Type of Adventure: Day Trip/ Water Play
Length of Adventure: 2-3 Hours
Price of Adventure: FREE
I like to drive. I really do. It is such a therapeutic time to me. The kids are all safe and strapped into their car seats. We listen to audio books or listen to worship music, and I can just escape into my own mind. This almost never happens at home when all four kids are around me, needing me, making loud happy noises, and loud unhappy noises. There are some unhappy noises in the car too sometimes, but my kids are used to riding, and they don’t generally mind it very much. I took the twins to Zoo Atlanta which is an hour away when they were less than a month old. That was NOT one of my favorite car trips, but it WAS the beginning of them getting used to it! I know a lot of people who have an aversion to driving. Maybe they don’t like traffic, or they don’t want to spend the gas money, or they’re scared to be on the road with all of their kids away from people they know in case of an accident. I get those things, but to me they are not deterrents. My kids get so many more experiences and exposure to things because I will drive an hour anywhere for anything that I think is remotely interesting. I will drive two hours for anything that seems really cool and fun. No problem at all. And on the way, the kids get to take in audio books that engage their brains while BONUS I get to spend time just thinking and praying. My husband always jokes that he has no clue what we’re going to be up to or even what state will be in while he’s at work everyday. It’s true.
I’ve gotten pretty use to just taking my kids and going where we want to go. Not many of my friends share my wanderlust and are not deterred by miles. But, there is one huge exception. I have a friend named Nicole who thinks a lot like me. She is a homeschool mom to two sweet boys, and we have talked about how driving is no obstacle in making our children’s childhood the most awesome ever! I told her I had made an extensive list of swimming holes to visit this summer, and her response was, “That sounds great! Let’s try to do one a week!” Nicole.is.awesome.
So, at the beginning of June, we set out to Cleveland, GA to visit Dick’s Creek Falls. This was a series of three waterfalls with several swimming places. The ride there was scenic and beautiful. It took us approximately two hours to arrive. There was a small parking lot located off of a little dirt road. The parking lot was right beside the waterfalls. At the top of the waterfalls there were several fisherman and they were catching HUGE fish! We had seven kids between the two of us, and we were NOT quiet so we hurried down stream to avoid disturbing the anglers.
We found a great swimming hole with a little rocky beach area right by one of the water falls. It was breathtaking. The water was cold, but the kids had a blast. They swam, explored, and caught minnows with buckets and nets. Where we stayed the water was not too deep, but apparently, directly under the waterfall the water got very deep. We observed people climbing to the top of the waterfall and jumping far below into the water. It didn’t seem like the safest move, and we will not be trying that. We were happy with our little swimming hole.
We stayed and played for most of the day, until the kids teeth were literally chattering from the cold water. It was one of our favorite places so far, and we were so thankful for good friends to experience it with. This is definitely one to add to your family’s list!
Hands On, Screens Off 