Looking Back - 4/12/2022 Kirkland WA -> Silver Falls State Park OR

Silver Falls State Park, OR

Road Trip Kirkland WA to Silver Falls State Park OR

Today we look back on our first drive.  Since we retired early, we do what we can to save money so we don't have a ton of data on our phone plans.  The goal is to post little updates on the road and then look back when I have an unlimited connection.  

The day started with us waking up in our empty (well we left a couch and a bed) apartment.  We heated up coffee that we had made the day before (the coffee maker was packed and went into storage the day before) and looked forward to the adventure that was going to unfold over the next year or so.  After coffee, we packed the van and got Francis settled.  We didn't have an incentive to get to our destination early because we couldn't check in until 3pm.  

The drive was about 4 hours and we took a few stops to let Francis do his thing.  

One of the many beautiful Washington State Rest Stops

One of the things I like to do is track which highways I have driven on.  I am experimenting with recording all of our drives in the My Tracks App.  It seems to be going pretty well.

Our drive for the day

We arrived at Silver Falls State Park just in time for check in.  There was a lot more snow on the ground than we had expected. We had been getting weather from Sublimity OR and it turns out the comparison is Apples to Oranges.  

Francis can sense the snow on the ground

The snow continued to fall lightly as we set up camp.  It was our first time setting up camp with as many crates as we have.  The plan is to put the crates without food and without valuables under tarps overnight.  They fit in the van when driving, but when we set up the bed we have to move them out.

Setting up camp in the "snow"

Once camp was set up we took a short walk.  It was very wet snow so we decided to just stick close.  Silver Falls State Park is known for its 4 mile 10 waterfall hike but we decided to skip it this time.

Clear walkways were nice

Snow capped logs on the river

Oregon State Parks have heated bathrooms!

Miles of Smiles

The beer we shared stayed cold

We whipped up dinner as the snow continued to fall and then hit the sack just before the sun went down.  Before bed Donna usually reads and I type up my trip notes for the day.

Here are some photos we took last year during real spring when it wasn't snowing.  It's really an incredible place and you should totally go when it isn't snowing.

Mind your head

The trails lead behind the falls

You can see The Backside of Water

Last year outdoor masks were the norm