Day 4 - Home Via...

This was the last day of our trip.  I woke up early, as I always do, and read a little while Felix slept.  When he began to stir, he reached over and put his arm across my chest and slept a little more before waking up.  We laid in the tent for a while, listening to the unfamiliar sounds from the forest, quietly trying to find the source through the tent windows.  As the sound of other people waking began to blend in with the forest din, we had our cereal breakfast and proceeded to pack up our gear to avoid feeling pressured when it was time to go.
We took a last walk down to the lake and through some woodsy areas, and then got into the car for our drive home.
The drive let me reflect on our trip and how much fun it was for both of us.  It's really a special feeling when each night my son curls up with me, after a moment of consideration,  and says "Daddy, I really love you".  He said that and/or something very similar several times throughout our trip.  Because he is only five, I wasn't sure how he would like a trip like this; if he would get bored and ask to go home.  He never did.  He had moments of being moody, as did I, but we both really enjoyed the company of each other and we would have liked several more days like this.

When we left for our trip, Felix packed a small backpack for himself that included some elementary "survival" supplies: binoculars, compass, magnifying glass, and also his beloved stuffed hawk he named Parroty.  He took very good care of Parroty during our trip and Felix was cute as I watched him be nurturing.  There was one time when we were getting set to go down to the lake when, before leaving, Felix felt he needed to just go see Parroty in the tent, to touch her.  He picked her (Parroty, he tells me, is a boy, though Felix always refers to Parroty as her) up from under the sleeping bag and just moved her.  Just to reassure her that her well being and security have not been overlooked.

We made one last stop on our drive home: Gorge Creek Falls, which is part of the larger Ross Lake National Recreation Area.  Gorge Creek Falls is where Gorge Creek falls into Gorge Lake.  Hwy 20 passes over the gorge and as you can see in the picture to the right, there is a footbridge along the highway.  The footbridge is steel grating and Felix found it a little unnerving- he had me either carry him or he would traverse by clinging to the railing with his feet on the bottom rail.  The falls were beautiful and the pictures I took just could not capture it.  In fact the pictures were such a disappointment I'm not going to post them, which means you will have to take my word for how beautiful this area is.
We found a trail that went back into the woods a little and had a view overlooking Lake Gorge and its dam.  Not unlike the nearby falls, this too was beautiful, and this too you will see no posted pictures... sorry.  We did take a moment to set up the camera and get a picture together.  After I set the timer, I ran over to sit in front of Felix when he put his hands on my shoulders.  I found that very endearing.  After a little looking around, we set back on the road heading for home.  We took a scenic route by cutting through Darringtion via SR530, until we reached I5 above Everett.
I have to say, this was one of the best vacations I have taken.  This will be an annual trip for Felix and me, though we will take more time and visit other locales.  Perhaps finally getting down to Crater Lake.  We'll see.
We arrived home some time after noon.  I got a picture after we pulled into the driveway: