JRB Part Deux

So apparently obtaining one Junior Ranger Badge  (see “A New Sheriff in Town”) had the same effect on my son as a drop of Banquet on the lips of Daddy has on him- there just isn’t enough around to fill the void in our hearts.  This explains why less then two weeks after a family trip to the Great Sand Dunes, I found myself at the gates of Florrisant Fossil Beds National Monument.  Taking the place of my beautiful wife (curse her “real job”) for round number two is my sister, Auntie, aka “The Conscience,” who has proclaimed that this badge will be earned within the spirit of the Junior Ranger Program.  Let’s face it, JRB #1 does ring a bit hollow.

Petrified Redwood Stump Sprouting New Life

We get our workbook and borrow a pencil from the friendly ranger at the front desk of the Visitor’s Center, and head outside.  I go straight for the first trail I see, when all of a sudden I am called back for a quick pow wow.  My sister, who I swear keeps a collapsible dry erase board and color-coded expo markers tucked away in her pockets, informs me that we will be operating via a game plan, and subsequently breaks down our tinerary to resemble some air to ground attack.

Maximizing Junior Ranger Badge Output

Before I realized it we are strolling the Petrified Loop Trail, immersed in a game of Nature Bingo, looking for animal tracks, pine cones and aspen trees.  We passed through the canopied Outdoor Exhibition Center, which is home to two monstrous petrified stumps as well as an outdoor lecture facility, only to continue on outside exploring some of the more than 14 miles of trails that the park has to offer.  In typical Tyler fashion, within five minutes he announced he was tired and needed to ride on my shoulders or his feet might break into pieces. 

Marching with a 40lbs pack on my shoulders

The path merged with a new loop tail that took us away from under the thick cover of the forest out back into the valley on the north side of the park en route to Scudder Pit, a fully-functional excavation site still in use for research.  Ready to remove himself from his birds nest perched atop my shoulders, Tyler saw some flowers in the distance and wanted to see them up close.

Now, as a responsible parent and conessiour of nature’s blessed offerings, I have tried to instill in my child a respect for the rules for exploring the outdoors, namely staying on the trail and leaving things the way that we found them. 

I turned my back for a second. 

 A second is all it takes.  He ‘s four, after all.

It was quick.  The flower didn’t suffer.  I promise.

Live and learn. 

Turn the page. 

Just Another Victim

After completing the required activities and workbook games, which included a picture search and a review of the fossil process, we made a stop by a yurt outside the Visitor’s Center which had been set up as a working Fossil Lab during the summer months.  With the help of two Rangers, Tyler was shown the finer points of shale splitting.  He was also able to put his specimen under a microscope to discover he unveiled a petrified wood fragment that had not seen the light of day for millions of years.

Finding Petrified Wood in a Yurt

With the only thing left on our agenda Tyler’s swearing in, we crossed the parking lot to the Visitor’s Center to turn in his workbook to the Ranger on Duty.  She looked over the book, asked him a few questions about his experience, and then gave him the Junior Ranger Badge Oath as he again raised the wrong hand proudly in the air.

Different Ranger, Same Procedure

On the way home Tyler announced he wants one-hundred million Junior Ranger Badges.  Two is a good start.

Conquering the World- One National Park at a Time