Cuyahoga Valley National Park

It has waterfalls? While it is a beautiful park and it's origin came to be because of people in the area wanting to conserve the park... It is also very much chopped and broken up with housing developments and the signs of Cleveland Metroparks still line the park. I know it's listed as one of the 58 National Parks but it seems to be an odd partnership.

The girls were able to see a partial lock demonstration and learn about the shipping history which helped grow Ohio's economy and we were able to see quite a bit of wildlife. It is a beautiful park.... but it truly has an atmosphere different from any other National Park we have visited. I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not. I'd rate it as a 6 out of 10.

Brandywine Falls

Isle Royale National Park

Ferry to an island, explore as long as you like, head back. It's a fantastic park and so untouched. We loved it... and no, we did not see a moose. We have just missed several moose on several occasions but we seem to repel the buggers. My kids are desperately searching at this point so if you happen to see one in the wild, moose finding tips are wanted!

***If your tip involves quiet children... We've tried it.***

Make sure to bring a water filter as you need to filter water on the island. As much as Athena enjoyed Voyageurs N.P. both girls preferred Isle Royale and the general ecology of the island.

It's perfect for nature studies! We brought along our pocket microscope, specimen jars and went to town journaling. Athena loved this park!

We left to the island from Copper Harbor but you can also leave from Houghton- though the boat ride is longer.

Wisconsin- Amnicon Falls State Park

If anyone has a chance to visit Amnicon Falls State Park in Wisconsin, I would take the chance. The girls spent the morning exploring and enjoying the ecology. Wisconsin State Parks offer a Junior Ranger program but the girls rejected the program and spent the day hiking and finding their own trails. A2 slipped while hiking and wound up with a large bruise and scrape on her thigh which took a few weeks to heal. She loves her farm skirt though, haha.

While hiking we found a tic- tac- toe board carved into a stump and played for a while. Funny enough, the part of the trip my kids disliked the least were the falls. 

Tic tac toe treasures.

Summer 2015 kickoff in S. Dakota!

We decided to head toward Michigan via the Upper Peninsula for the first part of our trip heading out through the Dakotas. We chose Rapid City because of the Lakota history and the rich geological features in the area.  

On the way up we stopped at the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs as a shake our sillies out stop. Normally, we pick parks for these stops but it had been raining and snowing on and off all day and both the girls objected. 

The dig site itself is fully enclosed and has a wonderful exhibit on the topic of mammoths locally and abroad, theories of extinction and even covered the usage of the bones outside of the Americas.

I lost most pictures on my phone after it met the highway, my phone backed up the week prior to the trip and had not done so since. 

Overall, there were two species of Mammoths in the pits and all mammoths in the pit were male. 

After the dig site we headed up to Rapid City where we spent our time exploring he caves at both Jewel Caves and Wind Caves learning about bacon formations, calcite crystals, stalactites and stalagmites as well as box work. A1 was fascinated while A2 preferred the hiking above ground. 

Because they are caves both parks require tours, both were equally fun but a few older people complained about the hikes taking a toll on their bodies. A2, now 3, did not share their complaints. 

Our ranger at Wind Caves told the Lakota immersion story which sparked a major interest in a unit, perhaps for this fall? 

This is probably a good time to mention A1 helping to plan this trip. She has spent a great deal of time researching national monuments and parks, museums and more. She begged me to do this and I am ashamed to say I paid $11 to park but I did...

As we left the visitor  center with our Jr. Ranger booklets and as I thought, "I can not believe I spent money to see this..." A1 proclaimed at the SAME moment, "I can't believe you took me here!" It was funny and made it worth it:) 

We started learning about the colonial history when she became obsessed with George Washington or "General Washington" as she refers to him. She was elated to see his face carved in stone. 

Exploring Badlands, they are gorgeous... The girls loved spending the day hiking and climbing. For some reason I'm okay with kids playing near the edge of the Grand Canyon or in an arch at Arches but I was freaked out a little by!

