Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Hiking in The Natural State

Sometimes when you want to enjoy nature, you have to escape to someone else's backyard ... in this case, Arkansas. Cody & Tyson did just that spending 3 days exploring Petit Jean and Devil's Den State Parks. Here's 10 things learned from the trip:
  1. Arkansans love their football. Every campsite was equipped with a stereo to broadcast the Razorback Football game Saturday night. 
  2. Some things come natural for Ty. Rock climbing is one of them. He scampered up and bounced around every collection of boulders he could find.
  3. Farmer's fields make for a great location to change into church clothes.
  4. Playing soccer has created "boundless" energy within Tyson. 15 miles of hiking had little to no effect on him.
  5. Arkansans are some of the friendliest folks around. Our camping neighbors welcomed us to our campsite, showed us the flattest spot for a tent, and loaned us anything we forgot.
  6. A 4am rain shower on Monday morning helped get us on the road a little sooner than we had planned.
  7. Arkansas is called "The Natural State" for a reason ... it's beauty is unbelievable.
  8. Tyson can live without his electronics. In fact, he thrived on it. From the first whiff of pine needles to the moment he left the mountains, he was in heaven. The mountains and the outdoors is where he's at his best.
  9. Spending 3 days together driving, talking, hiking, camping, and eating together can go along way for a father-and-son relationship.
  10. 5-7 hours is a long way to drive for an "outdoor adventure." Our family needs to be in Colorado.

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