Spokane, WA

With a shocking amount of sun in the forecast, my family decides to make the most of it and heads out to get some fresh air just south of Cheney, Washington, at the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. With a picnic packed, and donned in warm coats and gloves, we set out on an adventure that my six- and three-year-old are only too ready for.

After driving through scenic, downtown Cheney, taking us back to college days of eating pizza there and having a brew here, we take a left at Cheney-Plaza Road and drive roughly 4 miles when we come upon the large Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge sign, which my daughter exclaims with cheerleader-esque pitch. So we quickly take a left and soon find ourselves at the Entrance Fee Station, where we pay a mere $3 to explore this amazing, spacious landscape and try to sneak a peak at its beautiful inhabitants.

So we hop back into the car at the impatient urging of our kids— binoculars slung about their necks and their game face on—and drive just ½ mile to the first restroom/parking area to unload and start on our hike of Pine Lake Loop Trail. And our adventure starts with a very cool find—a deserted turtle shell. Then just steps down the trail, and my daughter finds another great discovery—the first flowers of spring—or at least that we’ve seen.

Now the trail takes a jog, and we’re out into the open. (Sigh!) The trail lies before us and we see Pine Lake, and nothing but wilderness. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you need a big dose of nature until you immerse yourself, and then it feels like coming home. Off we go, walking sticks found and being handled very expertly, I must say, by my two children, who are epitomizing the child-like awe that we often lose as we get older. However today I’m not older. We skip, we explore, we play. It’s a great day.

And it’s all so peaceful and serene—that is, in between the outbursts of excitement from our children or the reprimanding from us, which was probably the reason we didn’t see much wildlife—the poor animals were too scared to come out! There were the seconds of terror when our Black Lab (yes, dogs are allowed on leashes) jumped in the water and almost got sucked through the dam (Note: If you take your dog, don’t let go of the leash.). Then there was the drama when my daughter and I hunkered down in the viewing hut and found a poor, expired, baby mouse curled up in his sweet little nest, which my daughter insisted for 10 minutes that she needed to take home to take care of. Then there was the pure, very loud, glee of my children, at seeing a turtle on a rock, probably thinking as we did, that he’d better get the sun while he could.

But not much wildlife to be seen. Not really. Until we’re driving on our way out, moping a bit about the lack thereof, when what to our wondering eyes should appear…but a herd of 20 big horn elk, stampeding through the field on our right, across the road in front of us, and on up the hill. My husband and I look at each other as our children are dancing in their seats from the pure adrenaline running through their little bodies. It was a great day.