It's been too long and I'm getting too old to remember the names of these falls. I want to say the lower and upper falls of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone but that seems to obvious.
Whatever the name, each stop brought with it it's own fun adventure.
First up, the lower falls with all the whining and "my legs are broken" and "carry me" and "I'm tired" and "I don't want to keep walking".... you get the idea. It's not even a real hike! And my kids were complaining about it. Apparently it's just not worth expending precious energy walking around this beautiful earth to see all that God has created when one could be watching Wreck It Ralph for the 100 gazillionth time instead!
Whiners.
At the next stop at the upper falls, Jeff and I decided to check it out solo. We watched a pair of eagles flying back and forth to their nest for quite some time. If you look really, really closely, you can see one of the adult eagles flying around the nest (to the left), sitting on this rock. It was really quite amazing and pretty humbling to think we're just these teeny, tiny specks next to the canyon and rocks.
We apparently stayed a little too long eagle watching because when we got back to the truck, Pearl and Grandma were nowhere to be found. They had told Grandpa they were going to walk down to find us - which was only about 20 feet away from the truck - but they never made it. Trying not to panic, we started walking around looking for them. We looked and looked and looked. By this point I was starting to get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't think Jeff's mom would dare go on the trails with her knees or with Pearl but maybe they did and now they were hurt or lost. Jeff and I started running up and down the trails and asking everyone if they'd seen a Grandma and little girl together. No luck. By now I was really freaking out! I mean this place has wolves and bears and bison! We didn't have a clue where they might have wandered off to and I was thinking the worst like Pearl had slipped and fell into the falls and Gwen went over trying to grab her. And there was no possible way they'd be crazy enough to have walked back down to the bathrooms at the lower falls... so naturally thinking the worst was the only logical thing for me to do.
Never underestimate a 6-year-old with a full bladder.
When Gwen and Pearl strolled up like nothing had happened - oh and did I mention we sent Grandpa and Fern back to the lower falls to look for them - I told them they were grounded, which was much nicer than the ear full they got from Jeff and his Dad. I mean, it totally makes sense that instead of asking for a ride back to the bathrooms (which I failed to mention "stunk" which is why Pearl refused to go potty in the first place), you'd walk five miles back down to the bathrooms yourself without telling anyone, barely making it before peeing your pants, all while being in wolves and bears and bison territory.
Pearl and Grandma are still not allowed to go anywhere unsupervised :)
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