After a couple easy hikes my wife, daughter and I wanted to explore outside of our area. Living in Spokane so close to northern Idaho, finding various trails and climbs was relatively easy. Big rock in the the valley, riverfront by.. well a river. Both were aesthetically pleasing however our routes had to be under 2 miles. Mainly due to my daughter who sometimes has a tendency to lose her ability to walk when she gets tired. So after fetching the attention of my wife with a couple photos online we decided to go. I prepared for the two hour car ride with some McDonald's kids meal bribery. Thank fully that worked. Throughout the drive on the highway we listed to the radio as I did my best to keep my daughters attention from the boredom that usually comes. Times funny like that, I flashed back to when I was a child and how a 30 minute car ride could feel like a lifetime. I dreaded the words of my father in my head saying I can't wait for you to experience those moments. It was his go to line whenever he brought up memories of my sister and I growing up. The weird thing was every moment he referenced, he complained about, always seemed to hold a negative connotation. As a father now when those moments happen I don't see them that way. Suddenly the negative karma I used to think was cursed upon me was a positive memory. Every moment gave me the opportunity to see the irony, the memory, hear my fathers words in my head. I learned from him, laughed with him and mourned him when he passed just under two years ago. Part of me wishes he was still alive so I could ask him. Ask him if he meant those words to be a sanctuary when parenting through curve balls of frustration. I thank him for that memory and the gift of smiling through those times. Lucky for me though we made it after two hours of sing along and let it go being played over and over. It was kinda a busy day. Having our Washington state discover pass we were able to avoid a crowded parking lot and some boring walk on the road to park right at the pic nic area. We were also lucky enough to have a beautiful day as you can see by the photos. There were a couple tents at the start of the trail and a nice open area with grass overlooking the valley. From here we all started on the walkway and as soon as we got passed the parking lot we could see it. Immediately I picked up my daughter to show her. Her reaction was priceless. It was her first water fall and being able to see it through her eyes meant the world to me. With all of us together it really was our first family vacation. The walkway ran adjacent to a cliff that plummeted all the way to the river basin. It felt a little unsafe being only a few feet away. However my wife was able to get some pretty awesome shots from the side. Along the trail it ended at a gathering of shattered slate rocks that if followed led to a small area just above the falls. With my kiddo in my arms and my wife going first we took the long walk down. It was pretty exhausting with the heat and trying to keep my balance. Once we made it down there was a nice area to wade in the water and some shells scattered just beneath the surface. We spent an hour watching my Daughter collect shells and the occasional rock. Everyone visiting the falls were quite friendly and even offered to take a family photo. Afterwards we made the journey back up to the car. It turned out to be a beautiful trip. We got some great pictures and some fond memories. As soon as we pulled away the only thing I could ask for was that my daughter would nap on the drive home. She did not.
