Smith River California

From Crater Lake, OR we traveled South to Smith River, CA to visit some old friends.

Not just any old friends.

Matt and Meagan are friends we grew up with and went to church with. Friends we don't see very often because they moved North, but friends that we have such a good connection with we can spend months or years apart and still pick up right where we left off.

Forever friends, those who we love and cherish and feel blessed to know. The best kind of friends.

To top that off my sister flew in to stay with us for the weekend. I was one happy girl.

One thing I have missed terribly on this road trip is time with girlfriends. Oh these girls were so good for my soul. We just laughed and laughed...

while the kids played and played...

and the hubbies watched baseball.

It was awesome.

We spent a few days at the river, soaking up the sun and enjoying the sparkling clear water.

The boys jumping off the rocks.

The kids played with lizards, salamanders, fish and even snakes.

Layne was in heaven with this baby lizard, she would talk to it, put it in her hair and on her nose. So gross but she's our tomboy.

One day at the river the hubbies caught Crawfish and decided to cook them up after dinner.

A lot of work was put into catching, boiling and cracking open these little guys.

One other nice part about this stop was the opportunity to visit the church where my friend Megan's dad is the pastor.

It felt so good to be in church, another thing we have missed while on the road.

After church we were invited for a late lunch at the pastor's house. This family is known for there hospitality, we felt so welcomed and the food was absolutely amazing.

Megan's parents live on lots of land, so the kids were happy to roam free. They all loved the tractor rides.

Driving home that day we spotted this cute guy...

right next to this sign. So funny. I wouldn't mess with people from Smith River!

Part way through our stay we had to say good bye to my sister. Even though our time together was short I am still so glad I got to see her.

Since we have already explored this area a few times before on previous visits, we were able to pick and choose a few of our favorite spots to see again and Stout Grove is definitely one of them.

The dizzying heights of these redwoods make it impossible to not look up while walking.

Stout Grove is a natural playground for kids.

So much beauty.

We had the best time in Smith River. The area is gorgeous, the weather was perfect and best of all was the time spent with good friends and family.