Junior Rangers

Who knew there were so many national monuments around Flagstaff, Arizona! I sure didn't! But there are 3 within 20 miles of the town. And since the kids were on a roll with the Junior Ranger program we thought it might be fun to do three more. So we started out early and headed for our first stop, Walnut Canyon. At this stop the kids got to learn more about how the people in the area built their homes on the canyon walls. It was cool to see the remains of their homes still perched high on the canyon wall. We did not take the hike down to the bottom of the canyon as it was very steep and consisted of 240 steps on the way out. Rachel and I were pretty sure we did not want to carry the little ones up that many steps!
We were a little disappointed about the fact that they were a little to protective of their Junior ranger program here. We have been to at least 5 other places and no one minds that the babies "earn" their badges. But at Walnut Canyon they would not hear of it. They almost did not let Cutler do the work for the badge. And then when he was almost too shy to talk to the Ranger, she was not going to give it to him! Needless to say we were glad to be done with that stop.
From Walnut Canyon we headed over to Sunset Crater. Which if you can not tell from the name is a volcano crater! It was amazing to see the lava flows and how they moved and hardened through the landscape! We took a little hike near the base of Sunset Crater and you would have thought Lincoln was a teenager the way he was running ahead. He is so independent! The kids worked hard to finish the Junior ranger booklets, even the babies got into it! Right in the middle of the floor inside the Visitor center! They were so funny, they both wanted to be one of the big kids!
Once we learned about Volcanoes we were off to our last stop, Wupatki. At Wupatki there are Pueblo remains. But this is not your ordinary one room pueblo. These ruins are humongous. The Wupatki pueblo is thought to have been at least 23 rooms. And what was even nicer is that they were found right outside the Visitor Center, so there was no long hike to get to the ruins. Once again Lincoln wanted to run ahead, which made me a little nervous due to the drop offs right next to the path.
Overall, I think the kids had a great time earning their badges. And I think they learn something at the same time.
For example, last summer we went to Devils Tower and completed the Junior Ranger program. Well on our drive, Rydman asked if I remembered the story about Devils Tower. and I have to admit I did not. But those kids did. Together they told the story about how the Native Americans believe the tower came to be. So even if we don't think they are listening, they are!!

So after our Junior Rangers took their last oath to protect the environment around them, we were back on the road. Thankfully, the drive home was quick and uneventful! Now it's time to recoup from our exciting and very full vacation! It is good to be home!