Change of Plans

My husband took the week off so we could take the kids off to explore more of this beautiful island. While kayaking a few weeks ago a kind gentlemen came up to tell us about a beautiful lake. Once we found someone to translate for us we found out the general direction of the lake and its name. So after a little research we ventured off to Lago do Guajataca.  The road there was very curvy but eventually we came to a beautiful lake. As we neared the entrance we were met with disappointment as the gates were locked and there was no way to go around, under or through.  I'm sure you are wondering why we would even consider going through a locked gate....well here a locked gate sometimes just means continue with caution.

Since we were already a way from home we decided to check out Guajataca Forest. Getting there is an adventure in itself. For starters, the road is basically one and a half lanes for two lanes of traffic with some hairpin turns. Thankfully, we have a very loud horn as we made good use of it.   Our kids have a pretty good sense of adventure or maybe the Dramamine was just doing its job?  Eventually, we came to what we thought was an information center but all the doors were locked.  Not willing to give up and with a little more investigation we found a sign for a trail head that would take you on about an hour and half hike. (We've become pretty good a translating signs.)

Originally, we decided just to walk 1/2 km to the observation tower and call it a day as we really weren't prepared to do  much hiking. However, we decided we all had on "ok" shoes and plenty of water so we continued to follow the trail that led to the cave. Remember, this trip wasn't planned so it wasn't until we were half way to the cave and one of the kids asked,  "Who has the flashlights?" that we realized how unprepared we were.  I had one flashlight on my key ring so we knew we weren't going to get very far into the cave.  We may be adventurous but we aren't crazy.

View from observation tower.

Along the trail we found various lizards, birds, fungi, some bromeliads  and at one point we thought we heard a monkey...or maybe a bird that sounds like a monkey. Whatever it was it was loud and either wanted our attention or was telling us to go away. It must be a girl thing because Bethany and I quickly moved away from the sound while the boys turned around and started walking to see if they could find it. We never did see what made that sound and once Sammy started making his own monkey noises the animal became silent.

Before entering the cave we came to a platform that leads to stairs to take you down into the mouth of the cave. Here we met a group that had just finished their adventure.  Their "guide" was very helpful and gave us a few pointers. However, without flashlights we didn't make it very far into the cave. Just exploring the first room was amazing. We discovered camera flashes make great lights but not trustworthy enough to go very deep. Without adequate lights we didn't stay in the cave for very long but it was enough to wet our appetite to plan another trip back.

We have been in several caves as a family. Some of these caves have been tourist traps,  National Parks and Puerto Rico's do it yourself trips. I'm amazed at how much the kids remember about caves. What better way to learn about stalactites, stalagmites, finding cave curtains and popcorn than hands on experience?  So while many students are on summer vacation, our little school was exploring nature and on the way back the boys had their own discussion about creation. Pretty amazing day!