The Accidental Boilermaker

 Tuesday morning it was raining. We made instant oatmeal for breakfast under the screen tent and then left to go hiking because we couldn’t hide in the tent all morning. We decided we wanted to see Gray’s Arch, the arch we missed the day before. The trailhead starts after the climb so we hoped it wouldn’t be the hardest hike in the rain. The rain did lessen up as we walked but it felt like we were the only people on the trail.  Gray’s Arch was very pretty.  Pretty sure people do climb to get on top but we didn’t see a clear path so we admired it from below.  On the walk back to the car the rain had stopped and we saw a few people. Unfortunately as we drove back to the campground, it started raining again. We decided to stop at a few of the gift shops and look for souvenirs. The sky lift gift shop wasn’t open because the lift wasn’t operating, but there was a nice covered pavilion where we were protected from the rain and could eat lunch. Back at camp we hunkered down...

 Monday was by far the best day weather wise. Evelyn and Jameson woke up early to go fishing but no bites.  Our plan for the day was to hike in the Red River Gorge. We thought we were headed to one trailhead but actually ended up at another; the spotty cell service made it hard to use the map on our phones. But the hike we ended up doing was fun. We started down in the gorge and followed a creek until we started to climb up.  After climbing and consulting some maps, we realized that unless we wanted to hike another mile out and back, we weren’t going to see an arch. Which was disappointing but the kids were getting tired and hungry. So we decided to follow the trail to a different trailhead which hooked up with a trail that would loop back to the car. Still a substantial hike but it felt like we did all that work to not see anything cool.  However this route took us past Daniel Boone’s hut, a giant rock shelter that some claim Boone used as a camp spot, which was pre...

 Sunday morning started with some drizzle. It was a little tricky fixing breakfast but not too bad. We didn’t have great cell service at our campsite so it was hard to check the weather.  We still decided to try for a hike and see National Bridge, this time from a different trail.  Our site was right along a creek that the kids could splash around in and Jameson liked to skip stones. It also came in handy when we needed to rinse off muddy shoes and feet.  Before our hike we stopped in town for gas and ice.  The rain started to pick up, so we looked around the visitor center and started brainstorming back up indoor activities.  Something everyone thought sounded fun was kayaking underground in an old mine but the soonest we could get a reservation was Tuesday.  So for the afternoon we decided to visit a history museum just up the road.  By the time we arrived at the trailhead the rain had let up. We found the sky lift that brings people who don’t w...

 Saturday we left to go camping at Red River Gorge in Kentucky. Nate and I can’t agree how we decided on Kentucky. I think it’s because last summer we had friends who went to New River Gorge in West Virginia and it sounded like a really fun place. But then I just misremembered the name when we started making our summer vacation plans. Nate thinks different friends showed us a picture of either Natural Bridge or Red River Gorge and said wouldn’t this be a cool place to visit and that’s where we got the idea. I have no recollection of this. Either way Red River Gorge is a very cool place to visit and we had a great time.  We stayed at Natural Bridge State Park. Our site was huge and the tent side was very quiet. Our biggest concern was the weather. Not only did it predict rain for everyday we were camping, it had rained significantly before we arrived. Thankfully our site was not a muddy mess and even though we drove through rain, it was not raining when we arrived.  We set...

 Last day of 6th and 4th grade. Overall, a good school year. Lots of highlights and good memories but we are all ready for summer.  Evelyn was awarded high academic honors at the 6th grade honor breakfast on Monday.  I couldn’t attend so a friend shared the picture and news.   I forgot to take Jameson’s picture before school. We wanted to get to school in time to enjoy a coffee and hot chocolate from Travelin’ Toms curtesy of the PTA.  Soccer ended on Tuesday with parent v player, awards, and coaches dinner. Jameson graduates to travel in the fall but in the meantime he’s looking forward to some low-key summer rec soccer.

 Let’s talk 5Ks. The GOTR 5K was on Sunday. I think it went off well; I’ve received no angry emails suggesting otherwise.  It’s just such a big, stressful day that I can’t really enjoy any of it and only see the problems or things that could go better.  We did a color run this season. Another reason I was so stressed out but again everyone seems to think it went great. We had three color stations - pink, green and purple. Very GOTR colors. I wish I had gotten a better picture of what Evelyn looked like at the end. Jameson was the first place finisher (even though we don’t do placement awards) so he was able to tell the color throwers he didn’t want color.  We might have to have a discussion in the fall if he’s allowed to run again; he’s just too fast.  Back in April the three of us did a 5K just for fun. It was a breezy, cold day.  Jameson ran out ahead and Evelyn and I ran together until the very end when she decided to sprint to the finish and I just coul...