We woke up on our second morning of “glamping” to pouring down rain. We knew a number of kid friendly stops and museums are along the drive up Mt. Saint Helens so we decided to drive up the mountain and see the crater. We didn’t anticipate that as we drove higher up fog would become so thick that we could barely see the road.
Luckily, the Jr. Ranger Program that the U.S. National Parks has put together saved the day again. With pictures like the one below, the kids relieved the day in 1980 when the volcano erupted.
We couldn’t see the actual mountain through all the fog, but we could go through the museums, learn about volcanoes, ride pretend helicopters,
pretend to have the claws of a bald eagle,
or watch videos of the 1980 eruption in minute detail. Afterwards the kids were better informed, had a great time, and received a booklet and badge to keep to remember what they had learned.
When we got back to the RV Alicia got out the play dough and tried to make accurate volcanoes with all the knowledge she had learned. She made volcanoes before and after the explosion, made lava and magna flows, created various rocks, and wanted a picture to remember her work. She was very informational.
Olivia didn’t worry about the specifics of the mountain, but back at the RV she loved getting daddy time.
We ended the day with my in-laws portable gas fire pit. We relaxed under a dry shelter. Here we are enjoying the warm fire and the outdoors having just finished a nice hot dinner.
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