The Arguellos actually live in North Bend, which is about 45 minutes out of the city. They’re surrounded by spectacular nature in all directions, so they had to take us on some nature hikes to see the highlights.
Fun fact: Snoqualmie Falls, just a few minutes up the road, is where Twin Peaks was filmed.
Rattlesnake Lake was formed when a dam on the other side of the mountain caused seepage through the mountain and flooded the town located there. They say you can still occasionally find artifacts from the old settlement washing up on the shore, 100 years later.
Even on a cloudy day, the views are breathtaking.
We loved the cottonwood seed pods floating all over the place.
We couldn’t fit the leaves into our suitcases to come home, so we had to take some pictures to show Tommy and the little girls how huge they were!
This eight year old knows more about nature than most of us ever learned.
Next we hiked up the Twin Falls trail.
The kids explored the woods…
We got some great views of the Snoqualmie River…
We learned to identify the Western Hemlock, Washington’s state tree, which often grows into or on top of old, fallen trees.
We got a far-away look at Twin Falls…
Then we hiked further and climbed down to the river’s edge.
The kids stripped off their shoes and waded into the river to get closer to the falls.
My bum knee could only handle so much clamoring over rocks, so I stayed back and photographed their progress!
Back at the farm, Elizabeth read aloud to Bash, to their mutual delight.
Devin and I spent several satisfying hours pulling out books and discussing our homeschool plans for next year!
Charlotte is the Anne to Lizzie’s Diana. She’s the brilliant dreamer with insatiable curiosity, love for nature and books and poetry, and the most affectionate heart. All week, she’d say, “Lizzie, I need a hug!” And my girl happily complied. We miss her already!
Great pictures!! Makes me want to visit the place.