To The Moon and Back

Friday 6/20/2014

Caldwell, Idaho

Before heading to Caldwell we went to the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.  I figured an hour or so and the kids would not be too interested.  Well was I wrong!  First we went to the visitor center and the kids were given a booklet to complete as we rode around the 7 mile loop and walked the many foot trails.  If they completed the booklet they would be sworn in as Lunar Rangers and get a patch to put on their jackets.  I had noticed traveling from Yellowstone through Idaho that the ground/mountains looked like ashes or loose rocks.  We learned that from Yellowstone through central Idaho to this particular location 2000 years ago was some major volcanic activity.  Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 Astronaut, said The Moon has this peculiar eerie beauty, like Craters of the Moon, That is magnificent … they excite your imagination.  The space program used this location for training future astronauts.  I could write thousands of words and still not fully describe this place.  We stopped at every location and walked the trails; I was very surprised Zoey could walk the distance and she was interested.  After walking several of these trails we pulled into a stop for Inferno which was a volcano cone or mountain and you were allowed to walk to the top of this high mountain.  Todd wanted to walk/climb the ashen trail leading up to the top.  Zoey was playing with her kindle and I didn’t think I could make it so Todd and Don started up.  They were maybe a third of the way up and Zoey said she wanted to go.  She said she could make it so I told her to go and she did!  She troughed up the side of this ash mountain until she reached the top. And when Todd and Don reached the top there was a second mountain which Todd decided to climb while Don and Zoey waited at the summit of the first mountain and I waited at the bottom.  After 3 hours in this volcanic wilderness we went back to the visitor center where both kids were sworn in as Lunar Rangers and we headed for Caldwell 200 miles away.