Last Sunday we decided on a new place to holoholo (walkies). We’d already picked up a book curbside at Sandy Library, to I suggested we go to Meinig Park, a beautiful, wooded, park nearby. We used to go there every year for the Sandy Mountain Festival, and had a good time, but we haven’t gone for several years now. And obviously we didn’t go this year. I thought this’d be a good holoholo for us because the trails are up and down and good exercise. This is the entrance from the parking lot.

K’den, which way should we go?

Went left towards Fantasy Forest.  Before we got there, though, there was a trail towards it. Try look the roots of this tree! I couldn’t help but wonder what caused this to happen.

We walked past that tree, and the trail stretched out in front of us. The parking lot is down to the left.

This is the other side of that interesting roots tree. I thought, while looking at it, that it sure has had its hardships, but it continues to thrive and grow. I’m trying to do the same during this time of chaos, confusion, and quarantine. I hope I can do as well as the tree.

There’s a small creek down there, and it still had water in it. I would’ve thought it would be all dried up by now, but water was still flowing in it.

Can you see the water small kine? I didn’t get much of it in this photo. Sheesh.

How’s this? More better, yah?

We went around the corner, and came across this small bridge that crosses the creek.

We were going slightly uphill, and it felt good. This is the creek again, and I wish it were easier to see. I loved the sound of the water trickling by as we walked.

To our right is the bandstand. I forgot to take a photo of it. When we used to go to the festival, we’d always stop and listen to the bands; we especially loved the bluegrass ones.

See the small kine waterfall there? It was surprising how much water was coming down it.

Here’s a close-up:

Water and woods, sunlight and shadow, kept us company as we walked. I was so glad we’d chosen to walk here. I was thinking how life is like this. We can turn a corner and things can change so quickly and unexpectedly, good and bad, but we keep walking it out.

Dappled sunlight made interesting patterns on the ground. And up ahead, there was another bridge over the creek.

I stood on the bridge. The creek is that kinda brown area in the middle of the photo, but that’s the rocks, not the water. And you can see why they don’t call them Oregon Big Leaf Maples for nothing!

Here’s another, better, photo of the creek from the bridge.

Okay, now we’re heading into Fantasy Forest.

During Sandy Mountain Festival, vendors have their booths in the alcoves between the trees.  It really is a wonderful event, and the variety of handmade items is fantastic. I have a wonderful hand-painted bird feeder that I got here one year. Right here there would be vendors on both sides of the path.

I love the woods!

And try look this group of trees. I took two photos of them so that I could show how tall they are.

The path leads down to the gazebo.

There were people in the gazebo, so to protect their privacy I didn’t take a photo of the whole thing.

I was fascinated by the moss on this tree.

So I took another photo of it!

And just like at Main Street Park in Gresham, there was a small flower blooming all by itself. I wish the photo had turned out better, though.

On our way home, traffic was so heavy heading makai on Highway 26, probably because lots of people were coming home from a weekend in Central or Eastern Oregon. This one guy in a Porsche was tailgating me, trying to get past me (I was about to turn left so couldn’t move over). He was obviously impatient even though, or because, traffic was so slow, and maybe he thought his high makamaka car deserved to go faster. Fancy or not, he still got stopped at the light. Poor ting, yah? (I blurred his license plate on purpose.)

So that was our holoholo on Sunday. I’m glad we went; it was kinda hot out, so hiking in the woods was a perfect solution. We’ll be back!

Mahalo nui for holoholo with us!