Over the beautiful weekend we just had I took three of my four kids out to “go on an adventure” and explore some areas we have not yet investigated since moving here three months ago (already?!).

We sure did not know the treat we had in store for us!

I was looking for a spot to turn the car around when I spotted a sign and a parking lot. I pulled in to see what it was as I had no real idea where I was. (we had absolutely no idea what we had in store.)

Logan and Ariella were in heaven with the waterfall. The trails around it were easy enough for both Ariella and Gabriel to handle which was wonderful to let them explore since dealing with weeks of rain.

Upon finding the waterfall Gabriel froze in his tracks and would not move. I do not know if it was how loud the waterfall was or the sheer power of the water that scared him but he completely refused to be put down and clung to Logan and me until we made it back to the car safe and sound. And he never dropped the huge stick he found either.

There is always so much beauty to be found here. I am grateful to call this area home.

Seeing that we are moving away from our beloved Fruit Loop in just a matter of days, my husband and I packed up the little ones earlier this week while the older two were busy at school and pulled off a spur of the moment apple picking trip. Sometimes the best outings are the spur of the moment ones. Don’t you agree?

We had so much fun! Being that it was during the week and early enough in the morning, we had the farm almost completely to ourselves. The adults did most of the picking and the little ones did a lot of the tasting.

Gabriel, in fact ate two whole apples all by himself! He had us cracking up as he would not let go of his apple. He was determined to eat the whole thing all by himself and eat it he did! Followed by another one and possibly a third had we let him.

Ariella was a bit overwhelmed by the rows upon rows of apple trees. I think she was afraid she was going to get lost or lose us as she kept insisting on holding my hand.

I tried to make sure we did not pick too many apples. I do not want to have to worry about what to do with bushels and bushels of apples just before moving. We did pick enough to enjoy snacking on and for making into apple butter. (Which reminds me! Does anyone know of a good apple butter recipe online? I just happen to have all of my cookbooks packed at the moment.)

There was an unexpected surprise waiting for us at the apple farm. We were thrilled to find out that not only were the apples ready for picking but the farm actually still had some beautiful u-pick strawberries available. This just made the visit even more worthwhile! Both Ariella and Gabriel absolutely LOVE strawberries. So, not only did little Gabriel eat two apples but he also filled his belly with all the strawberries he could get his hands on.

Just like with the apples, I tried to make sure we did not pick more than we can handle right now. But it was so hard! The berries were so ripe and so big and so ready to be eaten, NOW!

As our days in the Gorge are coming to a close I am beginning to feel rather sad and nostalgic. The Fruit Loop has always been a favorite place of mine for taking the kids to and dreaming about the homestead I would love to have someday. I am glad we got to enjoy it just one more time.

I apologize in advance for the heavy picture post! I just couldn’t resist posting them all!

Our days living in the Gorge are rapidly coming to an end and I suddenly feel this frantic urge to revisit some of the beautiful places to see here. I truly feel so lucky that I have been able to call this undeniably gorgeous part of the Pacific Northwest home for the past 5 years now.

Yesterday found my husband home for half the day so we took advantage of the morning and went on a little mini field trip with our younger two children, Ariella and Gabriel. We ended up at Multnomah Falls first and then stopped at Horsetail Falls on our way back home. We went at a very casual pace for the little ones and it was so much fun to see the waterfalls through their eyes.

The last time I stopped to visit Multnomah Falls I was 7 months pregnant with Ariella. (And can you believe we actually hiked to the top of that waterfall that day! That is quite a hike for a pregnant lady!) Multnomah Falls was a little overwhelming for Ariella. It is so massive and high up. I believe it intimidated her some. Gabriel would have had us hike to the top if we would have let him! He had so much fun on the trail. (Multnomah Falls has some wonderful native legends to it and I recommend reading about them here if you are interested.)

We had the most fun at Horsetail Falls because it is not as well-known as Multnomah Falls which translates into: not as many tourists there. You can also get right down to the bottom of the fall which we did and let the little ones run around.

They enjoyed climbing on the rocks and tossing pebbles into the water. It was wonderfully cool by the waterfall and I could have stayed there all day.

The Gorge is full of amazing waterfalls, some much more accessible than others. One day my husband and I would love to go and try to see them all. Hiking in the Gorge is a beautiful treat to explore.

I hope to squeeze in a few more local field trips in the weeks before we move. I’m beginning to miss this wonderful area already.