from paradise area, we stopped by at Nevada Falls, and walked down to the view point. It’s a popular site and maybe the first attraction for tourists coming from this direction. On our way leaving the park, I noticed the clouds started returning to the park. We were really lucky to have a chance to see Mt. Rainier’s different faces. The final highlight was short but priceless.
2013.8.2I got up at 5am. My plan was to drive to the Tipsoo Lake to take pictures of Mt. Rainier’s reflection at sunrise. I sticked to my plan although there was no sign that the clouds would go away. Certainly, they didn’t and they were thicker than the previous day. I still drove to WA-410 and WA-123 fork, very close to the Tipsoo Lake. I really couldn’t see anything. I had to give up. At Lower elevation, it’s just a cloudy day. I returned to Ohanapecosh campground and took some pictures of the river under the bridge.
Ohanapecosh River, Mt. Rainier
Ohanapecosh River, Mt. Rainier
We checked out of our lodge at 9:30. We drove to the Paradise area through Stevens Canyon Rd. About half way between WA-123 fork and Paradise, there is stone bridge right in front of a tunnel. We made a stop there. The area is called Box Canyon. Under the bridge, the gorge is like a narrow and deep slice, the raging water is far below the bridge. The Box Canyon Loop a short hike that take no more than 15 minutes. The air was so humid (we were in the cloud) that it seemed one can squeeze water out of it. The fog gave the view a touch of desolation.
Box Canyon, Mt. Rainier
Box Canyon Loop, Mt. Rainier
Box Canyon Loop, Mt. Rainier
Box Canyon Loop, Mt. Rainier
It’s still too early to get a room when we reached Paradise Inn. We knew the lodge has almost 100 years of history, but what we saw still impressed us very much. The lobby (The Great Hall) is huge and inviting. There are two fireplace and a lot of chairs for guests to enjoy this wonderful construction. We had a lunch at the restaurants and set off to explore the hiking trails of Paradise area. We walked Skyline Trail toward Myrtle Falls. Crossed the bridge, we kept on Golden Gate Trail for another half a mile.
The creek near Myrtle Falls, Skyline Trail, Paradise, Mt. Rainier
Paradise Inn front door in a gloomy day, Mt. Rainier
We returned to Paradise Inn and checked into our room. My wife decided to stay in the room and I’d have a hike by myself. I took the opposite direction of Skyline Trail, detoured on Alta Vista Trail and turned back through Deadhorse Creek Trail. It’s a nice day for hiking but difficult for photography. Dewdrops hung on every petal, but I could hardly take pictures on any flower 20 feet away.
Avalanche Lily, Deadhorse Creek Trail, Paradise, Mt. Rainier
I walked for one and a half hour and retired to our hotel. Nothing beat the feeling of sitting in the cozy and warm lodge, watching the gloomy weather outside and having a cold beer after a long walk.
2013.8.1I still clearly remember the view when last time we drove from Seattle city to Sea-Tac Airport 8 years ago – a huge mountain, standing by itself, dominated the horizon, bold and respectful. That’s Mt. Rainier, whose prominence (4,027 m) ranks #21 in the world. Mt. Rainier is also renowned for blooming wildflowers during the summer months. This year, we finally got a chance to visit Mt. Rainier in the peak blooming season at the end of July.
Our flight arrived at Seattle at 9am. We took WA-410 to go to the park. It’s as cloudy as Seattle’s sky normally is, but after 2 hours, when we entered the park, it’s getting clear. At one point as we passed Sunrise Park Rd. fork, we could see Mt. Rainier.
White River, Mt. Rainier
We turned right at WA-410 and WA-123 fork to Tipsoo Lake before going to the lodge. We stopped at one vista point to overlook the valley. Clouds were moving fast up against the valley toward us. We were not aware that the clouds would stay in the park for the rest of two days.
Tipsoo Lake is a lovely lake with tranquil water. The whole area was covered by wildflowers. A lot of Lupine, dotted with Pasque Flower seed head in white and Arnica in yellow. A hiking trail surrounds the lake. From the far side of the lake, one can photograph Mt. Rainier’s reflections, but as I was taking pictures on this side, clouds started moving into the lake and soon swallowed everything within. I didn’t have a chance to see the reflection, but the cloud also made this flower-surrounded small lake like a fairy place.
Lupine and Pasqueflower Seedhaed, Tipsoo Lake, Mt. Rainier
Tipsoo Lake, Mt. Rainier
Lupine and Cow Parsnip, Tipsoo Lake, Mt. Rainier
Tipsoo Lake, Mt. Rainier
As we left the Tipsoo lake, we couldn’t even see the road at some section because the cloud was too thick. We literally walking in the cloud, until we reached lower elevation, the cloud really became the cloud. We booked the lodge of our first-day stay at Parkwood area. Along Hwy. 12, Parkwood is not even a town. It only has a couple of stores, restaurants, and hotels, but the lodge we booked, Timberline Village, is 4 miles outside the area towards the park. We totally missed it at first. A local man asked us to follow his car and helped us find the lodge.
Although the facility is basic, the room is spacious with a very good shower. We had lunch at Cruiser’s Pizza because of the coupon that the lodge left on our room table. It’s maybe the only normal dining place in the area. The food is fresh. My wife said the burger was the best she had in years.
Parkwood area, Washington
We returned to the park after some rest. The whole park was still in the cloud. We wanted to try our luck at Sunrise area.
Ohanapecosh Entrance, Mt. Rainier
Ohanapecosh Entrance, Mt. Rainier
Two miles from Sunrise Visitor Center at Sunrise Lake Point, the cloud was so thick and we could barely see anything 30 feet away. We had little hope to see the mountain at all. There were only a handful cars in Sunrise Visitor Center parking lot. The rangers were about to leave and the only thing they could tell us about the weather was that it’s unpredictable. As we were walking toward Frozen Lake, I felt the cloud lifted up a little bit. We decided to change the route to go to Emmons Vista. Gradually, the sun dispersed the clouds and the majestic Mt. Rainier revealed itself in front of us. For 20 minutes, we were walking above clouds.
Sunrise, Mt. Rainier
Sunrise, Mt. Rainier
Sunrise, Mt. Rainier
Sunrise Lake, Mt. Rainier
Clouds soon reclaimed the Sunrise area. We were hoping the next day would be a better day.
