The Creston cohort’s final trip included sun, smiles, and a special guest. In addition to Passport Oregon’s hearty volunteers, the First Gentleman of Oregon, Dan Little, accompanied our young adventurers to the Oregon Garden and Silver Falls State Park. Mr. Little, a former US Forest Service Ranger, led the students through the Oregon Garden, detailing the unique properties of the garden’s groves of trees and fields of flowers.
Unsurprisingly, a spontaneous round of Hide-And-Go-Seek tag broke out. Eric won the game thanks to a clandestine hiding spot beneath a Douglas fir. The combination of running and learning incited hunger within one and all. Following lunch, we made our way to Silver Falls State Park. There were no earthquakes during our visit!
As you can see from our photos and video, Silver Falls did not fail to amaze. Volunteers and students alike were stunned by the powerful, picturesque falls. We hiked our way to the very bottom to get a complete sense for the cascade’s force.
After trekking back up, the explorers made wreaths out of fresh limb clippings to take home to their parents. The van – full of that wonderful Christmas tree smell and excited children – made its way to a hot chocolate stop in Silverton en route to Creston. Gear Up Coffee and their barista, Joel, topped off the day with a mountain of whip cream and shower of sprinkles.
Special thanks to those donors who made this trip possible – KIND Snacks, Café Yumm, Gear Up Espresso, Columbia Sportswear, and ImpactNW.