Day Five...

Day Five: Wednesday. Events: Lost Canyon Horse Drawn Tour
Now as previously discussed, Kirsten LOVES horses. Seeing as how Kira is too young to go horseback riding at all (most companies have policies about age) we opted for the next best thing. Horse drawn wagon tours. I was excited for this because I couldn't wait to see Kirsten around the horses but I had no idea how beautiful the area we were taken through truly was. Our guide Chris and his team Mike and Tom lead us through an area that had been carved out by a glacial stream a long long time ago. The area is just amazing. It is all sandstone but unlike the sandstone on the river, this was sturdier & not as easy to crumble. The thing about this entire area (the Dells I mean) it that because of the sandstone and all the moisture it holds trees and plants can grow right out of the rock. It really is quite breath-taking to see the beauty of God's creation, even in rock God can sustain life. :) The stone itself was very interesting with the layers exposed, the bands of color contrasting so nicely with each other. The way the water must have flowed to form the rock the way it is now. If we ever get up to the Dells again Emily and I want to make sure that we spend time in the State Parks and do the full river tour, it is beautiful country up there. The pictures I took don't really do it justice, especially because in all but one you can't really get the feel of how narrow the canyon is. Here is the only picture where you kind of get a sense of how small a space it was, it also happens to be Emily's favorite picture of all of them I took during this event. Now some of you may be thinking 'hey we sure do see a lot of pictures of Emily but we don't see much of Cindy.' The explaniation to that is simple...I had the camera most of the time. It wasn't planned that way it just kinda happened. So there are a few pictures of me and I will make sure at least two get into my blog. At the office of Lost Canyon there is this tree that looks like a tune fork or an upsidedown wish bone and they call it the 'wishbone tree' (real inventive right?) anyway at the base of where the two main trunks come together is a natural cavity in which they have placed a little bank box to insert money. All money from the tree goes to the local Humane Shelter. We thought that was a nice gesture. Most of the Dells is BUY BUY BUY. This still wanted money but it was not going to line someones pocket. Here is a Picture of Kira through the Wishbone Tree. Of course in the true nature of kids at the last second before the picture took she looked down. She had been looking right at me and was smiling, but of course it was not to be. I think it is a primal thing within kids that they look away just at the split second the picture is taken. After that we headed back to the condo for naps and swimming. After everyone woke up, we (all six of us) went back to Paint it pottery to pick up our finished products (which you have already seen pictures of) then proceded next door to the Cold Stone Creamery....yummmmmm. This place is great. You pick your flavor base icec ream (cheesecake, cookie dough batter, vanilla, chocolate, sweet cream, coffee, blueberry, strawberry, peanutbutter, etc...) Then you pick your 'toppings' (almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts, m&m's, reeses, berries (like five different kinds), oreos, chocolate chips, yellow cake, brownies, apples, peaches, and so much more I can't remember.) Then they 'knead' it all together on the granite slab on the counter and serve it up in a cone or cone bowl or just a regular bowl. The smallest size they have is more than enough ice cream. It is really high quality ice cream. The Peanut Butter is WOW! We all enjoyed our treats including Mortimor, who you could say really got into his. ;) Okay so that was kinda weak, you'll have to excuse it. I giggled at it when I thought it, but then my family often says that I am usually the only person that thinks my jokes are funny. I think it is a Leinbach curse that we tell dumb jokes. Well I think that does it for day Five. Tomorrow will be day Six and anything other rondom picture I want to show and tell. Keep up the good work people, if we dont' give up we might just make it through this day.