Silver Falls State Park

After a quick trip to the doggie park Kathe and Jim left me for the day to go to Silver Falls State Park, the "gem" of the Oregon State Park System.  The park is in Silverton, about 25 miles from where we are staying in West Salem.   To get to the park you have to drive past an area where Christmas trees are grown.  There were thousands of them in varying sizes, all very green and beautiful.

Silver Falls Park has over 9,000 acres of spectacular scenery.  The park's most famous feature is the Trail of Ten Falls, an eight mile hiking trail which passes by and under the waterfalls of the north and south forks of Silver Creek.  The old folks didn't hike the eight mile trail, but they did two shorter hikes to the most popular falls, North Falls and Souths Fall.
They bought the T-shirts to prove it.

After the hike they drove 10 miles in the other direction to the Left Coast winery for a little tasting of the famous Willamette Valley Pinot Nois and Pinot Gris.  Hiking apparently makes you thirsty.



I think Kathe felt sorry for leaving me home alone all day.  When she got back she took me for a hike on the trail in the wooded area around the perimeter of the park.  Lots of good rabbit and gopher sniffs back there.  Then she took me to the big grassy dog run where I ran around in circles till my tongue was hanging out.

Tomorrow we leave for Washington and the Hood River.