The West Coast (of the United States, not Florida)
By Philip Cardella 21 July 2026
California, Washington (and Florida)
National Parks
Believe it or not, South Florida, South Florida isn't the only place with National Parks. Wild and unexpected, I know. The craziest thing is that the entrances to the two parks I visited are thousands of feet higher than any point in Florida. Last week I got to Lassen National Park in Northern California and Rainier National Park in Western Washington. Both were spectacular, even if Tahoma (the real name of the mountain–Admiral Rainier was a war criminal British admiral who fought against the American Revolutionaries and who never set foot in what is presently Washington) kept to herself behind a veil of clouds.
Lassen, at 10,000 feet is one of the shorter well known volcanoes, though it sits in one of the few places in the world you can find all four types of volcanoes and it is the tallest volcano of its type, was out in its full glory.
Several views inside Lassen National Park. Photos Credit Philip Cardella 2026.
Meanwhile Tahoma was in peak wildflower season, which got the critters as excited as the humans.
Photos from Rainier National Park. Photo Credit Philip Cardella 2026.
Back to Florida
I returned to Florida just in time for another Signs of Fascism event on Bird Road this past Saturday.
Photos from the 18 July 2026 Signs of Fascism protest on Bird Road. Photos Credit Philip Cardella.
Philip Cardella
