The Unfinished Railroad at Manassas

Monday was Martin Luther King day, so the kids didn't have school.  The three youngest and I went on a hike in Manassas Battlefield National Park (also known as Bull Run).

We've been to various parts of the park before, but this time we decided to hike along the unfinished railroad, where the banks and cuts that were intended to be a level railroad gave the cover to a 2 mile line of the confederate troops.  The history is sobering.

It was a beautiful day, and we had a great hike.

When we walked along the river we found shells and smoothed glass.

Drake found a tree covered in thorns.

The fallen leaves and balmy weather made it feel like November, not January.

And I'll prove I was there with this picture.

Drake is a Star Scout

Last week we had a Court of Honor for Troop 1826.  Mark first got to praise the scouts that went on the Klondike Derby campout.  Mark says it's the wettest camping he's ever done.  The boys and everything they took with them was SOAKED.  The klondike sled race was pushing the sleds across wet grass and through mud puddles.  But Mark's troop did really well, and when all the scores of the race and the skills areas were totaled, the Troop earned second place!

Notice they all have green pants?  Good looking scouts.

The boys also got patched that night for helping on the Day of Service last September.  Dane had helped as a Tiger Cub, so he got a patch too.

Then the highlight of the night for us was Drake being awarded the rank of Star Scout!  Way to go Drake!  He is growing into a great young man.