So every national park we go to, the kids are able to become a Jr. Ranger and earn a badge by completing a few educational tasks relevant to the park (go on a hike, answer trivia, etc.). To say Kellan is really starting to get into this Jr. Ranger thing is a huge understatement.

We took a ranger guided hike at Dinosaur National Monument and Kellan stood next to the ranger facing the guests at every stop. At Grand Teton National Park, he took a pledge that included something about picking up trash that others leave behind in order to protect the park. So now every time Kellan sees trash he collects it. This is usually great except when we stop at a scenic point and he runs into the bushes and brings back used oil containers.

Dinosaur was incredibly cool by the way. Originally it was just a stop along the way to break up the long traverse through the Rockies. But the campsite was beautiful (and only $12/night) and the museum was awe inspiring. The area was a river bend billions of years ago and it collected dinosaur carcasses that washed down the river. So dinosaur bones are literally piled on top of each other.  They left many of the bones intact and built an enclosure around them so you can see them unexcavated.

Leaving Stagecoach State Park now and heading to Estes Park.