After I finished writing, she helped me pick out the pictures and edit them before we heard the other two rolling around. That's when I got out and caught this guy sneaking over to let the air out his sister's sleep mat. Such an innocent smile that always means he is up to no good!
After a quick breakfast we hit the road first to the nature center at the park. The kids found out there was a junior ranger program and that's all it took!
There were some local animals on display, then we stumbled upon the live animal section! I wouldn't be surprised if this guy just happened to be found in one of the kids' backpacks as we were leaving. He was a big show off and obviously enjoyed the attention!
The only was I was able to tear the kids away was to promise we would come back again tomorrow to see him and say goodbye! The kids named him Ninja for all his acrobatic climbing he was showing them.
Next up was Desoto Falls. We weren't expecting much since it was summer and so much of the water is gone.
We were expecting a little more of a hike though! There was no way the kids were up for hiking down to the bottom of the falls, so I suggested we hike to a few places in their junior ranger books. It was a very hot, but beautiful day!
Once it hit about 98 degrees we opted for some much needed pool time. This was to be the hottest part of the day so spending it in the pool would be so nice. Little did we know this pool had a legit diving board. The kids have been swimming like fish practically since they were born, but right then I realized they had never jumped off one! After some very slow and reluctant jumps they were doing flips and belly flops like nobody's business.
Once our fingers were raisins and their eyes were red from diving for coins, we hopped back into the car and headed into the little town close by. We love driving and walking through the tiny towns with their adorable local shops and cafes! Today's stop was for some very necessary ice cream and a table in the air conditioning. We savored every drop and were actually a little chilly by the time we left, but within steps from walking out the door we all felt the wall of heat and decided to head to our next stop.
I'd read a little bit about Little River Canyon when I was planning the trip, so I had it on our list of possible stops. We all weren't up for much hiking in the heat but I remembered there was a scenic overlook drive about 20 miles long so we opted for that. First stop was the visitor's center where the kids spotted more junior ranger books so they sat right down to work on them. We took a few minutes to watch the movie about the park as well.
One of the overlooks is called Hawk's Glide as it seems to be the perfect spot for spotting hawks circling in the currents. We were disappointed not to see a single bird. At the next stop I asked the kids to turn around for a boring landscape picture and they spotted about 13 right when I was taking it!
The views on the drive were very nice, but the driving was spectacular. The canyon was hidden by the lush summer trees and the river was reduced to the size of a creek, but the winding roads along the ridge were so fun! I even got screams out of the kids on a few of the hills.
After what felt like a long rollercoaster we pulled over to put our feet in at a small waterfall. The girls loved watching the kids jump in from the cliffs all around the swimming hole.
And after a few minutes chasing sticks down the tiny rapids we headed to the canyon mouth for the swimming and an impromptu picnic dinner. The kids were building thrones and talking about taking over the world. Some of the best plans are made this way right?!
Laney spotted this squirrel from 100 yards away digging into our neighbor's picnic dessert. Probably the best thing he's eaten in awhile!
The kids were very happy to hear we would not be returning via the way we came. The GPS took us around the other side of the canyon so we headed back into town to play on a pretty big playground we'd spotted the day before. The kids quickly made up a Ninja Warrior course and came away with blister to show for it.
We collapsed on our sleeping bags listening to the cicada lullaby, too tired to take showers saying barely a good night. That's when you know you've had a full day!
