Mesa Falls

We aren't a family that travels well, though it's been a while since Leah began her tantrums as we backed out of the driveway. With six kids, we don't like to be stuck in a tiny space together for too long. And "long" can be defined differently depending on the day and the traveler(s).

So while we try not to go more than 4 hours in any direction too often (which means we still haven't made it to Disneyland), we feel very fortunate to live in an area of the country with so many great places a short drive away.

A month ago, we drove up to Mesa Falls for a visit of the falls and a picnic dinner. We have some of the best times when we make these last minute trips. And the weather threatened rain, so we weren't too hot and didn't have a lot of people to run into.

When we left Washington state to move here to Idaho, I lamented the beautiful trees we were leaving behind. We live in a farming area...the only trees around here are near canals or the Snake River. Or up in the mountains. This shot of Chad and the kids makes me miss our brief time in Washington.


We started to get a view of the falls on our walk down the path. This was the Upper Falls stop. It was beautiful...


...and it was high! Hold on to the baby, Chad!


From there, we got back into the car and drove a little further to the Lower Falls. This entailed a lot of boardwalk and steps. I'm just glad I wasn't pregnant!


It was worth the effort! I was transported back to Samoa when I saw this. I think the kids were mildly impressed. Luckily, I was able to use my maturity to enjoy it more. Hmm...wouldn't it make a good wall mural?


Proof I was there. I'm not sure what Rebekah's intentions were here. We have 3 shots and she's making a weird face/pose in each of them. Vogue, vogue. Joseph nearly disappears behind the stroller!


The kids enjoyed the view a bit further down from the falls. They just like the elevated views. What is that kid doing? Someone should let him know it's a long way down and an even longer way back up!

We had our picnic dinner at the Lower Falls parking area. We had our choice of picnic tables and were only bothered by a very angry squirrel and some very inconsiderate mosquitoes. Luckily, there was some insect repellent in the van. We just laughed at the squirrel.

Hmm...this doesn't seem to be a very flattering picture for anyone. Motion shots can be so tricky!

More proof I was there. Nathan and I sat together across from everyone else.

It wasn't too long before the wind picked up and blew us out of there. We chased a few paper plates on the way.

And since we were up that way, Chad wanted to check out an old fish hatchery. Old was right! They don't use it anymore, but they do rent out the cabin. It's way back in the hills, at the end of a road. There is a spring of warm water that comes out of the mountain there and the river widens up nice a flat for some good fishin'. It might be fun to check into renting that cabin for ourselves sometime!

Chad got out with everyone but Sarah. I stayed in the van with her...nice and dry and warm. You can see that things were a little chilly at this point. Joseph came back to the van and everyone else went for a little walk.

On the trip home, we stopped in Ashton for a RedBox movie and enjoyed a mostly quiet trip home.