This is a picture-heavy post, so it may need a minute to load, but I think it's a fun one!  Sean and I had a quiet weekend that we decided to take to work on house chores and the like.  We needed to catch up on things to feel calmer and lighter.  But the weather was so lovely and we kinda wanted to get out of the house for a bit.

I threw on some tinted SPF moisturizer and a comfy outfit in case I needed to pop out of the car to take some photos of pretty things or run into the store.  We were planning on going for a drive, but we let our day take us elsewhere.  We ended up at Beacon Rock State Park with a mission to take photos of ferns, mushrooms, and tree bark.  We did accomplish our mission and more, so I thought I'd share the glorious beauty of our fall hike with you.

Honestly, I wanted fresh air and not to do chores, so I thought a short drive to enjoy the changing leaves would be really nice.  We grabbed cups of coffee and headed out to enjoy the views.  As we wandered, adventure began to beckon.  We've been taking it easy and trying to save money for future fun, so we really haven't gotten out much for big adventures lately.  

So we kept on driving and found Beacon Rock State Park.  It was incredibly windy down at the road, but as we walked through the woods it wasn't windy at all.  We took photos along the path (I've been missing doing my "texture photos") and began up the trail of rock toward the top.  Now remember, we didn't come prepared in apparel or water. We didn't know we were going this route, but we kept at it.  The sun came out and made the process too warm for me because I didn't layer and we didn't have enough water with us.  There was a shirtless dude leaning on the railing while his lady friends humped rocks to show off their butts.  They were playing loud music from a backpack and being total idiots.  The trail became filled with douchebags and hipsters carrying dogs, so halfway up I had enough.

Sean and I enjoyed views of the landscape and made our way back to the wooded path and out to the car, taking more photos along the way as the light moved through the trees.  Just as we were about to head home, we found a trail to the waterfront and decided to take it along its more tree-covered path for the sake of taking more photos.  I was burning up at this point, so the breeze and coolness amongst the trees felt very refreshing.  (It got a lot more muggy towards the water.)

This trail was abundant in different types of mushrooms, so we had a fun time looking for all the mushrooms we could find and taking photos like paparazzi! 

I'd love to go back and hike to the top of the rock on a cooler, cloudier, less populated day when I am properly attired and carrying water.