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A panoramic photo of the view from the top of the highest peak in Shenandoah National Park

32 Days in America, Day 2

Stats

  • Miles traveled: 351.8
  • Miles traveled to date: 656.6
  • States visited today: 2 – Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia
  • States visited to date: 5
  • Tanks of gas pumped to date: 2
  • Meltdowns: 1

Highlights

  • Columnar rock formations from the Neoproterozoic era (rapidly cooled lava formed in surprisingly regular columns) in Virginia.
A photo of hexagonal basalt rock columns in Shenandoah National Park
A photo of hexagonal basalt rock columns in Shenandoah National Park.
  • Driving through the Mary’s Rock Tunnel in Shenandoah National Park.
Mary’s Rock Tunnel on Skyline Drive.
  • Hiking to the highest peak in Shenandoah National Park – it was windy!
A photo of Kevin, Rayleigh, Ainsley, and Dillon being buffeted by the string winds at the top of the highest peak in Shenandoah National Park
Kevin, Rayleigh, Ainsley, and Dillon being buffeted by the string winds at the top of the highest peak in Shenandoah National Park
  • Earning the first Jr. Ranger badge of the trip (Grayson was a little carsick and opted to not go for this badge and he and I got to squeeze in some extra snuggles).
A photo of Dillon, Rayleigh, and Ainsley taking the Junior Ranger pledge with a park ranger in Shenandoah National Park
Dillon, Rayleigh, and Ainsley taking the Junior Ranger pledge with a park ranger in Shenandoah National Park
  • We ended the day at Kelsey’s cousin’s house with playmates and yummy dinner.
A photo of Grayson, Ainsley, Rayleigh, Mia, Dillon, Maisie, and Milo eating pizza and salad at a large wooden table
The 7 cousins had a great time eating and playing together.

Other fun photos:

A photo of Rayleigh and Grayson posing with their faces in cutouts of a park ranger and a kid, respectively
Rayleigh and Grayson hamming it up at Jr. RangerLand at Big Meadows Ranger Station.
A photo of the remnants of a tree that was struck by lightning standing alone on a hilltop with the Appalachian mountains in the background
A photo of the remnants of a tree that was struck by lightning standing alone on a hilltop with the Appalachian mountains in the background.
A photo of Ainsley, Dillon, and Grayson on a large stump with the Appalachian mountains in the background
A photo of Ainsley, Dillon, and Grayson on a large stump with the Appalachian mountains in the background.
A photo of Dillon, Ainsley, Grayson, Rayleigh, and Kelsey standing on top of a large rock in Shenandoah National Park with the Appalachian mountains in the background
A photo of Dillon, Ainsley, Grayson, Rayleigh, and Kelsey standing on top of a large rock in Shenandoah National Park with the Appalachian mountains in the background
A photo of Kevin in a hat and sunglasses sitting on a large rock in Shenandoah National Park with the Appalachian mountains in the background
A photo of Kevin in a hat and sunglasses sitting on a large rock in Shenandoah National Park with the Appalachian mountains in the background.
A photo of Kelsey standing on some large rocks with the Appalachian mountains in the background
Kelsey on some rocks.
A photo of Grayson sitting on Kelsey's lap in the van while parked and waiting for everyone else to return from a hike
Kelsey and Grayson snuggling while the other kids got Jr. Ranger Badges.
A photo of Kelsey's hand showing the relative size of a piece of basalt column that has broken off - the basalt column is slightly larger than her hand span
A photo of Kelsey’s hand showing the relative size of a piece of basalt column that has broken off – the basalt column is slightly larger than her hand span
A photo of Ainsley climbing a rock formation in Shenandoah National Park
Ainsley doing some light bouldering with a lollipop in her mouth.
A photo of a lone scraggly evergreen tree in Shenandoah National Park
A photo of a lone scraggly evergreen tree in Shenandoah National Park
A photo of Grayson asleep in bed at the end of a long day
A big day for a little Grayson guy, some much needed sleep to end the day.

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Kelsey Ernst

Comments

3 responses to “32 Days in America, Day 2”

  1. mpb Avatar
    mpb

    Beautiful!

  2. Kris N Avatar
    Kris N

    Looks like a fantastic start. Just sorry to see the meltdown count went up on day 2. But, all the rest seems worth an occasional meltdown.

    1. Kelsey Ernst Avatar
      Kelsey Ernst

      Yesterday it went up again…. but this time I was the culprit!

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