Lower Salmon River

At the end of March we realized we hadn't done a hike all month long (our New Year's Resolution was to do at least one hike every month).  The weather was not good most of that month, but we finally got a nice day at the very end.  We decided to do Lower Salmon River, which is fairly close to our house and is always a nice hike.  Although, it was a nice day, the trail was still pretty snowy (passable without snowshoes, though).

To get to the trailhead for this hike take Highway 26 toward Mt. Hood to mile marker 42(near Zigzag).  When you reach the town of Zigzag, turn right on Salmon River Road.  Stay on this road for 2.7 miles, and then you'll see a pullout on right where you can park.

This hike is an easy flat hike that follows the Salmon River.  If you do the whole trail, out and back, it is 5.2 miles.  We just always do however much we feel like doing or what we have time to do.  On this day, I believe we went in 1.5 miles and then back out.

 

Ryan and Lindy on the snowy trail.

Owen & me on the trail.  Notice Owen's mittens.  We got them at REI at their clearance sale for just $7 (originally $20).  They are too big right now, so they make his hands look enormous, but they get the job done and will fit him for a while.  I love a good deal.

Marlee the Wonder Dog!  She loved running through the snow on the trail.

 View of Salmon River.  I loved how the sun was shining through all the moss covered trees.

 Ryan & Lindy near Salmon River.  Lindy loves hiking.  She babbles the whole time and just smiles at everything.

 Me & Owen on the trail.  Owen also loves being outside on the trail.  He talks to me a lot while he's in the backpack, but I think he would prefer to be out of the pack exploring.

 

 

1 year

The twins have turned one!  I am quite amazed that we made it through the year.  It was one of the hardest yet most exciting years of my life, and I'm sure Ryan would agree, too.  Here are all the Owen & Lindy's monthly pics leading up to their 12th month.

Lindy June Kaufman

Lindy - 1 Month

Lindy - 2 Months

Lindy - 3 Months

Lindy - 4 Months

Lindy - 5 Months

Lindy - 6 Months

Lindy - 7 Months

Lindy - 8 Months

Lindy - 9 Months

Lindy - 10 Months

Lindy - 11 Months

Lindy - 12 Months

Owen Dean Kaufman

Owen - 1 Month

Owen -2 Months

Owen -3 Months

Owen - 4 Months

Owen - 5 Months

Owen - 6 Months

Owen - 7 Months

Owen - 8 Months

Owen - 9 Months

Owen - 10 Months

Owen - 11 Months

Owen - 12 Months

Happy Birthday Owen & Lindy!  You are an amazing boy & girl.  You exhaust me more than I ever could've imagined, but you've enriched my life just the same.

Crawling

Now that Lindy has got the hang of crawling, nothing can stop her. 

Climbing Stairs

The world is like a Jungle Gym if you're Owen.  He loves to explore every nook and cranny of our house, and his latest favorite is the stairs.  This video is the very first time he attempted climbing the stairs.  He can now almost make it to the top.  He definitely keeps us on our toes.  

10 Months

Owen and Lindy are now 10 months old.  They will actually be 11 months old on March 5th (I was a little late in getting this post done).  They are growing so much, and I swear they learn something new everyday.  Ryan and I couldn't ask for sweeter, smarter, happier, or healthier babies.  They truly are amazing.

In Lindy's 10th month she achieved many new things.  She started crawling.  She is starting to do some signs like "up" and "all done".  This should help us a lot because when she doesn't get her way she tends to get very frustrated and ends up screaming at the top of her lungs.  Ugh!  One new thing she's started doing is pointing.  She isn't pointing at anything in particular, but it is about the cutest thing ever.

Owen has also made great strides in 10th month.  He crawls everywhere, and can pull himself to standing with no problem.  Just yesterday he started walking.  He is not super steady yet on his feet, but I think he will be walking everywhere in no time.  He has no fear when he tries to walk, and when he falls it doesn't phase him at all.

Owen's Walking ????

Well, he's not quite walking, but he is quite speedy with the help of his push toy.  He is also very good at standing, and every now and then he takes one step.  Unfortunately, we couldn't get him to take a step in this video, but hopefully we'll have one soon.  So for now, enjoy these videos.  The first one is Owen walking with his push toy, and the second one features Owen standing on his own.

Triple Falls

We were lucky enough to get some awesome sunny weather last weekend, and we took advantage of it by getting out on a hike. We decided to hike up to see Triple Falls, which in in the Columbia River Gorge.  It is about 4.5 miles round trip, and it gained about 600 feet in elevation.  Most books and websites rate it as a moderate difficulty level.  

The hike starts at Horsetail Falls, which is right off of exit 35 on I-84 East.  It had a moderate incline at first, but then flattens out at .4 miles when it reaches Ponytail Falls.

Me carrying Owen, and Lacey in the background (pictured above), at the beginning of the hike on our way up to Ponytail Falls (pictured below).

Ryan and Lindy underneath Ponytail Falls (pictured below).

 

The hike continues to climb after the falls until you are looking down into the Oneonta Gorge (pictured below).  The Oneonta Gorge is quite spectacular to see, and pictures do not quite do it justice.  I have heard that it is a great place to go explore on a hot Summer day.  

 

Above is a picture of me and Owen crossing a bridge that goes over the gorge.  The picture below is of a small waterfall behind the bridge.

Here is Owen and me at the trail junction for Triple Falls.  On a side note, Owen always looks very uncomfortable in his backpack.  We are looking into getting him one similar to Lindy's.  Hopefully that makes him look a little happier on hikes. 

Here is Triple Falls.  This is the first viewpoint of the falls.  It was so nice and sunny right here, but it wasn't great for pictures.  Below is Me and Lacey at the falls, and then Marlee and Ruby at the falls.  They were very happy pups that day.  (Little Man was also with us, but he was in a shadow in the picture, so I cropped him out).

 

Above is Ryan (and Lindy) taking the picture that is below.  The bridge they are on goes above the falls, and the picture below is of the creek that feeds the falls. 

Below is Lindy at our lunch spot.  She was exhausted from all of the hiking.

All in all it was pretty good hike.  Ryan and I both felt it was a little too long for the babies.  They both got a little fussy during parts of the hike.  I think they just get a little uncomfortable in their backpacks, but regardless, it was an unusually beautiful day in February and I'm glad we got to get outside and enjoy it.