Waterfalls and Mountain Storms

Ardent. Megan and I had awoken before dawn and just traveled two hours south of Buena Vista, Colorado, only to have it start raining as we prepared for our hike. Our destination was only a short distance from the parking lot, up a rocky trail to Zapata Falls. The waterfall is relativley unknown, overshadowed by it's famous neighbor, Great Sand Dunes National Park. Megan and I thoroughly enjoyed the bumpy mountain road that twisted it's way up the side of mountain, and didn't mind the rain too much. We knew we'd be getting wet anyway, because in order to see the falls we would have to wade upstream a bit, and into a cleft in the rocks.

We took our time in the parking lot, waiting to see what would happen with the storm that was dumping buckets of rain over the dunes across the valley. It was headed right for us. Of course. We set off anyway, hoping to get to the falls and back to the safety of the car before it really started to storm. Not even halfway there, though, I happened to look up at the mountain framed right in front of us and saw a bolt of lightning hit the peak. I didn't even have time to think before the concussion stopped Megan and I in our tracks, and I know I crouched down for cover. I think I said "oh shit" out loud, and we both paused as we reassessed the wisdom of hiking in the mountains in a thunderstorm.

I guess I probably don't have to tell you that we decided to see the falls anyway. We reached the creek and stepped into the icy waters. Have you ever been in water that is so cold it burns? That's how cold this water was, flowing straight from snowmelt on top of the mountains. Megan and I made our agonizingly slow way across the creek, trying to stay out of the water as much as possible, yet always moving upstream toward a small opening in the rock face in front of us.

After what seemed like a long time, we were to the cleft in cliffs where we would have to enter to get to Zapata Falls. Megan and I stopped at the entrance and peaked around the corner. Neither of us wanted to go into deeper waters, and with the storm, we really didn't want to be caught in rising water. We agreed to be quick but careful, go until we could see the waterfall, stay long enough for pictures, then head out. We went one at a time, myself first. I stepped through the burning cold waters, no higher than mid-calf, and rounded the corner. I inched my way through dark rocks, lit only by the stormy sky above. In no time, I came to a semi-dry patch of rocks, and stood in the chilly spray of Zapata Falls.

It really was awesome to see, and I'm sure that the creek would be refreshing on a hot summer day. The falls poured over the cliffs, carving them back bit by bit with each drop of rushing water. It was dark in the small canyon, reminding me of the slot canyons in the desert. Looking up, I realized that I was getting wet not just from the spray of the falls, but also the rain pouring down from the sky. I moved into the shelter of an overhang and stood back as Megan took her turn at the foot of the falls. We finished up quickly, and picked our way downstream and back onto dry land. All I could think -about was warming my feet up- I could barely feel them as they slid around in my water shoes. The trip back to the car was quick, and the best feeling in the world was turning the heat up and pointing it at our feet! Our next stop: Great Sands!

A Snapshot and the Scoop: Friends in High Places

Megan and I were just beginning our June 2015 Colorado adventure, during which we would white-water raft, explore freezing waterfalls and climb baking sand dunes. Her and I decided to explore a little on our first afternoon after meeting up in Buena Vista, and headed up Mount Princeton, along a winding mountain road that led us to a small ghost town called St. Elmo. We wandered around the old buildings, some of which were open to the public, some had been turned into cabins for hunters, and many more were boarded up. Once we'd seen everything we wanted to see, we picked up $0.50 bags of seeds and headed to a woodpile that was crawling with people, and a bunch of adorable little chipmunks! Now, normally I don't condone feeding wildlife, but these little guys were so conditioned that they were essentially domestic. They would just hop right up on you, and take seeds right from your hands! Megan and I spent at least 30 minutes there, squealing over how cute the little rodents were. We only reluctantly left when we ran out of seeds, although I was tempted to buy more bags and stay there for a while longer!

Leave me a comment below and tell me about a time that you took a little side trip that was this much fun!

A Weekend In Dallas

Relaxed. Jared and I hardly ever get "us-time," usually because I'm always on an adventure, or we're both working. Sure, we see each other at work and at home, but the most we have energy for is maybe cooking dinner, watching a show or surfing the web, then bed. The last weekend of August, though, we decided to get away and spend some time together. Wanna guess what we did? Went to see more animals! Once an animal person, alway an animal person.

We checked into our hotel on Friday evening, and started our Saturday morning off at the Dallas World Aquarium, where we wandered along a path lined with plants, countless birds, and a few monkeys. We took our time as we meandered through the crowds of people, working our way along the exhibits until we went down a set of stairs to the aquarium proper. The first thing we saw? A giant window showcasing a pool of water and it's typical inhabitants. We saw a turtles and huge fish, and supposedly there was a manatee as well.

We kept moving through the exhibits, determined to see every single animal in the building. Being Big Cat people, we found this adorable young jaguar that I couldn't stop cooing over, and spent quite a bit of time watching him. Jared also found one of the keepers and we chatted with her for a while about the penguins and general animal care in the building. After walking around the building three times, we finally saw the animal that made Jared the most excited: we saw the manatee! She was adorable, using her flippers to hold her lettuce to her mouth as she munched away on her lunch.

We finally finished our circuits of the aquarium and braved the Dallas traffic to make our way to our next destination: the Dallas Zoo! And can you guess what the first exhibit was? Dinosaurs. Seriously, moving, noise-making robotic dinosaurs. We spent a lot of time in that area, and I'm pretty sure Jared took more pictures of the dinosaurs than actual living animals. I dragged Jared to see more recent relatives of the dinosaurs in the swamp exhibit (Jared hates alligators) and we did a quick circuit of the reptile house before we headed to the outdoor exhibits. Next up: Africa!

The Dallas Zoo is a medium-size zoo, and it's African section is pretty sweet. They've got elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, and cheetahs, and their exhibit layout was as natural as it could be. There was even an option to feed the giraffes, though neither of us wanted to spend money on it.  We managed to walk through the whole zoo in a few hours, and finished with time to spare before closing- even including the time we spent in the gift shop!

Tired from our day of walking, we headed straight to the hotel bar when we got back, and decided to take a swim in the warm end-of-summer evening. We retired to our room, put on a couple movies, ordered room service and settled in to enjoy each other's company. It really was a fantastic weekend, and reminded me to take some time for the both of us to just be together. I'm definitely guilty of getting so caught up in my adventuring that I don't make time for Jared, especially on weekends. I needed the reminder that it's ok to stay close to home, and that I can have just as much fun here as I do when I'm out there.