Enjoying What Nature Has

Jared took a day off work to take us up to South Umpqua Falls.

It was a drive to get there but totally worth it!

It's absolutely beautiful! The water just trickled kind of, over the slate hillside. It just covered our feet when we walked on it. It was very slippery in spots. Water socks would have been ideal but how often would we use them? I did find that keeping my flip flops worked like a charm!

carefully walking in to the cold water. This little pool area was where we did the swimming. It had a small current through it so kids could be pushed along by it in the water. Pretty fun. 

Tim and Jared next to the falls.

Olivia being careful not to slip! Whenever someone slipped it did worry me some. 

Jaime helped Tyler float in the current. Then when he hit the end of it he'd go back to the top and float it again. I floated it with Tyler too but he didn't have the inner tube when I took him so he'd climb on me which pushed me under some. So I'd have to bust out my strong swimming and stay up. :)

Jackson and Olivia laying on the rock hill letting the water flow around them. Not sure if they felt this was warming them or cooling them off. 

The falls dumped into a deep pool

Tyler floating the current from the fall's pool.

Jared, Madison, Jaime, Amy, and I  slid down the falls into the pool. Took me a bit to get to it but it was fun. A bumpier slide than what Amy and I thought it was. The way it looked for the others anyway. We decided that wearing swim trunks probably makes it a more pleasent ride than a girls bathing suit. 

Lindsey (in the life jacket), Madison, and Rylee (in the hat)

Around 12-1pm other people started coming to the falls to play. We were getting hungry so it was a good time to get out of the water and eat our lunch. After lunch we drove up river some more to a place where the river had obviously been a lot bigger at some time.  Now it was small enough there were many little pools and the river was broken up into smaller streams.

Aidan

Miles and Amy

Jared and Tyson floating down the "chute." I got some good video of the kids floating down it. The current was strong enough to push you down but then it went to a shallow pooling where the kids could get out and float it again.

There were a lot of these holes in the river bed that were no longer under water. These make up of the different depth pools in the river. I can see how someone could get caught under the current of the river and get stuck in one of these pools. Scary thought.

Tyler was a brave kid and went down the chute a few times and also went swimming in different little pools.

Rylee and Lindsey

Jackson and Olivia

Walking through the river bed. We'd jump from rock to rock getting across.

Here goes Olivia and Madison down the chute!

Lindsey's turn

Aidan and Tyson warming up. Yes that rock and all the land you see around them used to be under water. Aidan attempted the chute once but the moment he panicked he flailed about and got water in his eyes and he was done! Funny kid. 

Lindsey and Tyler in a pool. You can see some other deeper pools in the middle behind them and then shallow water flowing around. 

Aidan and Tyson, little buddies if they weren't warming up on the warm rocks they were helping Uncle Tim look for gold in the river. 

It used to be a large river!

Relaxing in a pool. Yes it was cold water but even I got in the pool with the kids and swam around a bit. Sometimes you'd find a perfect seat to sit and relax in.