As I stood on the dock with Ryder on my back and Andy by my side, I gazed out at the beautiful green trees reflecting on the lake, thinking to myself how lucky we were to be there in that exact moment, when everything seemed so absolutely perfect. We were at Nolte State Park, enjoying a moment of peace and reflection at Deep Lake before we began a sun-filled morning hike together on one of Enumclaw’s best training spots.
Vibrant greenery and intertwined trees and vines welcomed us as we began our walk around the lake. We ran up the rolling hills and skipped down the other side, all to the sounds of Ryder making his usual motorcycle revving noises over my shoulder (his indication that he wanted me to go faster). But a wooden bridge over a picturesque babbling brook stopped us in our tracks and gave us a chance to show Ryder yet another wondrous aspect of our morning nature trek. Pretty soon, the fresh air coupled with the motion rocked our little munchkin to sleep and Andy and I were given some time together, to reminisce about the prior day and to plan the rest of the adventures that the next few days would bring.
After the hike, we hit up Tracy’s Roadside Produce for fresh, locally grown veggies, on our way back to Enumclaw. Once back in town, we were in need of a snack and a little pick-me up, so we stopped in at The Local – to snag a coffee for me, a mango smoothie for Andy and a cold cup of milk for Ryder. We relaxed in their big comfy chairs for a while, then decided to walk around town, and enjoy the many cute, locally owned shops that lined both sides of Cole Street.
Lunchtime took us to the Foothills Trail where we had a picnic and then took off on a short mountain bike ride with Ryder. A full tummy followed by a warm afternoon ride on mommy’s back and our lil’ man was conked out once again. We rode back to the Subaru, and after pulling Ryder out of his pack, I couldn’t help but enjoy a few minutes of snuggle time with him before putting him into his car seat. Once the bikes were secured to our rack, we hopped into the Subaru and headed towards Skamania, our next adventure destination.
After exiting off of I-5 and heading east on State Route 14, we were in awe of the never-ending beauty that welcomed us around every corner as we wound our way along the Columbia River. And as the sun began to set, and a rainbow of colors started to spread across the sky we arrived at the Cape Horn Overlook – and boy, was that a breathtaking sight to see. Ryder’s eyes glistened with joy as he gazed upon the Columbia River as the sun slowly set in the distance. It was another amazing end to another epic day on the South Cascade Loop… and we all couldn’t wait to see what the next day would bring.
Photo Credit: © Mahre Media
