Montana Trip, Part 3: Lewis and Clark Caverns

After our morning at the mineral museum, we caravanned to the lower parking lot of the Lewis and Clark Caverns. We sat in on a park ranger's talk about bats and the kids learned a few fun facts. Then, Janet and Ascha went to the camper to hang out, color, and read, and the rest of us made our way up the mountain to walk through the caverns.

                                             

At the entrance, things got quite adventurous. Taylor got a bloody nose (the 5000 foot elevation change got to him, I guess), and we were woefully unprepared. Thankfully, I found a fellow traveler with a spare kleenex. Once we entered the caverns, Taylor loved every moment except when he got a nosebleed (the 5000 ft. elevation change got to him, I guess). Aric, who struggles with heights and claustrophobia, thought it was neat, but was quite nervous during the first half of the tour. He had a death grip on my hand and wasn't interested in looking down through any of the big holes as we descended. After a while, though, he got more comfortable with the situation and, in true Aric fashion, he not only let go of my hand but he started hopping along. We had to ask him to hold back a bit so he didn't slip and fall. I was so proud of him and enjoyed sharing the adventure with both boys and my mom.

Loving the Adventure

1 mile high and still underground!

The "chocolate fountain"

                                       

"Popcorn" (foreground) and "bacon" (in background)

                                               

"WHOA"

The awesome blasted exit tunnel...the guide slammed the door to the outside and it made a sound the boys will never forget.

After our trek, we all piled back into the vehicles and made our way to our next campsite in Ennis. We arrived late and it was already dark, so all the kids squeezed into the camper for the night and Grandma Janet camped out in the back of her van. The next day, she and Taylor readied the tent for another night of camping.