Obamas Have Rockin' Good Time Out West
This story was filed by CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer.
After touring some major European cities with their mom earlier this summer, the girls have just wrapped up a trip to two of the gems of the National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park and The Grand Canyon.
The Obamas understandably guard their daughters' privacy, but the White House allowed a few very brief public glimpses of the First Family's vacation. Unlike most children who endure their parents' call to "say cheese," the Obama girls had their pictures snapped by the media, along with White House photographers and videographers.
When reporters observed a very poised 8-year-old Sasha greeting Air Force One welcoming parties, a White House staffer noted the child had watched her parents "work" crowds for much of her young life.
Eleven-year-old Malia has bragging rights to being a "rock star" of the geological variety. As park ranger Scott Kraynak displayed some rock samples retrieved from the floor of the Grand Canyon, the president saw an opportunity for a grand quiz. He reminded Malia that she had studied geological formations. When Malia correctly identified an igneous rock, her mom gave her a "high five." A beaming President Obama wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulder.
Ranger Kraynak later told reporters that Malia successfully identified other types of rock, including metamorphic and sedimentary samples.
President Obama told the ranger that his oldest daughter was also curious about the straight edges of the top of the canyons. The ranger explained that thousands of feet of sediment had worn down evenly.
While the president mixed business and pleasure on the trip, the Obamas also arranged a "kid-friendly" schedule. When Mr. Obama conducted town hall meetings on his health care reform agenda, Michelle Obama and their daughters had specially planned excursions. In Montana, they went whitewater rafting, at times enduring mountain rain and hail storms.
While the president tried to pick up support for his health care plan in Grand Junction, Colorado, his wife and daughters went peach-picking.
Spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters the president has, "always tremendously enjoyed being outside with his family." The often-confining nature of the presidency makes those outdoor moments a rare commodity, except at the seclusion of Camp David. The wide open spaces of Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon allowed the First Family to have a few minutes to themselves.