Scenic Olympia-Tumwater Falls

First of all, I just have to explain, parks are EVERYWHERE in WA, and you don't even know it until you google which park is closest. All the tall trees block everything from view, and it so easy to miss a wonderful adventure without even knowing it. Tumwater Falls was about ten minutes away from Sid's house, and we found it on one of our very few relazing (it's a combo of relaxing and lazy-yes that was intentional) days. At first, it all looked like man-made waterfalls, but as I hiked (I could do it there without getting out of breath!) further back into the woods, I found some amazing little gems. This one was at the very beginning of the park, and trust me when I say it just got better from there.



Okay, while it's nowhere near as big as either the UT or Yosemite one, the WA version of Bridal Veil Falls was very pretty. It was set back in a little cave of sorts, and it was so worth climbing through blackberry bushes (there was a path there) to see. I guess Mom's love of waterfalls is contagious, and since she couldn't manage the steep slopes, I tried to get as many pictures for her as I could. But I'd be lying if I said this one was just for her. I fell in love with it. There's just something about hearing water crashing down that makes me really excited. The best part of all this is the Washingtonians embrace the concept of Free Recreation, something that is pretty much unheard of in the land of Desolation (a.k.a. Texas).

Okay, so some close-ups should just be avoided. However, considering I was a lone wanderer on most of these hiking adventures, it was the best I could do. I was quite pleased that I was able to actually get me and the waterfall in the picture. This picture goes to prove that the sun does actually shine, even in Olympia, WA. It was a stunningly gorgeous day, and I had a ton of fun strolling all throughout Tumwater Falls.

I look at some of these pictures and think "Dang, I can't believe I actually took that!" Thank goodness for modern-day technology that produces cameras that can be operated by photography novices! This is one of those pictures where I'm especially thankful for my amazing camera. It captured what I wanted beautifully. It almost looks like it could be a postcard doesn't it? I promise, I actually took all these pictures. Insane isn't it? Considering that I used to be the ultimate out of focus, head chopping picture taker, I'm super excited when my shots are actually half-way decent! Again though, I give credit to my camera-and to Heavenly Father for making such a gorgeous place!