Taking a break

After several not-so-fun days filled with unpacking and trying to entertain my 2 kids, I decided it was time to take a break, and packed us all in the car and drove up to the woods. The area we live in is very devoid of trees, but this is Oregon, so I knew there were some out there to be found. In our case, we only had to drive 20 or so miles to Emigrant Spring State Park to get our "tree fix". And what a fix it was!!!

It was the first time in well over a year that the kids and I have been back in the PNW woods, and it felt like coming home. Even the kids remarked that it "smelled like Oregon". It was nice to see many familiar plants and trees again, and to see some new ones.



Emigrant Spring State Park is named after a natural spring that the pioneers on the Oregon trail would stop at to get water. This part of I-84 roughly follows the old Oregon Trial route, and there are many interpretive sites along the way. I hope to stop at as many as I can with the kids in the months (and years) to come.



This "fix" is exactly what we needed today. After a few grumpy days for all of us, fresh air and being out in the beauty of nature was the cure I knew it would be.



On the way back, we stopped at a look out point on the Umatilla Indian Reservation and wow, what a view point it is! INCREDIBLE!



If you look closely below, you can see the tiny dots that are the kids. We came back refreshed and ready to tackle the upcoming week.