Silver Falls

We haven't been to Silver Falls State Park in over 10 years so we decided to take a ride out there and enjoy a picnic lunch. I had cooked up some chicken, potato salad, and deviled eggs and to top off our picnic we took a nice, sweet, juicy watermelon to enjoy. Teacup thought this was the best ever! At first we thought we might to the Covered Bridge for a picnic but since Alan and I had lots of time we packed up, checked the map to make sure we remembered how to get there, and set out for a fun filled day at one of Oregon's symbol of nature. There are 10 falls in the 9,000 acre park to enjoy but in order to see them you'll have to take an 8 mile hike. We did this several years ago when our bodies were in better shape and one thing I think any hiker should get is a gold medal for accomplishing this task as it is quite a hike over some challenging trails. We were able to enjoy the South Falls this time and I was able to capture it's splender in several shots. There are some nice paved trails so my scooter was able to navigate without any problems. There are lots of bike trails as well as horse friendly ones. The South Fall is 177 feet high and is amongst one of the falls where you can walk behind it. The falls tumble over thick basalt lava flows resting on softer, older rock. The softer layers beneath the basalt eroded over time and created natural pathways behind some of the falls. If you look up you can spot tree chimneys or casts when walking behind the North Falls. These formed when lava engulfed living trees, causing the wood to disintegrate.

Silver Falls is relatively close and we were able to be home before dark. Even though the weather didn't end up sunny and in the mid 70's as was forecasted we still enjoyed a perfect day enjoying all the beauty that Oregon has to offer. It's so good to be back home!