It was the last week in September and I wanted a mini vacation before the summer ended. I planned the trip all week. We’d head up the mountains—a day trip to McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. We’d do a little hiking. Maybe head down to the lake for a swim and picnic. It’d be brilliant.
We woke up early, dragged the kids out of bed and packed them into the car. The sky was overcast… full of mutinous gray storm clouds that mimicked my husband’s face when he realized we had a three hour drive ahead of us.
An hour into our drive it began to rain. When I say rain, I don’t mean a sprinkle or a drizzle. The sky opened up a washed away all the dirt that had accumulated on my car from my weekly commute to work.
I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked and, well, irritated. I mean what the heck? It’s Northern California. We don’t get rain in September, just scorching 100 degree temperatures that feel like your face is melting off even when standing in the shade. Luckily, I had grabbed a bunch of jackets for us just in case, because by golly, I refused to admit defeat by canceling our trip.
We were all a little cranky by the time we arrived. One look at the falls changed all that. It was absolutely breathtaking. We walked the trail through the forest to the lake. It didn’t rain the whole time. It was a reminder of how beautiful our world is and how small a slice we get to see in our day to day lives. I'm glad my kids have this amazing memory of our family trip.
We woke up early, dragged the kids out of bed and packed them into the car. The sky was overcast… full of mutinous gray storm clouds that mimicked my husband’s face when he realized we had a three hour drive ahead of us.
An hour into our drive it began to rain. When I say rain, I don’t mean a sprinkle or a drizzle. The sky opened up a washed away all the dirt that had accumulated on my car from my weekly commute to work.
I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked and, well, irritated. I mean what the heck? It’s Northern California. We don’t get rain in September, just scorching 100 degree temperatures that feel like your face is melting off even when standing in the shade. Luckily, I had grabbed a bunch of jackets for us just in case, because by golly, I refused to admit defeat by canceling our trip.
It was worth it.
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| McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park |
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| Lake Britton |
You did not give up! That's the spirit. And the payoff was indeed spectacular. Must add to Bucket List. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'll take you when you come visit:) You'll need to think of something awesome for when I visit you in the Phillipines.
ReplyDeleteHow fun! And the view is amazing. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun trip.
ReplyDeleteThe sky was overcast… full of mutinous gray storm clouds that mimicked my husband’s face when he realized we had a three hour drive ahead of us.
Too funny, I love how you share your voice on your blog.
Thanks DMc,
ReplyDeleteIt was a great trip. The next trip I'd like to take would be to Mt. Shasta. It's a bit further away so we'd have to do a couple of days.