Conclusion

‘That

was

a

great

trip,

wasn’t

it?’

your

father

says,

as

the

car

drives

south

on

the

highway.

‘Except

for

all

that

wind

and

rain,’

your

mother

says,

shaking

her

head.

‘And

that

hike

was

so

long!’

you

add.

‘But

wasn’t

it

worth

it

to

see

the

long,

winding

rivers

and

the

deep,

green

valleys

surrounded

by

the

tall,

snowy

mountains?’

your

mother

asks.

‘Yes!’

you

and

your

sister

say

together.

‘Maybe

we’ll

come

back

next

year.’

‘That’s

a

good

idea,’

your

father

says,

‘since

we

didn’t

have

enough

time

to

see

everything.

Next

year,

I’ll

bring

my

watch

so

we

can

keep

better

track

of

time.’

‘We

should

bring

scales,

too,

so

we

can

weigh

our

backpacks!’

your

sister

says.

You

laugh.

‘How

about

a

tape

measure

to

see

how

far

we

hiked?’