South Cascades Loop - Day 2

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.