Denny Creek and Franklin Falls

The end of July and early August we had miserable weather. We had days in the triple digits. Seattle experienced the hottest day ever recorded - 103 degrees. I know that much of the country experiences extremely hot weather. But those places generally have air conditioning. Most houses here in the Pacific Northwest have no need for air conditioning. We only had one tiny fan. Robb bought another one - one of the last - at a Wal-Mart one night. People were happy to go to work because office buildings have air conditioner. Then the evenings were spent in the movie theaters and malls. I just sat in shorts and a t-shirt and tried not to move; we avoided cooking or turning on the stove.

One Sunday (it wasn't in the triple digits that day, but I think it was in the 90s), Robb and I headed to the mountains to beat the heat. We wanted to do a little hiking and get around some water. I did some research and found a couple of easy trails to try out.

First we went to Franklin Falls, probably a mile hike from the trail head. This waterfall was absolutely beautiful. When we first arrived there were a few people hanging out and splashing through the creek. By the time we left the area was packed with families and kids. The water was cool and inviting in the heat. Even I waded through the water - and I'm a warm water type of girl. It felt so refreshing!

Our second trail of the day was close by and was along Denny Creek. This trail promised to take us to a natural swimming area, complete with rock slides and picturesque waterfalls. We were not disappointed. We arrived at the swimming area and found several different pools and waterfalls. The creek and pools just kept going and going, along with the people. Again tons of families and teenagers were cooling off in the water. I think that both Franklin Falls and Denny Creek are great hikes for families. Each hike is only about 2 miles round trip; families and kids get to experience nature, get some exercise, and then get to swim in an unforgettable location. Robb calls it God's Natural Waterpark. I couldn't agree more. On a hot day this is a much more exciting place to take the family then a local swimming pool.
Our final stop of the day was at the town of North Bend to visit Twede's Cafe. I've never seen the show, but apparently this is where Twin Peaks was filmed/based. There is famous cherry pie in the show, and Twede's is the place that makes it. Robb and I ate a couple of hamburgers (decent, but not the best I've had) and then tried some cherry pie. I'm not a big cherry fan, but I must say the sugar crust was delicious!