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I slumped down even more.

“Yeah, right … exciting,” I said.

I turned and looked out the window.

I don't care what she says.

Nature is not exciting.

Not even if it's in paradise.

The bus trip took forever, it seemed.

But finally! Whew! At last! The driver turned a corner. And we pulled into a parking lot.

“We're here!” said Donald. “Welcome to our beautiful Hawaiian rain forest!”

I sprang up like a spring.

Then I ran outside. And I sniffed real deep.

“Fresh air! Fresh air! I thought I would never breathe you again!” I said.

Pretty soon, Donald gathered all of the bus people around him.

He gave us a nature-guide book. And he told us the hiking rules.

“Hiking rule number one,” he said. “Please stay on the hiking trail and do not wander off on your own.”

He went on. “Hiking rule number two: Please do not disturb the natural vegetation.

“And hiking rule number three: Please be respectful of nature and speak in quiet voices.”

I looked at Squeezer and rolled my eyes.

“Wonderful. Another quiet-voice day,” I grouched.

After that, all of the bus people lined up behind Donald. And we started hiking down the trail.

It was slow as molasses, I tell you. On account of every two seconds people kept stopping to look at stuff.

Just plain old normal stuff, I mean! Like plants and flowers and trees!

Finally, I got frustration in me.

“Okay, folks … keep it movin'. We've seen it all before,” I called.

Daddy quick scooped me up. And he sat me on a rock.

Then he waited for the other bus people to pass by.

And big surprise.

I got scolded again.

He said if I can't behave myself, we will go back to the bus right now. And we will sit there until all the people come back.

“Is that what you want to do, missy?” he said. “Huh? Is it?”

I made a grump face.

“No, Daddy,” I said. “I don't want to do any of this stuff. I wish we could do something exciting. ’Cause I've already seen flowers and nature before.”

Just then, Mother picked up a flower that was lying on the trail.

“Oh, but you've never seen a flower quite like this, Junie B.,” she said. “Look how beautiful this is. It looks like a big red powder puff!”

She stuck it in my hair.

Then she took out a mirror to let me see.

I stared at myself very admiring.

“Whoa,” I said. “I look stunning.”

Mother laughed. “Yes, you do,” she said. “This would make a really cute picture.”

My face got brighter. “Hey, yeah!” I said. “This could be the first cute picture of my whole entire photo journal!”

I quick got my camera. And I held it way out in front of me.

Then click-click.

I took a picture of my very own self!

“Now that one is a keeper,” I said.

After that, all of us started hiking again.

Only this time I was the slowpoke. ’Cause I kept picking up powder-puff flowers and sticking them in my hair.

Pretty soon, my whole head was full of those beautiful things.

I stuck extra ones in my pockets, and my shirt buttons, and my shoelace holes.

Then I looked down at Squeezer and smiled.

“Nature is being a little bit fun,” I said.

I smiled bigger.

Who knew?

We hiked and hiked to the end of the trail.

Then Donald gave us granola bars. Plus also, we drank Gatorade.

Donald liked my flower head.

“You look like a walking lehua blossom,” he said.

I did a frown at that word.

“A le-who-a what-a?” I said.

“A lehua blossom. The flowers in your hair are red lehua blossoms,” he explained. “Lehua blossoms are a favorite food source for a little red bird called an apapane.”

I stared at that man for a real long time.

“You have way too much information in your head, Don,” I said.

Donald laughed real loud.

Then I laughed, too.

Only it wasn't actually a joke.

After we rested, we started hiking back to the bus.

Mother and Daddy and I went last again. Only this time I had to walk even slower. On account of the flowers kept falling out of my hair. And so I had to keep picking them up and putting them back.

“Come on, Junie B.,” said Mother. “We need to stay up with the others. If the flowers fall out