Wild Horse Monument , End Of Spring Break

View of the Columbia River behind us at the overlook of Wild Horse Monument, Washington.

These horses are a monument overlooking the mighty Columbia River and I-90, just past the town of Vantage in Washington. They are made of welded steel plates by artist David Govedare. For years we have viewed this impressive stampede of horses across the ridge from the highway below. The granddaughters wanted to see the horses up close, so we decided we would take a break there on the 6 hour trip driving them back home at the end of their spring break from school.

A more distant view of the horses.

This might help with some perspective. The trail is a bit longer and much steeper than it appears at first. The granddaughters are very active and energetic, have I mentioned I am still recovering from my wonderful and busy time with them? ( I need another nap.) See the little bits of color on the trail, that would be the granddaughters. The 3 older granddaughters were up the trail before I even got to the beginning. I think they could have run up and down several times in the time it took me to just get to the top.

My husband helped Little 'T'. Her pink cowgirl boots weren't the best foot wear for a steep hike, but she wasn't to be parted with them.

This granddaughter, #3 Granddaughter, was up the trail first, but speedily climbed sideways off the trail and over rocks to reach the ridge, just about giving me a heart attack. Reminded me of her father and our trip to the Grand Canyon when he was a teenager. What is it with these fearless people who challenge heights with laughter and excitement?Don't they know their Moms and Grandmas can't take it? The granddaughters tried every horse while I took pictures and watched them like a hawk as they ventured near every edge , ledge, cliff, and overlook they could find. ( Grandpa was the same, he was a mountain climber in his younger days so I wasn't worried about him). You can see some of the snow covered foothills and the Columbia River in the background of this picture. I had a wonderful time last week, from Saturday to Saturday with these 4 granddaughters. We played, read, were able to visit with family and just be together. This is a privilege and an honor I will never take for granted. Hopefully we will be able to have them stay for a few weeks in the summer. One thing for sure though, most parents get one, maybe two kids who are very active and energetic..but our son has 4 daughters who are very active, very energetic,( good girls and well -behaved though) and leave this grandma needing a nap. Wake me up next week please!