Summer at Crystal

There is more to Crystal Mountain than just winter activities! Crystal is open daily this summer beginning May 22nd and has a full schedule of activities. Start with the scenic gondola ride with over 2,400 vertical feet to the summit where you can enjoy amazing views of Mt. Rainier and the Cascade Mountain Range. The Summit House features locally sourced, sustainable ingredients, at the highest elevation restaurant in the state. Take on the Flying Raven Adventure Course, an unforgettable activity for families as well as thrill-seekers. You can even say ‘I Do” atop Crystal with Mt. Rainier as your backdrop. Crystal is now ready to host your dream wedding. Mountain bike, hiking trails, and much more. Crystal Mountain summer activities are all family and dog friendly. When you stay at any of their lodging options, the Mt. Rainier Shuttle has daily trips into the park, and they stop at Rainier’s Sunrise Visitor Center. They even have room for your RV with hookups for rigs of all sizes. Have Fun!

Friends

 According to Harvard’s School of Public Health, men who have lots of friends, social contacts, and relatives live longer, more satisfying lives. In a study of 28,000 men in their early 40s to late 70s, researchers found that men who were socially isolated loners were 20 percent more likely to die prematurely. The socially isolated group also was 53 percent more likely to die from heart related diseases and stroke. Unmarried men included in the study had markedly higher death rates than married men with a strong family support system did. It appears that making friends and nurturing social relationships not only will make you healthier, but it could make you a lot happier too! Although it is hard to measure social isolation and loneliness ask yourself if you have fewer activities now than you did before the pandemic. Most people would answer fewer connections and fewer social gatherings are on their schedules. People are generally social by nature, and high-quality relationships should be part of our everyday lives. Finding a fun activity can be the key to adding friends to your life! Pick an activity like going to the gym, find a workshop or a class, volunteer for a non-profit, try a new sport like racquetball, find a church or spiritual group. You are certainly not alone if you are having a hard time making friends as an adult.

Perfect Time to Plan a Summer Road Trip

Summer road trips are an American tradition that cannot be beat! On May 3rd, 1903, a former bicycle racer, his dog, and a retired doctor looking to collect on a $50 bet embarked on the first cross-country road trip. Previous automobile trips had ended in failure as roads were still extremely primitive. There were no road signs or gas stations, auto repair shops, or phone booths; you were basically on your own. Leaving San Francisco, it took 63 days to get to New York City. The Cannonball Run record is currently 25 hours and 39 minutes. Dwight D. Eisenhower signed The Federal Highway Act of 1956 which authorized $25 billion for construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways. It was by far the largest public works project in American history. We now have nearly 49,000 miles of interstates. Hop on the longest interstate highway in the United States in downtown Seattle and in 3,020 miles you will reach the end of I-90 in Boston MA. The United States of America has 63 National Parks that are operated by the National Park Service. President Ulysses S. Grant signed an act of Congress creating Yellowstone as the first National Park in 1872. Yellowstone was the first National Park in the world! We now have more than 52 million acres protected for future generations. We have 26 National Parks within a two-day drive. One of my all-time favorite road trips was to Yellowstone National Park coming in from Cody and leaving thru Grand Teton National Park to Jackson. I hope you are inspired to get out on the open road and celebrate our country’s lasting love affair with the automobile this summer.