When in Doubt, Stay Out

Lesson learned: never venture further into a cave, unless you fully know what lies ahead.

We spent the day in the porkies and visited some of our favorite spots: Lake of the Clouds, Union Bay, the Ontonagan playground. On the drive from one spot to another, I see this cool cave along the roadside. I tell Mike "Turn around, I just saw something cool." He tells me, "No, tell me what it is first." I reply, "No, just trust me." We find the old Carp River Mining tunnel. I try to convince Mike we should venture in a little further, even without a flashlight. He insists, no, and we don't. We see a descriptive sign, and I ask Mike to check it out. Mike hollers to me, "You won't believe this!" I come over to see and to my frightened surprise, the old mine shaft is (brace yourself, here): a home for thousands of bats. EEEEKKK. I understand the importance of bats, but they still creep me out...really, a lot. So glad we had not walked in any further, what would have happened if my camera flash had gone off?
(but, me being swarmed by thousands of bats would have made for a very exciting blog entry)

Hey Dad- It is Ok to Take Drift Wood- I Checked

You know its been a good day when you come back home with a backpack full of driftwood. We had a late start yesterday but still headed out to Presque Isle Park in the Porcupine Mountains. We parked at the hikers lot and enjoyed an easy, beautiful walk along the Presque Isle River. There is a great boardwalk along the west side for ease and safety of hiking and a great way to take in the sights and sounds of the river.

Mr. Xenopus is a great hiker and really enjoys it. He went up and down many steps with the help of Daddy or Mommy's hand or the "Daddy Express". We reached the shore of Lake Superior and he eagerly helped find drift wood pieces.

We absolutely love this park and have plans to go next Saturday as well. A crisp 42 degrees yesterday was perfect for a walk in the forest. We ended the hike with Mommy reciting "Little Bunny Foo-foo" and Bacon hopping around.

I have great plans for my various drift wood pieces based on observations in nature. Next time you're on a hike check out all the shades of green from moss. Feel a dried up fern growing along the path or drag your feet along the forest floor where needles of pine thickly blanket. There is nothing like a family day walking through the woods.