Wild Cat Den

We took the kids to Wild Cat Den over near Muscatine. Yes, that is the same spot I raced at a few weeks ago and fell, spraining my ankle. When I was there racing I was reminded of this hidden treasure that I had never taken my kids too.

The weather was a little less than ideal. We still had a great time & spent many hours exploring the trails, caves & rock formations. At one point though we got on a trail that kept taking us away from where the van was parked. So Jim & I agreed that I would go back & get the van and meet them at the end of the trail which was also at the entrance of the park. I did that, but there seemed to be a big break down in communication and I could not find Jim & the rest of the kids. It turned into a combination of them being lost, Andrew being very tired and walking slow and the weather taking a turn for the worse, getting colder and stating to rain. I kept walking down trails to try to find them only to find myself getting lost & making circles amongst myself. It was a bit funny and frustrating all at the same time.

I'd love to take the kids back, perhaps making it a more frequent event.

This is what is the cats den. It was too cold & slippery to let them climb up in there.


This is called Fat Man's Squeeze. If you can't fit through the two rocks, well....you're "too fat".


There are years & years of grafitti etched into the rocks & walls of the whole place. Some dates & names going back almost 100 years.


The Devil's Punch Bowl


Walking through the trails.


The happy couple.


Do you see the face?


Family picture time. I actually had hopes of an awsome picture to include in the Christmas letter this year. Instead I got this:




More trail walking. I actually raced along this trail a few weeks prior, but this tree was not in the way.


That is a worm hanging out of Jim's mouth. Yes, he ate it! EWWWW!


Just a pretty scene amongst the trails.