A gorgeous day!!! Lots of pictures too!

Yesterday was the best day we’ve had all year — weather-wise. It was so unbelievably beautiful!! We just could not sit inside all day, so off we went to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. The girls and I had gone last year on a class trip, and had wanted to take Doug ever since! You couldn’t ask for more out of a State Park….castle ruins, a beautiful bubbly spring, wonderful hiking trails, dark caves, huge bluffs. So, off we went and had a wonderful time! Up until now it’s been a bit of a guessing game with Sam as to when we need to allow him to take off a sweatshirt and when he needs to wear it. But yesterday, at about 75 degrees and slightly breezy, we finally hit that mark where we all agreed that he could take it off.

Without further ado, here are pics of our day:

All the hikes we took were SO easy — mostly on paved trails, which made it nice for a stroller.

The dogwood trees are blooming and the new leaves are coming out on the smaller trees.

It was quite crowded….everyone had the same idea!

The gorge that we hiked through is the result of a collapsed cave as evidenced by the large boulders all around.

Here are the ruins of Snyder Castle:

This is not at all like Germany or England. Climbing on the castle is strictly prohibited! This was pushing the limit right here, but we saw other people doing it, so figured we were ok.

And another, closer up

Leaning in for a peak:

Jumping off the castle ruins:

Copycat: