We took a hike.....

Even though it is fall it is still quite warm and the leaves have not really started changing color yet. Today, the weather was so pleasant that we decided to spend most of it outdoors. We thought about apple picking, but when I called the orchard that we usually go to, they said that there were very few apples left on the trees. We decided at that point that we would go for a hike instead. We thought of all the usual places....Great Falls, Shenandoah Park, Lake Fairfax, River Bend Park. Then we decided to go somewhere new.

Andre heard of this park quite a few years ago. It is very close to Great Falls, just a few miles to the south.

We packed our lunch and took to the road. It didn't take long to get there, but as soon as we arrived the children were ready for lunch. Andre and I didn't think that 10 minutes into our hike was a good time to eat. We wanted to find something much more scenic. If nothing else, we wanted to be by the water.

After about 45 minutes we arrived at the water...found a good spot and had our lunch. We had this waterfall just behind us as we ate.




Then the children spent time jumping from rock to rock.....and at this point tried to build a small dam in the river. The few rocks they had here were not going to hold back the Potomac River.

We decided to head back by a different route....and this was much more fun. There were a couple places where we needed to cross over the creek. There were these big concrete 'stepping stones' rising up out of the water for us to cross on.



















Here the children decided that they wanted to climb all over the rocks in the creek. Where is the fun on walking on a path when you can climb in the creek instead?











Finally, we are done with climbing in the creek bed....crossing over cement steps....and trying to dam up the water. It is time to head back to the car.

But, there is no time to rest. In just a few hours the boys' soccer team has a game against the dads.

Here is Michael.....wearing a familiar shirt? It is a bit small, but he loves it.