Brothers and the Columbia River Gorge

I grew up sandwiched between two brothers.  This is a major part of my identity.  I also grew up forced to play outside with these two hooligans and am not lying when I say I loved every minute of it.  Forts, pine cone wars, believing we struck it rich on the discovery of blue clay which was thought to be a good sign of gold, these were parts of my everyday life.  If I never have another good day in my life, it would be fair, because I had the best childhood a person could ask for.

That said, my brothers and I got together over the weekend and did a little exploring in the Columbia River Gorge.  This happens to be one of my favorite places.  There are so many hiking trails and waterfalls beyond counting.  It truly is a magical fairy-tale land.  We decided to walk along the road for a bit just to stay safe.. (Totally kidding.  I led us on a mild goose chase that kept us within view and earshot of the lovely road that runs along the river and highway..whoops.)  We eventually got back on track though and landed upon a gorgeous little falls that I can't remember the name of.

There is something so special about going out in nature and enjoying all that it has to offer but doing it with people you love is even more spectacular.  So grab a sibling, spouse, parent, grandparent, friend, whoever, and take a walk in the woods.  If you're needing some inspiration on where to start and you are in the area, check out the Columbia River Gorge.  It is only a 30 minute drive outside of the city of Portland and there are wonders on both the Oregon and Washington side of the river.  

Many blessings.

Clearest water, greenest moss...heaven.

On top of the world.

The waterfall!  Not sure what this one is called.  This link will tell you about many of the falls in the area though. :)  http://www.columbiarivergorge.info/waterfalls.html

Overlooking the train going by down below.