When you’ve got a house full of teenagers on a hot summer day, down at the swimming hole is the place to be. The kids invited friends from out of town to stay for the week, and lucky for us, the McKenzie River has many tributaries with fantastic swimming holes. Some of my favorite memories of being a teen revolve around summer swimming excursions, so I was happy to pile everyone in the car and spend the evenings cooling off.
There is an art to finding good swimming holes. Sometimes it takes asking long-time locals, sometimes it takes trial and error, and sometimes it takes driving along a creek and looking for well-used pullouts. Blue River, with it’s deep, clear pools surrounded by large flat expanses of rock is the perfect place to find a good swimming hole. I have been to at least five different ones now that were all great, but the kids discovered this one and it was a gem.
The pool was just wide and deep enough beneath this rock outcropping to make a perfect place for jumping in.
Kids are great at jumping right into things with both feet.
They really know how to make a splash!
The crystal clear water also provided some snorkeling fun for our friend Raine. My son tried to keep up with his goggles, but we quickly realized that the purchase of a snorkeling mask is in order.
Another thing that I enjoyed about this adventure was seeing the kids have so much fun with old friends. Even though these friends have moved away, that connection is still there and watching them, you wouldn’t know they had ever been apart. Friendship is cool that way.
When it comes down to it, what I like the most about swimming holes is the good old fashioned fun they provide. In our modern world where screens prevail, there are still plenty of things to do with kids that are engaging, active and don’t cost a thing. Whoever said “the best things in life are free” definitely had spent time down at the swimming hole.
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