Saturday, August 16, 2014

Kissing a slug!

 This is a place we often go.  It's gorgeous...but it does take some time to get to.  First, we have to drive over an hour...then we turn off and go about 10-12 miles on a little, mostly dirt, road.  After a visit here, your car will have an urgent need to be washed.
As you can see, there is a steam that runs through the park.  Over the years, these little bridges have been added so you don't get your feet soaked as you walk through.
 Someone fell asleep as we drove up here...
 We've brought Thalia here quite a few times..and this time, as usual, we were on a mission... to find a banana slug.  Actually, not just FIND a slug, but KISS a banana slug...it's a tradition!

 We started walking through...

 What a great spot for a family picture!  Well, we have quite a few missing, but I still love it!
 After our picture, William decided to wake up!
 Benjamin asked me to take a picture of him!  Wow!  Emerson did the same thing earlier today.  It's my lucky day!

 There are downed trees everywhere.  I love all the twisted trunks and limbs.  Sometimes you have to climb over or under them to keep going.  This is a canyon, so these trees fall from high up.

 My girl accomplished our goal!  She found a banana slug....she told me she 'had a feeling' she'd find one. 
 Oh...and she gave it a good smooch!  Way to go, Thalia!!!

 Now we explained this tradition to the boys...
Emerson gave it a good shot....'closer, Emerson'...
 and he did!  YeeHaw!
 Benjamin...well, he wasn't quite as excited about this kissing deal...
 He was definitely fascinated with the slug itself,
 William wanted to be part of the whole tradition...
 His daddy held it while he gave it a little kiss!
 You've heard of 'body language'?  Well, Benjamin's body language is telling me he's not very excited to kiss this thing...he wanted to in his head...but his body was saying, I don't think so!


 Thalia demonstrated once again, "how to kiss a slug".
 Come on, Benjamin...a little bit closer...

 little more...and he did! 
I don't think Erica or Joshua kissed the slug...but I took a picture of them anyway.
 Cousins...

What a beautiful place...this was where we originally started...you can see the ferns on the canyon walls...the downed trees...I love this place!

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