Short hike and the town I grew up in.

Hello third graders!

I drove up to Montesano to see my parents today and decided to go for a short hike around Lake Sylvia. This is a lake that I grew up on. I used to ride my bike from our house in town up the hill to the lake. I would have an inflatable raft in my backpack along with my fishing gear. I'd paddle around the lake fishing all day before finally deflating my raft, packing it up, and riding my bike back home for dinner.

There are two trails at Lake Sylvia. One trail is 2.8 miles around the lake and the other is 2.7 miles down the river past the dam that holds the water back making the lake possible. Here is a link to a Google map showing where I am. On the map you can see the dashed lines that represent the trails that go around the lake and the river past the dam.

Lake Sylvia State Park

Below are two links to two videos I shot of the falls at Lake Sylvia and a video of a woodpecker. In one of the waterfall videos I zoom in on a hole in the rock in the middle of the falls where the water pours in. When I was a kid my friends and I would climb up there and swim in the hole. IT was a little dangerous, but very fun!

Lake Sylvia lower falls from above 1

Lake Sylvia lower falls from above part 2

Woodpecker

Below are a few pictures of the dam that holds the water back to create Lake Sylvia. Back in the 1800s the damn was used to generate electricity to run a saw mill that cut logs into boards to be used in the construction of houses in the area.

Here is some leftover evidence from the old saw mill. This saw blade is huge! What's left id half of the circular blade but there is still about 5 feet of it. Imagine a saw blade taller than you!

The picture below is a picture from under the dam. When I was a kid my friends and I would go underneath and let the water splash on us and cool us down.

The trail I hiked was the nicest I have ever seen it in all the years I have hiked on it.

I love Foxglove flowers! 

The town of Montesano, where I grew up, is the Grays Harbor county seat. This is the court house. It's a beautiful old building. All of the floors inside are marble.

 This is the little league field where I played little league for many years. Every time I visit this field I have old memories that come back.

 This is the house I grew up in. The two windows on the top floor were my bedroom windows. I loved this house. I hope to own it someday.

That's all for today third graders! I hope you're having a great summer and I miss you all very much!