Wednesday, July 22, 2020, we got another early start at Toketee Falls and Watson Falls in Umpqua National Forest. Jim was interested in this giant, leaking pipe near the parking lot:
I believe at the very beginning of the easy, short hike to Toketee, Tiny ran her hand along a wooden railing and got splinters and threw a big fit and it was awful and Jim lost it and the day was nearly ruined. After much ado, we were able to continue, and it was beautiful.
To get a full view of the falls from the front, one must hop a fence and descend illegally with a rope. So Jim did that.
Balance beam practice:
Ever observed (and encouraged) Tiny's dirt play.
We drove to the Watson Falls trailhead and did a short hike up. We off-roaded to the base of the fall, where we got misted on.
After Watson, we drove toward Bend and made a quick stop at the Tumalo Falls lookout in Deschutes National Forest. We nixed any additional hiking, and the girls and I actually just stayed in the car while Jim ran out and took this pic:
We lunched in Bend and then went on to someplace in the middle of nowhere. We stayed for the night.at this really nice place that featured a pool fed by hot springs. The pool is really hot. They pipe in cold water to make it tolerable. The girls weren't really into swimming, though, and we didn't stay long.
After swimming, we went for a short walk, crossing a bridge over the river that runs by the lodge and exploring a little in either direction. There was a sign about a recent mountain lion sighting, so that was exciting. We saw where some of the hot water comes up. The grounds were really pretty, with colorful flowers, etc. I didn't capture it in photos.
There weren't really any dinner options, so we got some microwavable food from the store there at the lodge and made do.
Back at our room, we discovered that Wren had a splinter in her finger, and her finger was all red and not looking good. We were really displeased that our children continued to run their hands over wood and get splinters. We tried to convince Wren to let us get it out. We patiently pleaded. We tried everything. Jim told her it could get infected, we could have to take her to the hospital, and she could lose her finger. All the scare tactics were employed, but she would not cooperate. She was freaking out, crying, completely irrational. Out of patience, Jim decided we'd just have to pin her down so he could work on it. Wren went insane, screaming as if we were sawing her arm off. Ever, in turn, went full-on Mama Bear, screaming and physically attacking Jim and me to make us stop. It was one of the craziest things I've ever experienced with our children. I thought we'd get reported by fellow guests because it sounded as if we were torturing our kids. Afterward Jim gave Ever props for defending her sister. This Mama Bear thing is something she does (the splinter incident was not a one-off), and it sort of enrages me because I feel as if she's not respecting us and letting us decide how to handle things, although I do appreciate the sentiment of wanting to protect her sisters. Anyway, when Ever attacked and all heck broke loose, we reopened negotiations. Oddly enough, Wren agreed to let Ever get the splinter out, and Ever did.
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