There are 8 active volcanoes in the cascade mountains, the most famous one probably Mount Saint Helens after it’s eruption in 1980. The Tallest one is Mount Rainier with a height of 14,410 feet. We were between Mt Rainier and Mt Saint Helens at a campground and decided to hike in Mt Rainier National Park with our kids (watch on YouTube). We did climb up Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock in Arizona’s Red Rock Country and the children loved it as much as Andrea and I did. There is a big difference in the climate between Arizona and Washington state. Arizona was dry, hot and dusty whereas Washington gets a lot of rain and the weather is more moderate. Obviously that has a huge impact on the vegetation. The Pacific North West is very mountainous with tall conifers. We fell in love with northern Idaho and Washington is growing on us much the same.
We take a small break close to Glacier Vista
Our ride to Mt Rainier National Park took a bit longer than an hour and we stopped along the way to get some snacks. We made sandwiches which we ate on the ride to the park. At the entrance was quite a long line of cars. We have the “America the Beautiful” Pass and were able to skip much of it. After getting through the gate we had to drive about 10 more miles to get to Paradise where you find the visitors center and the Paradise Inn. We had looked the night before and knew which trails to hike. A ranger at the trail head gave us some more information and we were ready to start.
This is the view from the the visitors center, the Paradise Inn is in the backgrond.
Unfortunately we could not take our oldest son, Noah, with us. He volunteered to stay behind with our dog as pets are not allowed on the trails. Everybody else came with us. Andrea carried Bodhi pretty much all the way and I carried Romi. We started hiking the Alta Vista trail and were surprised how steep it was. This was hard especially with the kids on our shoulders. It felt like we were very out of shape but this was also the steepest part of the hike. Once we had reached the top of the trail which is only .6 miles long, we were rewarded with some spectacular views and a pretty good outlook of what was to come. There was the snow-covered top of Mt. Rainier at one end and smaller mountains all around us, rivers, waterfalls, trees and meadows with beautiful wild flowers. It was stunning.
This is past the steepest part of the Alta Vista climb walking towards Rainier.
We headed further uphill, now on the Skyline Loop Trail, which we followed until the end, toward Glacier Vista but the hike was much more comfortable from this point on. Just before Glacier Vista we had reached the tree line. We also saw patches of snow for the first time. Of course the kids had to play on it, touch it and make snowballs. I am not sure when we saw snow for the last time. There were a few flurries before we left Virginia in December, so it must have been in the winter before. It was strange to see snow but we were wearing shorts and t-shirts. It just shows you how much snow there must have been.
There is still snow left but it is relatively warm.
The trails are open from June or July until October.
The hike is partially paved and the we love the trees all around us.
At Glacier Point you stand right by the mountain at the level where the snow starts. There were waterfalls and more beautiful views. The kids got a break, Pauline walked up until here and the rest of the way which impressed us a lot. We did not expect that from our little five year old but it shows how resilient kids are. We carried on uphill towards Panorama Point at an altitude of 6800 feet (almost 2000′ higher than Cathedral Rock). The trail was now rocky and dusty but the views all around werestunning. The weather was gorgeous and a few small clouds floated by the top of Rainier.
Mount Rainier with a few clouds above it.
There is a platform at Panorama Point and you can see much of the Cascade mountain range. Mount Adams, Mount St Helens and Mt Hood are all visible from here along with other mountains.
In the background you can faintly see Mt Adams
The view down into the valley never ceased to amaze, always changing into another beautiful picture as we moved along. The path kept on going uphill for a little longer and at we soon reached the crossing onto Golden Gate Trail which was a direct line back to the parking lot. But we were not ready to head back yet. so we decided to stay on Skyline Loop. The kids enjoyed more patches of snow along the way.
View towards the visitors center from our hike down
Once we reached the tree line again we found more streams, waterfalls, green meadows, pretty wild flowers and even saw groundhogs and chipmunks. There only seemed to be green from the trees and and the blue of the sky sprinkled with the colors of the wild flowers.
Subalpine Daisies
When we were within a mile to the visitors center we found blueberries. That obviously added some more time to our trip. How could you pass up something as delicious as wild blueberries and there were plenty and they were delicious.
We spent well over an hour picking these beautiful and delicious oval-leaf blueberries.
Sluiskin Falls is another place of interest. You walk over a bridge and have the opportunity to walk down steps in oreder to get right in front of it with Mt Rainier as a backdrop. A perfect opportunity to take some more photographs.
