"Let's plow."

The adorable Dr. Lewis, knowing of my disdain for cities and my love of countryside, planned for a weekend in the Kyffhauser Forest while we were in Germany. We stayed in Bad Frankenhausen (I enjoyed saying Bad Frankensusan) in a B&B that backed up to the forest.

As we considered what to do in and around this little city I, of course, wanted to hike in the woods. Susan chose to drive to Lauscha, where the glass Christmas tree ornament was invented and is still handmade. So, on a clear morning, after a breakfast with the yellow jackets, the divine Mrs. L dropped us off at the head of a trail that would lead us through the Kyffhauser Forest to the Kyffhauser monument, a magnificent tribute to Wilhelm I, the Fuhrer Kaiser of the First Reich.

As Susan drove away, the boys and I walked up the hill to the trail markers. I had some concern as I read the sign that told me it was 13.7 kilometers to the monument from where I was standing. That's about 8 1/2 miles. Yes. One way. And yes. Mountains.

Are the men of the Lewis family afraid of a little 17 mile walk in the woods? I said, "Come on, ladies. Let's plow." And off we went.

First, I didn't really know the conversion rate of klicks to miles so I really didn't know how far it was going to be. Second, I figured that if the boys got tired we could always turn around and head home. We headed off into the woods on the X8 trail.

Let me say that the Kyffhauser monument is stunning. The view from the top is unequaled. We ate a light lunch and refilled all our water bottles. I soaked the boy's shirts and wet their hair and we headed back. We talked about soldiers,German history, rocks, trees, self-esteem and all sorts of things that boys and dads enjoy discussing as they hike up and down mountains. We covered the ground and the boys didn't notice how far or how hard the hike was. Barrett said, "We just had a good time." We made the hike in 8 and 1/2 hours.

I don't think the boys have slept that good since we left their own beds in west Texas. They made me very, very proud. And now they know that they're stronger and tougher than they might've believed themselves to be before that hike.