We woke up today to some very cold weather but I would be more than happy to put another layer on and get moving that have to deal with rain! Brayden and Laney had chosen to eat breakfast at our site this morning so I made some hot chocolate first to coax them out of the tent. They asked for bagels and cereal, but I added some yogurt and fruit too as we were going to have a very busy day!
First up, we headed to the visitor's center. We walked the short boardwalk up to a recreation of a fire tower cupola and learned about how they used to be used. Then we went inside to check out the exhibits and let the kids have fun at the morning program. Little did we know it was an adults vs. kids contest about the park animals! I quickly handed Grammie the junior ranger books we had just picked up so we could scan for tidbits of information to help us. There were about 20 kids and 20 adults participating and they were so smart! They just barely beat us while learning all kids of interesting facts about moose, bats, and shrew.
After shopping a little we headed back into the theater to catch a quick movie about the park which invited us outside at the end. The view off the back deck of the visitor's center was spectacular! While the kids hopped from one viewing station to another I took a few pictures then noticed a webcam sign. I had Grammie text Dave to see if he could log on and see us waving at him. Success!! He hadn't seen his family moving around in weeks! I'm sure we looked especially awesome dancing around for the camera!
Grammie checked her watch and we decided to head to a trail next before our next stop. We hiked the lookout trail in hopes the name would prove correct and it did! After a practically 75 degree uphill climb we were there! Everyone had to take pictures this time, even a stranger! We soaked in the view for the walk along the ridge then raced back down to the car. We had art to get to!
Grammie had sweet talked a gentleman into allowing the three little Clarkes into an already-full art class where they would be painting mini-paddles. They had a blast creating their unique scenes and mixing all kinds of colors. Dave would be proud! We had to actually bribe them with chocolate chip cookies to leave!
After a quick stop for bathing suits at the campsite, we went back to Grammie's cabin to let the kids attempt to canoe on the lake. It was an absolute perfect day so we set ourselves on the beach and let the kids take turns paddling and playing in the sand. Not quite the sugar-white sands we're used to, but they still made great castles! We tried to get the kids to swim but they claimed the water was just too cold!
After a few attempts at shuffleboard, we headed to dinner again at the cabins. Tonight's meal was just as wonderful as the night before with delicious vegetables, rice and fish. Everyone was looking forward to dessert after the night before! I believe Laney had actually been planning her choice for most of the day!We were excited to make the last event of the day - a program about bats. We'd studied quite a bit about bats the year before, but I do believe we all learned something for sure. The naturalist actually had several bat specimen the kids could touch and hold. This really put into perspective just how small they are.
We made sure to pick up the nuts for the cabin chipmunks. Ryan has named this guy Freckles and the squirrel who chases him off she's named Roadrunner.
With a little sunlight left, we headed back to our site to have a fire and settle in for the night. The night was crisp and the fire was exactly what we needed to enjoy it! The kids were both pretty tired after the late night before and long day, so they both went to bed before long and left me to enjoy the fire and write. On to our next park tomorrow!
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