In front of Sluiskin Falls, Mount Rainier is in the background but here can only see the bottom with snow.
After that we found a bunch more blueberries and had a groundhog walk the opposite direction on the same path we were taking. It took him some time to build up the guts to walk past us but he needed to get to the other side of us to get some of the blueberries. The trail ended by the Paradise Inn. From there we had about 10 more minutes to walk to the car.
Paradise Inn
In the parking lot we saw a couple of hikers who were preparing to go to the top at night. We were a bit confused at first as to why they would go at night but they explained that it was safer as the snow and ice get soft and unsafe during the warm weather. It was only the two and they did not have a guide so they decided to walk at night. We started our hike at around 1pm and got back to the car a little before 8pm. We had a lot of brakes and walked a slow pace because of the little ones but we were amazed at Pauline as she walked the whole 5.5 miles although it seemed a little longer than that.
one of the many bequtiful vistas.
This hike was something we will remember for the rest of our lives. As we will remember Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock. Thee constant beauty of nature, the sight of the mountain, the snow the flowers and animals will always be in our mind. We love that we did it with our children as they hopefully have another beautiful of our trip through the United States.
Had the most epic day hiking around Mt. Rainier in Washington State! It is breathtakingly beautiful, with the snowcapped mountain tops, flowing brooks, waterfalls from melting snow, a pristine view of the Cascade mountains, abundant wildflowers, tall pines, blue skies, hundreds of chipmunks scurrying about, marmots, mountain goats and delicious wild blueberries. I couldn’t but feel an immense gratitude. For years all we wanted was more time together as a family when it seemed so impossible at the time with Andre working long hours, weekends and holidays as an executive chef at fine-dining restaurants or country clubs. Somehow, we’ve been able to transition building our own business that is location independent, gives us opportunities to travel full time and explore this beautiful countryside and have so much quality time as a family!
This didn’t happen by chance!!
I had to be sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I had to work on my mindset!!
I had to believe it was possible!!
I had to be consistent and committed!
I had to trust the process!
I had to get comfortable being uncomfortable!
I had to unlearn and relearn and learn no skill sets.
I had to make temporary sacrifice for long term gain
I had to deal with disappointment and move on!
I had to fail many times and get up again and again!
But it’s all worth it for the person I am becoming in the process, the life we are creating and the lives we’ve changed and continue to change for the better!!
Anyone who has a burning desire for a better life has everything they need to create it!
There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.
Napolean Hill
Stay tuned for a video from Andre and more posts about Mt. Rainier!!
Andre and Andrea at Mt. Rainier, Washington
Pauline and Josephine are absolutely delighted to see snow after 8 months of chasing summer!
Brad, a fellow hiker, took this photo for us! Missing are Noah our oldest and our boxer dog, Freya. Dogs aren’t allowed at national parks.
Today I had the privilege to sit down with my favorite nootropic drink and talk Dr. Christina Parks, who received her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan in 1999, on how we can detox and heal from vaccine injury, especially the Covid experimental MRNA vaccine.
The topic of detox is more important than ever as we start to see the travesty and impact the mrna experimental vaccine and vaccines in general have had on our society. As, of right now, “Unkown Causes” is the leading cause of death in Alberta, Canada and we have article after article coming out of mainstream news outlets desperately trying to cover their tracks or insult our intelligence by warning us of the dangers of cold shower and how it can cause heart attacks in the “young, fit and healthy”. You’ll also find articles on the dangers of too much exercise, gardening and yes, even “joy“. Not only does this defy common sense, but cold showers and ice plunges are actually incredible for cell autophagy, sirtuin production and NAD in the similar way as intermittent fasting. On the positive side the insanity and lies are becoming glaringly obvious to an increasing amount of people. There is also a paradigm shift in natural health and wellness. It’s exciting and it’s simple.
When scientific discoveries are made, the doctors are about 20 years behind the research and then, the public is about another 20 years behind. Science is showing more and more how miraculous and self-healing design of the body. “There is a whole system within us that prevents damage, evokes health and detoxes”, says Dr. Christina. This system has a master gene in charge of it called Nrf2. This particular Nrf2 activation has been about 50 years in the making, and then finally came together in 2003. In 2005 ABC did a compelling investigative report on this NRF2, which is the most scientifically backed nrf2 activator. That report gained the attention of institutions like John Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, American Heart Association to name a few and each did their own independent studies that are now published on pubmed.gov. Fast forward to 2022 and there are 28 independent studies, and the marketing has gone from brick and mortar to a person-to-person model. It’s still so far ahead of it’s time that most health professionals still don’t know about it.
