Willow Springs

The best part of our entire family vacation was our hike along Cub River, which comes out of a beautiful springs called Willow Springs. We loaded the kids up with lots of sunscreen, packed the bag with good food, and started on our way. We had to cross many bridges along the way. Ethan walked mostly on his own, but every now and then, he wanted us to pick him up. This picture doesn't begin to do justice to the gorgeous greenery and falling water that we saw along the way.

When we got to the springs, I was astounded at all the water that was coming out of a spring. I mean, really. That's a lot of water. I usually picture a spring being a little trickle, that might eventually turn into a river if it has lots of tributaries. But this was a grand, sparkling river from the moment it exited the earth.

The moments we spent sitting by the springs were the best. We ate our snacks of grapes, meat and cheese, crackers, and trail mix. Ethan slipped his feet into the water. . .

While Kate snoozed. . . .

It was a perfect temperature, neither of us had to scramble around to satisfy impatient or hungry kids, the scenery was beautiful, and God is just plain amazing. It felt completely peaceful.

On the way back, Kate and I enjoyed all the wildflowers (I know they are hard to see in this picture, but there were many that were in bloom) and sang songs. Kate is becoming quite the little singer.

When we got back to camp, the kids took a nap and I went for a run and Tim read his book, then went for a bike ride when I returned. It was a lovely day.