Pine Valley Mountain

On Wednesday we took a field trip to Pine Valley Mountain with the Hyers and the Penas.  The buddy system was instituted, and I found myself tagging along with Eliza and Isaiah, surely the most aptly paired couple in the bunch.  Their "hike" covered less than a hundred yards of ground, but I'd venture to say they saw and enjoyed more in that small space than many long-distance hikers do. Eliza's nurturing and creative spirit quickly improved upon the idea of a hike, and soon we were a yellow train, choo-chooing along with frequent stops at stations that occurred to her depending on what she saw.  We had the Counting Flowers Station, the Chipmunk Viewing Station, the Color Identification Station, and the Elephant Ride Station. We had the Dance on a Stump  Station, for which Eliza and I both wish we had taken a movie.  Eliza did some beat-boxing while Isaiah grooved on a huge stump.  It was the cutest thing ever.  Another favorite was the Rock Hopping Station, where Isaiah "hopped" from boulder to boulder with a little help from Eliza and I.  But I'm fairly confident that the biggest highlight of the train ride was our stop at Echo Station, where we talked and whispered to each other from opposite sides of the road through the drainage pipe that went under it.  The sounds we made by clapping inside and beating on the pipe were so cool!

I love that Eliza is such a talented helper with small children, and especially that she seems to enjoy it as much as they do.  Isaiah is a very lucky little boy!