Fam-Damily

We had a fantastic visit from some amazing cousins that we just never see the other day. We're lazy and their mama is definitely NOT, so a plan was made and out we went! First to the Peterson Rock Garden to chase a few pollywogs and snakes, and then to the Lava River Caves outside of Bend. It's a long freezing cold walk in a deep dark hole. Can't say much else, lol! I only saw what my flashlight pinpointed and the focus was on improving depth perception and not falling on my face, nor allowing my kids to do so either and less on anything else. Of note, the water drips look like wet mud on the walls, but it's not mud. Stalagmite or something. I'm sure Google will fill me in soon. I noticed that, and that my Chacos weren't the best choice for footage in the 40 degree caves. That's it. I'm not much of a font of information on this one.  Dark. Crap footing. Random holes that magically appear right in front of you. Little girls that think a dark cave is the perfect place to howl over and over and over and over again. Also, no matter what their age, boys will climb on random rocks and be king. Maybe just for a second while they think no one is looking. But they ALL do it.   The End. Towards the end of the cave the ceiling got decently low, and I was done. Deep long dark hole with only a flashlight? Um, Okay. Crawling through a deep long dark hole with only a flashlight and, like, cave walls pressing in on you? Not so much. Matt and the others in the group went the last tiny bit to the end and I stood in the dark and fiddled with my non-working phone trying not to freak out. Then we froze up stiff and walked back. Yah. Cave hiking. Actually, while the cave hike really wasn't my cup of tea, it was a total blast getting to spend some time with this branch of our family. There was a lot of chat among the adults because really, what else is there to do in the pitch dark with only that spot of light in front of your feet to keep you from going stark raving bonkers? Raegan and her cousin, who are very close in age, were instant best buddies. They have perfectly complimentary personalities. And the older and younger cousins that we played with were just a pile of fun. SO glad we had this chance to visit!