Crystal Mountain / Summit House View
Another wonderful treat of living in the Pacific Northwest, we went to Crystal Mountain for lunch this past Tuesday, joining me were my friends from Horizon House. We had a wonderful bus ride to the base of the Gondola, than a spectacular 15 minute ride up the mountain reaching over 6,800 ft above the world. I have to tell you my friends were as excited as I was, some of them have skied the mountain 30 to 40 years ago remembering the experiences in great details making me wish I could of learned to ski during my younger years as well. The peaks of the area mountains still had snow this late in the summer, Crystal was pretty clear, the trees were without a doubt some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. I will admit that the ride down on the Gondola was somewhat scary yet again spectacular, dangling thousands of feet in the air isn't my cup of tea, however; the scenery took all the fears away instantly.
We had lunch at the Summit House serving simple yet tasty meals, with 30 of us it made for a little bit of a rush all coming in at once the staff / servers handled us with style and ease, that in itself if amazing when you consider the youthfulness of the staff; overall exceptional. The kitchen handled the 30 orders with ease the food came to us hot, tasty and fresh. I imagine in the winter this is a very popular hot spot. Nothing else to the top of the mountain but the views but what else would you want if your visiting in the summer and not the winter to ski. The offer lounge chairs to sit on the very edge of the bluff, way to close for me, also tables with benches for a nice picnic or just visiting with family and friends.
I was wondering how people find and develop these areas, to find this must of been a task not left to the weak or timid for sure. I could stay here and camp out for a month just viewing the vistas and surrounding mountains. On our way up to the mountain we watched a group of antique cars driving along the mountain roads bringing back found memories for all the guests on the bus, you could see them remembering the first motor cars and what a marvel they were when introduced to the world.
I think if you have a chance to go it should be visited once in the summer before you head up for skiing so you will not only enjoy what nature has to offer but you'll appreciate the skiing more knowing the make up of the range without all the snow, it is beautiful with snow only to be topped by the beauty of the green trees, grasses, wild flowers and sheer magnificent views. Walking about without the snow on the ground gives you a better feel of this marvelous wonder of nature.
See you on the mountain, if you're interested in doing a day trip I suggest you book with Victoria Clipper Vacations, as our partner in the Pacific Northwest they are indeed well heeled and vested in your perfect trip.
Happy trails!
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