Silver Falls State Park

Well it took me several days to finally dig myself out from underneath a HUGE pile of laundry! I had forgotten just how much dirty clothes, towels, bedding etc. you bring home from a camping trip!

We had a wonderful time though. The park was amazingly beautiful and the pictures I took just don't do it justice! Our little cabin in the woods was small but cozy. We were thankful that we opted for a cabin over a tent as we DID get some rain the last day! It wasn't in the forecast.... so where did that come from???

We were able to see 6 of the 10 waterfalls there and did a great deal of hiking on WED. Here you can see Asa with several of the kids walking behind Middle North Falls which is a 106 foot drop. We had to hold hands all the time as there were some drop-offs! Made me a bit nervous to say the least. The kiddos were such troopers though. They didn't complain much at all when we drug them on a 2 1/2 mile trek to see Winter Falls, Middle North Falls, Drake Falls, Double Falls and Lower North Falls. The trails were a bit rugged and sometimes steep and hilly. Poor little Jared had a bit of an intestinal problem about 10 minutes into the hike and we didn't have any spare clothes on us for him to wear so he trudged along in a T-shirt and his diapers! I'm sure I looked quite silly with my nice wrapped "ornament" hanging from the backpack chair that I carried the whole way! Oh well...I am sure that everyone who passed us could figure out the problem...Jared half dressed and me with my "ornament." LOL! There are no garbage cans in the wilderness you know!


We made lots of smores and banana boats in the evening once the sun went down! It was the first time we had made the banana boats and they were a BIG hit with the hubby. (Okay...I ate my fair share too!) In case you've never made banana boats while camping, you really should give it a try. It is super easy! All you do is loosely wrap a peeled banana in foil...cutting it in half length-wise first. Stuff in a few marshmellows and then stick in some big hunks of chocolate! Leave it to cook over the campfire for a bit...grab a fork and enjoy! All the flavors sort of run together! Mmmm good! The girls did the dishes for me after each meal, with daddy's help. I appreciated the help and they thought it was great fun...like playing "Little House on the Prairie" they said. :)

Much to Sarah's disappointment there was no fishing to be had in the park so she didn't catch "THE BIG ONE!" But I am happy to report to you that we didn't see any mountain lions or black bears! WHEW..... so very thankful for that! The rangers told us that they are only in the remotest areas of the park and the park stretches over 9000 acres. Come to think of it we didn't see too much wildlife at all....a few chipmunks and some birds and that is about it.

I got a real kick out of watching the boys enjoy themselves to the fullest...digging in the dirt, putting dirt in each other's hair and mouth....yes I actually sat by and watched this! (Maybe that is why the intestinal problem...) They collected rocks and sticks...in fact I even found a good sized rock in the washing machine while doing my laundry. They acted like true boys! The girls entertained themselves easily, making some paper dolls and using their imaginations. Mom and Dad got to sit and relax a bit....daddy making himself a fine walking stick and mom with her nose in a good book. Everyone had such a wonderful time we are already talking about going back next year!