Capturing the Awe

My kids may not be growing up "out in the country" like I did, but they still love getting out into nature every chance we get. They love picnics, and hiking, and (as we recently discovered) camping. And every time I see them exploring and having fun outdoors, I am reassured that their "city life" upbringing ins't dampening their love of nature in the least.

 You could say they were a bit excited to finally be going camping.

And while the desert has its merits, we were all happy to be escaping it for a little while. Goodbye dry, flat views.

And hello changing landscape. It's nice to trade in the saguaros for some real trees now and then. 

The drive up to the mountains was great, because every time we'd turn or come over a ridge and see a new vista open up in front of us, the kids would "ooh" and "aah" delightedly. My favorite quotes included "Whoa! That's awesome!" and "Look! It's so beautiful!"

And of course the "oohs" and "aahs" continued when we finally reached the campground. (With some of my own contented sighs along with them.) This was the view from our campsite. Complete bliss!

We were fortunate enough to be able to go up a night early, so we had some free time to explore before the official Cub Scout camp out started.

So we got to visit the lake.

And do some hiking up on the rim.

It was wonderful to be able to share this with my family. No cares. No worries. Just a weekend away enjoying our awesome surroundings.