Union Creek, Oregon

I learned very early on about the near sacredness that is Union Creek to my husband and his family, and with good reason!  It is a special place, filled to the max with beauty, adventure and family memories - both old and new!  We spent our final week of vacation camping at Union Creek, teaching our kids how to fish, going for hikes, exploring lakes, eating ice cream and making a visit to Crater Lake.  With a 24 hour detour mid-week for Brant and me to attend my Pop-Pop's funeral, it was a fantastic and fun-filled week in Southern Oregon!

Wasting no time, literally 30 minutes after arriving to our site, Brant was out on the creek, teaching the kids how to fish.  This had been a conversation for months leading up to the trip and they were all excited and ready to go!

Our original plan for the trip was to have the kids share some of the adult poles, since they had never been fishing before and we knew we'd be busy assisting them anyhow.  That lasted for one outing... ;)

Ready for the first fishing adventure!

The newest additions to the Himes' fisher-folk! 

Seth, Maddie and Kylia, off to the next fishing hole.

Crossing logs is just what you do at Union Creek!

Maddie caught her first fish!!

Geoffrey was on the heels of anyone fishing, no matter what.  He so desperately wanted to see the action and be a part of the action!

Adalie and her fish! 

April, Leilani and Maddie, cheering the fisher-folk on.

Kylia and Seth.

That afternoon, Brant and I snuck away to the general store and found two kid-size fishing poles and surprised Maddie and Geoffrey with them.  They were pretty pumped to discover, not only their very own poles, but *also* the fact that one was adorned with "Frozen" characters and the other with "Mickey Mouse."  Do we know our kids, or what??

He was in awe.

Another fun activity is to walk down to the ice cream shop for a sweet, cool treat, followed by a hike to the Rogue Gorge.  Who can say no to ice cream?

Leilani and Maddie

Father and sons -- Dale and Seth took note of Brant's new hat, and followed the trend.

Grandpa Dale loves to treat his grand kids to ice cream!  And they don't mind one bit!

The picture doesn't even begin to capture this impressive falls!

Brothers

The Himes Men

These two cousins are the sweetest!

Just stop!

Later that afternoon, we had a chance to go fishing as a foursome.  It was wonderful to be out in nature with the kids, exploring God's creation, attempting to catch fish, and exposing them to things they had never seen or done.

Officially a fishing family! (Say that 5 times fast!)

Perched upon the log that sits high above the mouth of the creek, as it empties into the Rogue River. 

Quite possibly one of his favorite spots in the world.

Pristine.

Learning from their favorite teacher.

The following day, we made a trip over to Diamond Lake, where the family enjoyed playing in the water, doing paddle boats and stand-up paddle boards.  The outing was a blast!

Maddie and Zoie, eating lunch by the lake.

Off they go!

The youngest made sure to bring her wooden boat along for the ride.  Smart!

Why, yes we did!

Seth and April conquered the water.

The kids definitely wanted to get in on the action...they had excellent balance!

Of course, it didn't last long, and they both wanted to attempt standing on the board.  Geoffrey lasted a few moments, before falling right in.

Maddie impressed us all, and absolutely dominated that board by herself!

She was amazing and never fell in!

The following day, before Brant and I left camp to attend my Pop-Pop's memorial service, he went on a special river-float fishing trip with a few of the adults and the two oldest kids.  Our kids and I remained at camp with Grandma, Auntie, Zoie and Leilani, where Geoffrey caught his first fish and we went out to Beckie's Cafe for lunch.  I'd say we definitely got the better end of the deal!

Hooray!  He was so proud!

Grandma, with her youngest grandchild.

Who doesn't appreciate eating at a restaurant while on a camping trip?!

Sweet sisters!

Our last full day of vacation was spent up at Crater Lake, which never fails to disappoint.  We drove around the rim of the lake, and stopped several times for short nature hikes, enjoying the beauty of a warm day!  Be forewarned:  for some reason, on the final day of any family vacation, I tend to get a little "trigger happy" and take way too many pictures.  Additionally, I'm not too great at narrowing down what I want to share with my readers...you've been warned!

He doesn't mind being the only boy!

I'm crazy about him.

My beautiful niece, Kylia, and me...with my oddly dis-proportioned leg! 

This child truly embraced becoming one with nature...and my washing machine had to work extra hard when we returned home!

All the cousins, minus the youngest.

Too many photo-ops!

My wonderful in-laws.  Not a day goes by where I am not grateful to be loved by them and enveloped into their amazing family.

Adalie Grace, my not-so-little flower girl, and true sweetheart.

Nothing like a cheery picnic lunch in the beautiful wilderness!

The Himes' Crew.

Sweet girls.

It really is a spectacular blue.

We both married into the family, and our bond only continues to deepen as sisters.

Again, I swoon!

It was a pleasure and a joy to spend the week with this fabulous family of 6, and we can hardly wait for them to move back to the Northwest!!

My littlest buddy.

These three are my world, and I am so happy to be living life with them!

You really can't capture it, nor can you stop taking pictures of it.

We had such an incredible two week vacation in Oregon, which marks the beginning of our big move back to the Northwest.  What wonderful adventures we've been on and will only continue to venture forward on as a family.