Last week, we drove an hour and a half to go hiking at Vedauwoo. Surely you've heard of this hiking spot, for it is just past Buford, Wyoming (population of 1). If you don't believe me, next time you're driving west on I-80 between Cheyenne and Laramie, look for the sign below. Buford claims it is "world famous" and who am I to argue with that?!
Getting back to the point, after a picnic lunch, the bunch of us headed out on the 3.2 mile trail.
We enjoyed having some shade as we traipsed through the Aspen trees.
I even got the girls to stop, wait and turn around for me so I could take a picture of them from the front. Usually it is their backsides, since I'm always stopping to take pictures and wind up at the very back of the pack.
Ella has decided to stop and take a closer look at the ant hill. As a four year old, she comments on every single thing she sees. "What is that?" Answer: "Moose poop". "Eew! Gross! Yucky" "Look at that pretty flower, Grandma", and so forth. Her constant comments made the hike go so fast that the 3 plus miles seemed like only 2 or so. Or then again, maybe not...
For once, I ran ahead and was finally ahead of Kim, Nate and Don, so you could see their faces. Don't try to read Don's lips, as he is probably yelling at me to stop taking his picture! This is supposed to be a kid-friendly blog, and I am proud of my "PG" rating.
At this point, Ella has convinced Kim she is tired of walking and is at ease pretending to be an airplane. Sometimes on these hikes, I wish I was FOUR and could have ridden on someone's shoulders.
Half way through the hike we came upon this huge boulder, which Kyla and Nate had to hold back as we made our way past it. Boy, am I ever thankful for strong grandchildren!
We were near the end of the hike when we came to a nice spot with water and a small waterfall. Jake was first at the scene, lapping up the water as fast as he could. I have no idea what tickled Kim's funny bone, but it was probably Ella.
This was a nice spot for us "old folks" to rest, but the younger generation was content on climbing over all the rocks and exploring the area.
Nate stopped jumping from one rock to the other and sat down for me. Thanks, Nate!
The "rescued" Monarch butterfly that Tatum is holding in her hand is one that she found near the stream.
On our walk back, Tatum and Hailey tend to the poor butterfly while Ella tries her best to keep up with the bigger girls and perhaps have a chance to hold it herself. They even gathered a few flowers along the way to feed to their new little friend.
We did it! We made it through the whole hike without one whine! Amazing! Kyla, Hailey, Tatum, Ella and Nate agreed to pose for a group picture.
And then came the silly faces......which I also captured and will definitely use when they get married! By that time, they will have forgotten all about this crazy picture!
I may also use the one of "Cheeto Faces Unleashed"! Scary, isn't it? This is the stuff nightmares are made of! I can almost see huge orange fangs coming after me!
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