Wallowa Lake Vacation

A few weeks ago we finished our summer off with a family vacation.  This happened to be the first real family vacation we have ever really taken aside from visiting family members.  Of course the kids always think visiting family is a vacation, but this was the first get-away we have taken in about 8 years.

We began planning this vacation around January.  It was difficult deciding where to go but in the end we decided to get away, but not too far, and stay in a vacation home near Joseph, Oregon by Wallowa Lake.  I have firmly decided that the Pacific Northwest is the most beautiful part of the country that I have seen so far.  After we left the high desert and entered Oregon, I knew it was going to be a nice weekend.

We were greeted by some locals.  These deer were so tame (and very scruffy), the kids were able to pet them and we were able to recognize most of the group by the time we left.  They hung around our place the whole four days.  I'm sure the kids will always remember that.

The weather was fantastic.  We were able to leave the smoke that is engulfing most of Idaho and enjoyed clear, cool skies.  We took a tram to the top of a summit and it was very steep.  It was well worth the view that greeted us at the top though.  It was totally breathtaking.  The chipmunks at the top were very tame also.  It was reminiscent of when I was young in California and we would go to the coast and feed the chipmunks and squirrels there. The kids fed them and we took a small walk around to a few lookouts.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was watching these Kokanee salmon spawning in the creek.  The colors were so brilliant and some of them were just huge!

spawning Kokanee

One of the highlights of the trip was the 1-hour horseback ride I took with the kids.  Someday I will get Brent on a horse!  I was worried it would be a very un-exciting ride through the woods.  I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a nice 1,000 ft elevation gain through the forest with some beautiful lookouts of Wallowa Lake.  It was the first time the kids had been on a long horseback ride, but I think they really loved it and it was probably the highlight of their trip.

Taylor, Bridget and Natalie

Cowboy Gavin

The night before we left we were sitting in the cabin when what looked like a large bird flew over our heads. This little guy had probably been hanging out in our cabin all weekend.  It was fun catching him and putting it back outside.

Overall it was a good trip.  We had  a little bit of drama, but the fun outweighed it.   I learned a valuable lesson though.  Never feed your preschooler more than one junk food-filled meal in one day, especially when they are not used to eating that way.  Cleaning up hot dog bits off your other child in the middle of the night is not a lot of fun.

Oh, yeah. I did it. I puked on my brother!