ON A SUNNY SUNDAY ... >>>

This much you might already know:

1. Pierce County designed the Chamber Bay Golf Course a former gravel mine overlooking Puget Sound in order to host national tournaments and cater to affluent golfers. The view is spectacular. And everyone and their mother enjoy the paved paths for exercise and leisurely strolls.

2. With 200 square miles of forest, 34 of which remain snow-covered year round, plus 25 glaciers, Mount Rainier National Park is impressive by any standard.

3. The Mt. Rainier Railroad Dining Co. in Elbe serves fill-course meals in a stationary dinner car from the 1910s. The attached Side-Track Room is a full-service bar with a karaoke/darts area. For $115 a night, you can overnight in their rustic caboose, The Hobo Inn.

4. The Last Exit Pub and Grill opened late last year in the closed Jambalaya spot, formerly known as From the Bayou, next to Pacific Lutheran University. They are known to serve a delicious burger.

5. Engine House No. 9 - housed in a 1907 fire station just off Sixth Avenue on Pine street - hosts live music every Sunday from 6-9 p.m. and they do so without charging a cover.

What I discovered yesterday:

1. Mother's Day inside the Chambers Bay Grill was a madhouse with a minuscule buffet crammed into the tiny hall between the hostess' desk and the rather small dining room. Mothers had to push their way through the buffet line, and then squeeze past diners to get to their table. Seriously. The press alone will not be able to fit inside the dining room during national tournaments. On a side note, three mothers and I enjoyed the food immensely.

2. My wife Kate and I headed up into Mount Rainier National Park mid-day Sunday. We hiked part of the Comet Falls Trail, which is still covered in snow, and part of the Wonderland Trail out of Longmire. A wonderfully relaxing work out in the sunny outdoors. Cost to enter Mount Rainier National Park is $15 per vehicle. The yearlong pass is $30. Paradise Inn opens May 21.

3. While the Pepto pink upholstery and historical railroad nostalgia hit a fun chord, the food served at Mt. Rainier Railroad Dining Co. is mediocre at best. The blue cheese burger was overcooked. The homemade spaghetti wasn't "the best ever" as advertised. It tasted burnt. On the bright side, I highly recommend their homemade blue cheese dressing.

4. On a sunny late Sunday afternoon I would often unwind on From the Bayou's tree covered back porch decorated with Louisiana Gothic thingamabobs. I'd toss back a couple microbrews and huddle around their crawfish and sausage cornbread pudding, which is way better than it sounds. The owners flew the coop, and Jambalaya opened in the spot, until it closed. As I mentioned about, the Last Exit Pub and Grill now operates out of the building on Garfield Street in the Parkland neighborhood. What I discover Sunday afternoon was the building's back porch is currently a storage space for the restaurant. The only employee I could find told me there wasn't a concrete plan for the porch, and I should venture across to Reyna's Mexican Restaurant for an outdoor dining experience. I could have been the Last Exit's only customer, but instead was upsold out of the building.

5. While negative elements did creep into my Sunday, it was an enjoyable day to say the least. Kate is a fun, adventurous woman. And the weather was incredible. We grabbed the last bit of sunshine dining on Engine House No. 9's front patio, just below the open window where talented singer/guitarist duo Sean Lewis and Ron Lane took diners through the '70s on their tight harmony bus. The warmth and melodies were amazing.