Labor Day

We (well, the kids and I) decided to do something cool for Labor day. Flagstaff is about 30 degrees cooler than Mesa. So we went there. We went to Walnut Canyon and Christian and Truman worked on some of the requirements for the Archaeology merit badge. He did the junior ranger program and that was fun. At the end the kids all got badges that say junior ranger on them and they had to swear that they would help to care for the park independent of what their Dad might do. I think he has been watching us or something...

We had a picnic lunch and then went into the lava tube. It is a underground hike. Nate was pretty nervous that volcanic activity might pick up and we could be burned up. I reassured him that they have been cool for hundreds of years. Once we got in the tunnel he was ok.

We had a great day. The ride home was 2 hours longer than it should have been due to lots of traffic coming back into Phoenix after the Holiday. Kenneth did admirably well at not getting frustrated. He read lots to me while I drove, very slowly!

Abby and Hazel headed into the lava tube.

Bekah and Syd going in.

Christian checking the ceiling height. He did hit his head on the ceiling 2 or 3 painful times.

Nate making his way into "the volcano".

Truman preparing to go under.

Walking out to our van after successfully navigating the 2 miles of cooled lava.
Truman gets in the photo which someone else takes of us on the trail at Walnut canyon

Truman takes our photo on the trail at Walnut Canyon.

Kenn and the Kanyon.

Sydney and Christian waiting to hike down the island trail.
Snug also waiting but she is not sure what for.

Filling out our junior ranger workbooks!

And getting Snug a drink. I am thinking of inventing a camelbak for puppies.