"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

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!

23 comments:

Wobegon Cottage said...

I have always said , if we could bottle that energy we would all be wealthy. I always look forward to my weekend naps when Ellie is at home and she is a very good baby.:)Glad to hear you had such a good time.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful place to take a break from driving. I can imagine you are happily exhausted! Thanks for sharing the pretty pictures Kathy.

Connie said...

That's a neat monument and place to explore. Wow, that hill looked very steep! I'm glad to hear you had such a wonderful visit with your granddaughters. Hope you've had a chance to rest up again now after their visit.

Vickie said...

That climb makes me tired just looking at it! Looks fun tho and what a great view. I'm glad you've had fun with your little angels this week. I know they'll all look back on these times they spend with ya'll with great fondness and love, Kathy. What a blessing they are to you guys.

How's the mole business going? ;o)

Anonymous said...

Nice pictures!

Amy

Julie Harward said...

I have never heard of that...what a fun place to visit with the grands...they are all so cute and that looks so cool to see them on the horses. That must have been quite the project to do there! Come say hi :D

Anonymous said...

It sounds like you had a fabulous week! I love those horses and what a bunch of lucky girls to be able see them up close. Enjoy your nap :)

Mary said...

The first photo of you and the little angels is a treasure, Kathy.

Then I looked at the steep incline in one of the next photos, read what you said, and thought how a youngster would do circles around us middle-aged folks.
They likely went for a nap in the vehicle soon afterwards though!

Anna Colleen said...

It looks like you all had fun together.

KathyB. said...

Alice ( Wobegone Cottage) yes, I would love some of their energy and I think they DO have it to spare!

Mildred, it is a beautiful view spot with so many things to see. It very much reminds me of the Grand Canyon, and one of the granddaughters said so too.

Daisy,I was surprised at how accessible the horses were and that it was O.K. to climb them. After viewing them up close I realized they are pretty indestructible. What a perfect family type landmark and with a spectacular view!

Vickie, no moles for awhile, boo hoo!And the climb made me tired too~

Amy, thank-you!

Julie,if ever you venture further west along the Columbia between George and Vantage you will see this herd of horses. Take time to climb them and see the view!

Shannon ( Kenleigh Acres)we did have a fabulous week and I am so glad we took the time to explore the monument after all these years of driving by and telling ourselves "one day..."

Mary, they did NOT take a single nap on the trip. We even stopped at another park with BigToys , slides, monkey bars, etc, where they ran and climbed and ate lunch. I think playing just gave them more energy. Although this was a bit tiring for me, I am happy they are so healthy and active.And that their father , uncle and aunt are perfectly able to keep up with them!

Anna, thank-you! How are you keeping up with your puppies?

A. Joy said...

Well, I can finally see what this monument looks like up close! Looks like fun ( if it were a bit warmer! ) Glad you took the time to climb up and see it. =)

Deanna said...

Dear Kathy,
This is a neat place! The horses are beautiful. This land art is wonderful. How fun for you all.

Yep...those naps are like a good medicine.

I'm so glad that your sweet grandgirls were able to stay with you.

What a blessing,
d

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Whoa...looks like a l-o-n-g trail but bet y'all had a great end to the wonderful week.

KathyB. said...

A.Joy, we will have to stop there the next time we travel together to E. Washington, the kids will love it!

Deanna, I like that " naps are like good medicine" and I now agree!

Sandra, the trail was much longer and steeper than it looks. I am glad we climbed it anyway, the photos show the joy the granddaughters had~

Shelley said...

So glad you had a lovely time w/ your 4 beautiful granddaughters! They definitely sound adventurous - love the photo of the one on the horse!

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

What a lovely place to take a break from driving. I can just imagine the good time you had with the children. This looks like a real nice place to visit.

Karen said...

What a great experience for all of you. Now you deserve a nice rest!!

Nancy M. said...

Wow, the horses look different up close! Looks like the girls had a lot of fun! I wish my kids had awesome grandparents like y'all!

Dolores said...

Oh Kathy...... the visit with your precious little girls .... looks like such wonderful times to remember!!!

Beautiful pictures !!!!!!

Thank you so much for your uplifting comments on my blog!
Hugs...

Carol............. said...

I LOVE the Wild Horse Monument..have passed it many times but have never gotten up close to really check it out.

So this is a real treat for me!

Patty said...

The wild horse monument is so pretty thanks for posting! Glad you had a good time ;)

Eggs In My Pocket said...

How much fun you all look like you were having! I would love to have artwork horses like this to run across my grounds! Kathy, thank you for your sweet words you left on my blog. I am so glad you liked the little towel. Blessings,Kathleen

KathyB. said...

Shelley, thank-you! Yes, these little girls are ALL very energetic and fearless, our son will have a lot of fun in the years to come, won't he?The one on the horse is the MOST energetic of the four, and she is a delight.

Brenda Kay, I was surprised by how accessible the horses are and how very much worth the climb they are.I will do this again too!

Karen, thanks. I have planned all of next week to rest up and re-organize , so there will be energy for another time with them.

Nancy , when our children were very young I felt a little bit like you and determined I would be that grandparent I wanted for our children. They had and have wonderful grandparents and I guess we are blessed by good enough health to be able to do those things, so you can plan to be THAT grandparent for your sons' children, and believe me, that time will come sooner than you know!

Dolores, your blog is uplifting, very, very uplifting . I hope more people going through life with spouses or parents experiencing Alzheimer's or other serious health problems blog so encouragingly. Thank-YOU!

Carol you have to visit it at least once! I was intrigued by some of the artistic graffiti on the horses too.Plus, the views are amazing.

Patty, thank-you!

Kathleen, I wouldn't mind one of the horses on my place either. The kids would love climbing and "riding" it !