Silver Falls State Park, near Silverton, OR
HOT COFFEE, COLD
MORNING
We managed to escape yesterday afternoon late for the two & a half hour drive from Bend to Silver Falls State Park. Arriving just after 7 p.m. and almost dark, we snagged the last RV spot in this very popular park, the handicap accessible spot they reserve & hold every day until 7 p.m. With Marc’s recent knee surgery, we qualified to stay in it through the weekend.
I’ve decided that
one of the very best parts of any of our trips is the early mornings. Marc & I
usually awaken early, due in part to the kitties playing musical meows from
about 5 a.m. on, as if to say “it’s kitty feeding time, hurry up”. I usually
stumble down the two steps towards the kitchen & flip the switch for the
coffeepot. Got to get an automatic one one of these days! I peek out our closed
windows & see a heavy coating of hard frost on every surface in view. The
heater, which was set at 50 degrees, seemed to run all night. It’s cold up!
Coffee in hand, it’s
back to the warm cocoon of our cozy suite in the front of the fifth wheel.
Hunkered down sipping coffee, we get to whisper dreams for our day and muse on
individual thoughts in companionable silence. Coffee in bed on an RV
morning—it’s got to rank up there with one of the world’s best moments. There’s
hardly anything more peaceful in my life, as all work & worry slides away.
Despite the cold, Marc & I brave it to jump on the scooters & see what’s up OR highway 214 through this park—Oregon’s largest at over 8500 acres. It’s most renown for 10 gorgeous waterfalls, which cascade along Silver Creek along a hiking trail, which runs almost 8 miles long. They later turn out to be quiet picturesque, but before the hiking, we end up riding the scooters many miles along the winding, undulate back road amongst Christmas tree farms of all sizes. Stopping at the top of a ridge, we also note an old cemetery & walk over an acre of overgrown gravestones, some dating back to the 1800’s. (Next day: another scooter ride towards the small old town of Silverton, where we capture the nostalgia shown in the pictures.)
After lunch, we drive the truck to the day use park so they can see we’re spending the night & don’t need to pay the day use fee. After walking through extensive picnic grounds loaded with people, Marc decides that his knee just isn’t going to be up to hiking, so Rachael & I head off by ourselves. We only make it to the first two falls on the route, which included going down, then up for a substantial distance, probably the better part of a mile. A strenuous four-mile hike—just what I needed. We had noted many folks sleeping in the picnic grass before heading down the canyon & I comment to Rachael we now know why—folks get back to the top & collapse! One of the nice things about the waterfalls is that you have a chance to walk in the grotto area behind the falls since they are so high—almost 200 feet. It reminds us of Fern Grotto on Kauai. The hike is meditative & almost spooky in parts, along moss-draped trees massive in size & dark in texture.
Silver Falls has been established since 1935 and the timber is, of course, all protected, so it’s extremely verdant & boasts some massive fir trees. The South Falls Day Lodge, built by C.C.C labor is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and currently houses an information center and small snack restaurant and a warm, inviting, blazing fireplace. This park charges $20 for a full hookup, handles big rigs easily and is open all year. Reservations are recommended; even on this fall weekend it’s full.
