Hike!

Although this summer we spent most of outdoor exercise time biking, we still haven't forgotten our love of a good hike. The kids were so excited at the prospect of a hike Tuesday afternoon that all of their school work was finished before lunchtime and attitudes stayed positive!
By popular demand, Schramm Park was chosen as our destination of the day. The hiking trail at Schramm Park is short- 1 to 3 miles, depending on the trail one chooses. Today we chose the one mile trail. While the boys are old hands at hiking and can easily go much further, Isabel is still working on her endurance. We haven't hiked much since she outgrew her carrier. So glad the weather is cooling down. We're looking forward to many more trips this fall!

Benedict takes his nature observing very seriously.

A tree had fallen across the path and was begging to be climbed on!



Isabel drawing in the dirt. She thought that was the coolest thing ever!

Watching the fish in the canyon pond. I remember doing the same as a kid.

 



Indian Cave State Park

On Thursday we took a day trip down to Indian Cave State Park as a family. It took a couple of hours to get there, but we were listening to Redwall by Brian Jaques on CD and no one minded the drive.

The scenery was beautiful! The weather was perfect! Not too hot, not too cold.

The boys found the perfect location for a lightsaber battle.

 

 

 Hiking the bluffs along the Missouri River.

 

A beautiful, scenic view of the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark camped here on their journey upriver in 1804.



A Glorious October Hike

Yesterday there was a break from the cold wet weather. It was beautiful! The boys begged me to take them hiking, and I agreed. There's no better way to spend a day! I decided to fit Outdoor Hour Challenge #2 into the hike. So during our drive to our favorite local hiking spot, Platte River State Park, we talked about using ears to hear, eyes to see and hands to feel while we walked. We also talked about some of the things we might see, hear, or feel. They were very excited to get started.

The first sound we heard was chirping crickets. The loudest sound was crunching leaves as we walked over them. We also heard (and saw) a hot air balloon and two trains!
Benedict felt tree bark. Some was rough, some was really rough and some was smooth. He noticed that the tree with smooth bark was much smaller than the others and concluded that tree bark must get rougher as the trees grow bigger. Emanuel felt squishy mud under his shoes. He also got to feel something new and exciting. Under the leaves he found some soft, fuzzy green moss. Of course, they weren't just listening and feeling during our hike- they were using their eyes too. They saw many different trees and leaves, a daddy long legs, and of course, the hot air balloon.

For this hike, we decided to try a different trail than usual. We were so glad we did. It was beautiful! After hiking through the woods on a bluff above the Platte River, we descended the bluff and came out in a meadow filled with leaves! The boys rolled in the leaves and threw them at each other. It was a lot of fun! Then

we crossed a bridge and walked along the river and train tracks for a few hundred feet before heading back into the woods. We finally had to turn around and head back because the sun was setting, but none of us wanted to. It was such a beautiful day for a hike and a great location. We cannot wait to go back to explore this trail further! In the meantime, here are a few more pictures.

 

Busy Summer

Benedict's Colorado

I thought I'd share some of the pictures Benedict took while we were in Colorado. He fell in love with the place almost instantly, and I am not surprised. He loves rocks and has been talking about "the mountains" since he was a very little guy. His week in the mountains was a dream come true and just as wonderful as he always thought it would be!
The first 7 pictures are of a six mile hike we took along the Cub Lake and Fern Lake trails in Rocky Mountain National Park. He and Em were champs about hiking that far! They were having so much fun I don't think they even noticed the distance. When we returned to our camp site, Tito and I were ready to stop moving, but the boys ran off to keep playing with their friends. I wish I had that much energy!
The final pics are of our fishing adventure at Trout Haven in Estes Park. Fishing is fun when someone else does all the yucky parts for you! This place even cleaned the fish for us, so all we had to do was cook it. The very last picture is Ben sleeping on the drive home. All of them were worn out! It was a great vacation and we are looking forward to returning.

Some Photos

This month, we've done some hiking, park play and a fun day in the fountain at the Joslyn Art Museum.

Schramm Park

Today we decided to give Schramm Park a try. We're so glad we went. The hiking trails were great. The boys are good hikers and they really enjoyed the day. The trail ended at a playground... could it have been any better?!