Perhaps it was the cracked ground? Either way, I will admit my pretty mellow attitude on hikes disappeared- fast. A1 pointed out I seemed a little tense. Nauseated would probably be more accurate;) Overall, S. Dakota seems to be a strong favorite for our family. 

We can also recommend the Keystone Climbing Area for a campsite, while it is very basic it is in a nice location and great for kids to play near.

Grand Teton

Our family stayed in West Yellowstone the night before heading through the Grand Tetons and back to Colorado. It's a cute town with a nice park near the restaurants. We picked up dinner to go from the Slippery Otter and played at the park, I can't give them an honest review because we only had salads but it was a great break from huckleberry jam sandwiches, yogurt and fruit on the way down. Oh, and the fighting... Our kids decided to fight over who was able to pet Sparty, our Scottish Terrier. 8 hours later, I was happy to have survived.

The morning of the Grand Tetons we drove through Yellowstone. We missed Old Faithful, Athena was disappointed. She had every plan of showing it to Jay because he had not seen it recently. I think she wanted an excuse to time it. 

We did a few short hikes at the Grand Tetons and attended a few of the ranger programs on bison and wildlife. Having attended many of the ranger led programs at various parks this summer alone, I must say, they did a great job with content and being able to address and engage the entire audience. We plan to head back through each the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone when we travel through the Pacific Northwest. We will hike each of the parks more thoroughly at that point.

She is getting taller... Or maybe she is standing on a rock. 

Toddler hikes- barefoot. It's all fun and games until you step in mud. 

We loved the wildflowers. 

Athena has decided to hike with technology in hand to take pics. Or play games. I'm not sure. Okay, it was the first. I suppose the iPad thing is growing on me because it gives her a camera (which is hard to misplace, unlike her Olympus Tough) to take photos from her level and POV. 

Three days, four parks

Our plan leaving the Grand Canyon was to head to Moab and spend two days hiking at Arches but the girls proved to be far better at hiking than I had anticipated going into the trip. A friend from college mentioned going to Zion NP, I had been skeptical because it really seems like a park that is best left to exploring when you have a backcountry permit, which we did not have the time for. 

I decided to drive up to Zion and hit Bryce Canyon on the way to Moab. A little out of the way (10 hours driving that day not counting drive time in the parks) but Athena and Lex enjoyed each of the parks. We pulled into Moab around 10PM with two very energetic kids!

Zion National Park

Bryce Canyon, or on the way into the Canyon.

The following morning we slept in and hiked at Arches. Athena very much enjoyed the hiking and each of the girls enjoyed climbing on the rocks! I think we hiked over five miles and the girls were NOT tired at all.

Arches was a huge focal point on this trip because of geology but also to spend time with a worldschool family I had met on the internet.

Athena thinks it is cool getting to see the arches form. 

We decided this one looks like a dinosaur head. 

Lex got pretty high into the arch. Unfortunately, being two her legs and arms are not long enough to make the climb. I put Lex into the Ergo on my back on the ledge and continued the climb. 

At this point Athena had already made the climb with her worldschool friends from Australia. It was great to meet this family and finally put some faces to the names of a family I have known a few months! 

Getting up, easy! Getting down with a toddler on your back... In sandals, a challenge! Oh, I'm afraid of heights... Fun stuff. 

Athena and Zaharra had an amazing time. The family is on their way to Ireland to stay for a few years before heading back to Australia:)

Athena and Jack were exploring every inch they could together. The 6-7 year age is so much fun. I'm happy we had a friend with us to explore. 

The following morning we went to Canyonlands for a driving experience before heading up to Dinosaur National Monument. The three days and four park expedition was surprisingly calm and relaxing. Arches proved to be a favorite and Athena has enjoyed teaching Jay about how the arches were formed as well as erosion. Geology kid was a pretty big fan of Arches NP and Bryce Canyon.

A note from Athena: We learned about erosion causing the arches and causing the canyons at different parks. We did a science experiment with water on a rock path. The water moved some sand and small rocks. That is how erosion works. The water and wind move change things. I liked that some arches are still forming and some canyons get bigger.