An Enchanted Trip

Today was one of my best days. It was one of those days that when I'm old and gray, I will remember with fondness and laughter. We took the kids to Enchanted Rock and had an absolute blast! The day began not too early with driving out to the park. Despite traffic and a long line to get in, we got there in great spirits (translation: the kids weren't tired of sitting in the van to the point of screaming - a real danger with that much sitting still on the road).

Julia rode on my back up the "mountain" and Isaac hoofed it. He loved jumping from rock to rock and exploring every nook and cranny. Cheryl and I enjoyed being free to let him for the most part. At the top, Isaac marveled at being able to see for miles in all directions!

Our biggest adventure was for Isaac and I. Cheryl waited with Julia and freed me to take Isaac through the cave! If you are unfamiliar with the cave at enchanted rock, it is a 'fissure' cave - not the lighted, guided type where you walk past formations in cavernous rooms. This is a series of connected cracks in the rock and there is NO LIGHT! ... save what you bring in yourself. HE LOVED IT! We climbed around, slithered on our backs, got dirty and wet in places - all the things a kid enjoys! (...and his dad, too!). Isaac at four was boldly going where kiddos twice his age were backing out of! That is a proud papa moment, for sure!

What made the day special for me was sharing Enchanted Rock with my children. "E-Rock" holds a special place in my heart, if for no other reason than I've been to this park more times than I can count and almost every chapter of my adult life since college has included time spent there. Rock climbing and camping, singles trips (where Cheryl first did the cave!), and now as a husband and father. What a great thing to hand down!

Here is some video we took throughout the day...