Walk in the Wright Woods!

Thursday we couldn't get on the road fast enough to go see Jentry & the kids!  What a gorgeous area they live in.  Just off a main estuary of the Columbia, it's lowland, with hillsides covered in second & third growth timber.  Heavily logged for generations, there are still a few trees here & there that remind us of what once was.  The tree below is a Redwood, that neighbors say is a rare species. Jentry has contacted a naturalist to come & identify it.

Skyla, Ben, Grammy & Cooper!

This family has always loved the outdoors & hiking - so even though it was raining - we headed outside to walk the property.  With their home on the lower area of the hill, they also have land on the far, uphill side of the road.  A driveway goes up to another area - level & much higher on the hill.

All it takes for fun is a wet log!  :-)

By the time I was done admiring the offspring of the big Redwood, now getting big too, the kids had already found fun!

Skyla & Ben

These two girls are so lucky to have their big brother Ben!  Now that he's outnumbered, he takes the brunt of little girl fun.  

Ben~

As we looked up at the hillside, we decided that we could hike up & see where the property corners might be.  It was wet, very wet, but also so beautiful & I loved being back in the lush green!

Ben & Josie~

Josie too, is one tough little hiker!  Ben worked to clear her a path, but more than once she just ducked & went for it on her own!

Tiny & fast too!

She got up some speed on the slippery leaves!

Butch, Skyla & Ben

These guys found one of the creeks ahead of us.  It looked like there was more than one spring feeding all the small creeks that were flowing off the hill.

Deep ravines, lots of flowing water~

We found the corners, Butch found survey tape in the right areas.  We decided to take a different way back down with Cooper in the lead.

Heading back~

Skyla was running along in the lead when suddenly...  She came to a stop - her boots stuck more than ankle deep in mud! 

Papa to the rescue!  

Butch found a way to get to her that didn't involve stepping right into the mud.

Almost free!

We were laughing, because years ago her mother got the nickname of Swamp Monster for going into a bog up on the pass & coming back covered in black slime!  I wish I had that picture!

Out she comes!

Jentry & I took the lower path around what is probably another underground spring.  We could smell Sulphur in the air.

Woodland Beauty~

 We got back to the house soaked!  Hot drinks hit the spot!  We finished off the day with dinner at Grandson Ben's place of employment - Geno's Pizza, some the best Pizza ever!