Dr. Christina, did her graduate research in the field of cytokine signaling, with a focus on gene regulation and has spent many years studying the biochemistry of how vaccines and pharmaceuticals change our gene expression and biochemical pathways that are essential to our health and wellbeing. In her research Dr. Christina came across Nrf2, the master detox and healing pathway and wondered to herself if there could possibly be a way to switch it on. 3 months later, by Divine providence, a student came to her with a Nrf2 product and wanted to know her thoughts on it! Dr. Christina has not looked back and feels a moral obligation to tell people about the power of activating their Nrf2 pathway with this specific combination of just 5 herbs. This all-natural herbal compound regulates gene expression and bring it back into harmony.
Dr. Christina’s focus today is on supporting the body in activating its natural detoxification and healing pathways through bringing signaling pathways back into balance. While this sounds like a mouthful of science, it is much easier to understand when we think of an old out of tune piano being masterfully fine-tuned by a skilled piano tuner. The job in our own body is far more complex but unlike a piano the body has a built-in system that does that all of that for us! That system is Nrf2 and it exists in every cell in our body and every single mammal on the planet. So, even our four-legged friends.
Dr. Parks recommends activating this the Nrf2 pathway as well as a vitamin D source, magnesium and zinc. We spoke about taking these in their most natural form – so for example, fish oil for Vitamin D. We discuss the importance of the synergy and dosage of supplementing vitamin D and zinc. Using the wrong dosage can throw off the body and too much of one can negate the other. Daily Wellness, is a product that already is combined in the perfect amounts for daily dosage in biologically relevant amounts zinc, elderberry, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and gluten-free fermented yeast extract (a post-biotic). for what it needs to do in the body!
Dr. Christina recommends taking an antihistamine as a short-term solution if the body has a high inflammatory and allergic reaction. Again, if taken, it should be short term and then special care should be taken to address gut health.
Recently a left-wing media outlet published an article brandishing the Rosary an assault weapon. The author and editor and all of the main stream media and radical left-wing politicians are portraying Catholics, and Christians in general, as a radical group that is dividing this country, forcing their will on the population, being the moral police and being intolerant. Of course that is exactly what THEY are doing and being themselves. Not to mention that this country was founded on God and freedom of speech.
It is almost impossible to speak or even defend your opinion or question any topic if you don’t agree with the main stream media or leftist politicians without being labeled mysoginist, racist, climate denier, trans- or homophobe or whatever the subject matter.
So how has the Roasry been singled out by the left as an assault weapon?
Protests by Catholics are peaceful. I have been many times with many Catholics at an abortion clinic praying the Rosary for the end of abortion, for the murder of unborn babies to stop at the clinic, in the United States and in the world. All those protest have been peaceful and civil, without profanities no burning cars, spray-paining, destroyed windows, buildings etc. As Catholics we believe that life begins at conception. The man and the woman consent at that time (I am not including rape here) so why should life be destroyed? Right there is the choice you have as a man or a woman, your body your choice. After that there may be another body. It is laughable to talk about REPRODUCTIVE rights when the DESTRUCTION of life is the subject.
So why is the Rosary such a dangerous weapon?
Because it is used peacefully in protests, unlike many “peaceful” protests by Antifa and BLM. Because the Rosary beads are visible while reciting the prayer, quietly, peacefully. Because of the success of the prayer?
The Rosary prayer is a group or prescribed succession of prayers. There are opening and closing prayers and in between are five decades of Hail Marys. During the ten Hail Marys we meditate on the different stages of life of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It takes about 15-20 minutes and people pray it by themselves or in a group . As it is being done before mass in most catholic churches around the world. Indeed the Rosary is a powerful weapon. When we are baptized into the catholic Church we are joining the church militant and are putting on the armor of Faith. God is on our side and through the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary He answers our prayers. Just like the Rosary prayers around the world for the end of abortion.
Like most Catholic families we pray the Rosary daily. Our family prays for different intentions, for personal intentions and universal intentions ie. the holy souls in purgatory, the conversion of sinners, for the consecration of Russia to Marys Immaculate Heart etc. With the spiritual warfare against the Faith in the world we need all the prayers we can get. Christians are the most persecuted Faith in the world. The Holy Rosary is our weapon.
In the ever increasing and expanding, non-sensical and tyrannical government overreaches, we now have 87,000 new IRS agents who will “use deadly force if necessary” to harass citizens of their hard-earned money. Now is as good a time as any to remind the general public that taxation is theft. Ironically, H.R.5376 – Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 as Fox News reported, allots 124 billion taxpayers’ dollars to pay for this next level infringement.
The IRS job description for their law enforcement division was quickly deleted, but not before it was screen captured and shared all across social media.
We are freedom motivated and always searching for loopholes around the systems and we share what has worked for us! Something that we learned is there are 2 tax systems; the W2 Form, which is designed to steal wealth, and the business tax system, which is designed to create wealth. When our tax codes were written based the logic that what’s good for businesses is good for the economy and so they favor businesses. There is a reason why billionaires like Donald J. Trump and Jeff Bezos don’t pay taxes. They are not criminals; they are very smart. Fortunately, it is possible for anyone to cross over into the
Courtney Epps, a tax code expert and CEO of OTB tax, says that the average household can save between $4,000 to $8,000 a year on taxes just by having a home-based business. She also says ; “If every household in America had a homebased business it would cost the government $508 billion in tax dollars. No wonder our government wants everyone to believe [network marketing] is a scam.” One of the easiest transitions into the business owners’ tax bracket is to join a network marketing business. If you are already purchasing a product you love, joining the business is a no brainer! Even if you run your business very casually, you have made most of your household expenses a tax deduction.
Network marketing is set up like a real estate brokerage, mortgage brokerage, insurance brokerage or franchise. The difference is that you don’t have to spend hundreds of thousands to get started, the overhead is low, you don’t need to hire employees, you can start part-time until you make full-time income. In fact, most people don’t take the business seriously precisely because of the low cost of entry. I learned recently that this business model is not allowed in communist China for the very reason that it is a path for an average person to create financial wealth if they have the burning desire.
Our first introduction to the world of business was Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. It was a paradigm shift for both Andre, coming from former East Berlin, and myself, who thought the was to become financially free was to have a really good job, like a doctor or lawyer. We almost opened a restaurant in 2016, bought and flipped a house and tried to get on the housing market, but it was difficult with cash buyers winning the bids for the foreclosures we were trying to buy. I started a virtual assistant business and I also invested in a course to learn how to be the go between for finding great deals on homes and connecting them to buyers for a nominal fee. We tried so much. A mentor, that God sent into our lives, introduced us to another book of Robert Kiyosaki; The Business of the 21st Century, which talks about the network marketing industry. 2 months later, after interviewing many companies…. we found our forever company and are forever grateful.
A couple years later, I attended a convention where Kim Kiyosaki told the story of when Rich Dad Poor Dad was first written, and they were struggling to sell the 1,000 books they had printed. They had copies for sale at a friend’s car wash business. One day a customer came and bought them all. That mystery customer tracked down Robert and Kim Kiyosaki to ask if they had any more copies in print. She told him they had 1,000 minus what he had already bought. What fascinated Robert Kiyosaki was that this man had a complete understanding of all the principles outlined in his book and did so because he was a network marketer for Amway and had created a massive organization. He bought the book as a gift to his downline and cross line leaders. This was Robert Kiyosaki’s introduction to network marketing and he went on to write a book about this industry and that is The Business of 21st Century. If you haven’t read it, grab a copy!
“Being a part of a network marketing company not only helped me build my practice but also allowed me the personal development I would never have gotten without it.” -Courtney Epps, OTB Tax
Whether you choose to start a multi-level marketing business to switch your tax system or to create residual income, you’ll have made a winning decision.
There are many other ways to build a home-based business like starting a podcast or YouTube channel, a farm, or an Etsy shop. Get creative!!
We have switched our tax bracket and said goodbye to the W2 in 2021. Even our cross-country adventure has many tax deductions because of our YouTube channel: FreeWayTribe . Please head over and check it out… and like and subscribe!
It is breathtakingly beautiful, with the snowcapped mountain tops, flowing brooks, waterfalls from melting snow, a pristine view of the Cascade mountains, abundant wildflowers, tall pines, blue skies, hundreds of chipmunks scurrying about, marmots, mountain goats and delicious wild blueberries. I couldn’t but feel an immense gratitude. For years all we wanted was more time together as a family when it seemed so impossible at the time with Andre working long hours, weekends and holidays as an executive chef at fine-dining restaurants or country clubs. Somehow, we’ve been able to transition building our own business that is location independent, gives us opportunities to travel full time and explore this beautiful countryside and have so much quality time as a family!
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