UPDATE: The Snow Play Area at Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park opened Saturday. The road from Longmire to Paradise opened earlier, with all-wheel drive/four-wheel drive or tire chains required beyond Longmire, according the park’s Twitter feed.
When Wendy McConkey decided it was time to lose weight the idea of appearing on national TV and in magazines and newspapers didn’t cross her mind.
The Fircrest resident was just upset about the bruise on her side. It was 2006 and McConkey weighed 449.6 pounds. She wedged herself into an airplane seat for a 4.5-hour flight and spent the entire trip in agony as she pressed against the armrests. The bruises lasted for a week, but the memory still hasn’t faded.
Today, McConkey is 302 pounds lighter and is enjoying her 15 minutes of fame.
McConkey will be featured …
There is a good chance the snowplay area at Paradise will open this weekend.
In the last 24 hours, more than a foot of snow has fallen at the popular winter play area at Mount Rainier National Park. The forecast calls for another eight-15 inches of snow.
How soon the area can open depends on just how much snow falls, said Chuck Young, the park’s chief ranger.
Crews will not start grooming the snowplay area runs Saturday until they have cleared the road from Longmire to Paradise. That didn’t happen until about noon today. Once the road is open, they …
I’m sure the idea of going for a ride through Capitol State Forest sounded like a good one. But for one couple, their ride on Tuesday didn’t end so well.
According to the state Department of Natural Resources, the single-vehicle rollover accident could have been a lot worse. The two occupants, a man and a woman, and their dog were able to escape the vehicle without injuries shortly before it burst into flames.
But department officials said this incident could be filed under “completely preventable.”
The driver was illegally four-wheeling in an area not approved for off-road use, the agency …
Crystal Mountain will show “Cars 2″ in its chapel Friday night at 7. The show is free for all ages and refreshments are made for purchase.
On Saturday, New Year’s Eve, the ski area will have a fireworks show at 9 p.m. A party will be held afterward at the Bullwheel for those 21 and older.
The ski area is open for skiing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
It’s not just 2011 that will come to an end Saturday. So will your opportunity to fish for steelhead and salmon in several areas. It’s also the last day for crabbing until summer 2012.
Today is the last day to fish for steelhead on Mill Creek, a tributary of the Cowlitz River. It’s also the last day to fish for salmon on several rivers including the Washougal, the Tilton and the mainstem of the Columbia from the Interstate 5 to Highway 395 in Pasco.
Check the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website, wdfw.wa.gov, for other rules changes that might …
UPDATED 9:06 A.M.: We initially credited the wrong person for the photo.
The birding community has been buzzing in recent weeks about sightings of snowy owls in Western Washington. They have been sighted in places from Ocean Shores to Renton.
Now we can add Northeast Tacoma to the list.
Linda Sawers, who lives on Hillside Drive Northeast, said there has been one in her neighborhood for several days.
“It’s a beautiful bird. It’s an amazing sight,” said Sawers, who admits she is not a birder.
The owls are circumpolar birds, usually living in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge …
A Salomon ski demo tour will ring in the new year in the Cascades. The tour will be at Stevens Pass on Dec. 31 and Mission Ridge on Jan. 1. The company will be promoting its BBR ski.
Here’s the sales pitch from Salomon:
The revolutionary Salomon BBR ski was unveiled last winter and is hitting retail shelves this fall. Known as the product you’ve got to “ski to believe,” the Salomon BBR is touring again to give more people the opportunity to experience the radical V-shape design, oversized tip, rocker, narrow waist and pintail, resulting in a super playful