Saturday morning, we headed out for another nature expedition/camera practice session.
This week, our location was Lake Martin, which has a 2 mile walking trail around the lake that is pretty nice.
My parents met us out there, and while we parked one vehicle at the end of the trail, Riley hung out by the trailhead and happily played in the gravel. (none of which was later found in his diaper, Nicole)
Then it was time to hit the trail.
Riley loves being outside, but still doesn't really care about the camouflaged, motionless gators.
He did like playing with his Poppy's hat though.
Predictably, he got tired during our 2.5 hour hike, but was able to rest comfortably in the backpack and even slept for a while.
It was fun for the adults because we got to see some small gators up close...
Some large gators farther away...
And even some poison ivy that looked like it had poison ivy.
After being carried for almost three hours, he was wiped out.
But his day was far from over.
Next, we landed at Johnson's for some lunch, and to pick up our Easter roast and sides.
He took it as an opportunity to do some obstacle course training.
after lunch, it was on to Erath to see Joan's grandparents, Aunt, Uncle and some Cousins
He stalked the cat for a while, climbed his first set of stairs, then did some stunt driving with the Cozy Coupe.
He's not big enough yet, but by next year he should be able to help his cousins catch some of the crabs that Rita deposited in their pond.
He did great for such a long day (we left home at 8:30 and got back after 5)
Sunday, he woke up in a foul mood, but cheered up just in time to hit his playtime stride in the middle of church.
Then we ate at Another Broken Egg with my parents, where he was able to keep us all on edge by repeatedly trying to fall into the fountain.
Then refusing to cooperate for a family pic.
we rounded out the day at our house with a visit from Granny Lynn, Granddad, Uncle Paul, Aunt Liz and Cousin Caroline.
The kids played like rock stars for a little while.
Then Riley spent at least an hour pretending to drink from an empty plastic cup.
After being bugged by many people as to what he would get in his Easter basket, I dropped a few last minute dollars at CVS and got him a few more unneeded stuffed animals, and some plastic eggs for us to slip on in the middle of the night.
Overall, the cool kid had a weekend just as cool as the popsicle he tried on Friday.
(good thing it was the last one in the house, 'cause he became an immediate junkie)
For anyone interested in heading out to Lake Martin, it is a two mile trail that starts at the front of the lake and goes around, connecting to the other end of the road at the back of the lake. You should probably try to have two vehicles, or you'd have to walk another couple of miles back up the dirt road.
If you look at it on Google Maps, it show the trail as being Lake Martin Levee Rd and Rookery Rd, but it is grass covered and not vehicle accessible.
Branching off of the trail is another one mile trail through the woods. The property is managed by the Nature Conservancy.
The trail is closed during the summer for alligator nesting season, and it is recommended that you not bring pets at any time, lest they become alligator snacks.
Keep your eyes open and bring binoculars if you want to see the big gators.
If you don't have time to walk the trail you can see lots of birds this time of year, and gators from now until winter, by just driving along the road.
you can find more info at nature.org
1 comment:
What a full weekend! Cute pics of that baby boy.
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