22 July 2012 - Delaware Part I

This week we had a little family vacation to Delaware.  On our way there on Thursday, we stopped at Coopers Rocks State Park in West Virginia.  The Cheat River runs through a steep ravine in the state park.  There are some rocks and cliffs in the area that I wanted to check out as possible rock climbing and rappelling spots.  Here's Emily on the river overlook.

When we were hiking the trail around the rocks, we found a little cave.

Sometimes the trail required a little bit of rock scrambling.

After arriving in Delaware, we spent Friday at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.  This is in the Amazing Machines exhibit.

We got to ride (very slowly) on an actual train.  The kids got to play with the controls while we were riding.

Right now the Franklin Institute is hosting the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.  This was very different from the rest of the museum, because it is primarily hands-on and fun for kids.  The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit is all original artifacts from the Middle East, and is definitely hands-off.  They have hundreds of items, including coins, jewelry, pottery and of course, original pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls, taken from several caves all around the Dead Sea.

On Saturday, Karl and Jolene's ward had an Eagle Scout project, so I went and helped.  We cleaned up an overgrown cemetery.

While we were at the service project, Joanne drove up to New Jersey to see Jerry and Danae's new baby, Dax, who was born earlier in the week.