We love Cabo Rojo and especially this area by the lighthouse. We spent a day at the pink salt flats and Playa Sucia dressed as Mama Shark and Baby Shark!
Later this month we took a trip to the deep mountains of Orocovis, one of the highest altitude cities in Puerto Rico. Here we stayed at a little house that had a waterfall in the backyard! We had a great time playing in the river even though it was super chilly water since it can get much colder high in the mountains especially in January. We also climbed a mountain called Cerro Mime which is named that because of all the gnat flies at the top. But what an incredible view!! We also took a looong hike in the rain through the Toro Negro forest to the tiny little tower at the top.
Closer to home we finished an adventure we had started back in August 2021. We returned to Charco Carmelas in San Sebastian with some friends to walk up the river and find the twin falls! This is quite an adventure as you have to swim through canyons and walk literally in the river to reach the end point where there are two waterfalls side by side. The river was a little dry compared to when we first found the river in August, but it was still super beautiful!
We spent some time at home at the farm planting and harvesting flowers and fruit, at the beach with friends and other spots in our daily life routine. We also went to a funeral of a good friend and neighbor which was heartbreaking.
We have been staying busy exploring the great outdoors whenever we can and appreciating our daily life routine. Things aren’t quite back to ‘normal’ but it feels good to get out and see the real world instead of ‘doomscrolling’ and reading about all that’s not right.
Mountainside in Yauco
There is so much more that is not just good, but awesome! So we’ve gone out to explore them whenever we can. Here in Puerto Rico, we’ve had a couple of yo-yo policies opening up, locking down (for some reason they really didn’t want us going out on Sundays for a few weeks) and now back to opening up, so we try to just go with the flow of it as much as possible. When we can go to the beach we do, and when we can’t we go explore other places. Here’s a few adventures near and far from home we found recently!
Fun day exploring the Guajataca River by kayak and Guajataca Beach with our friends Heidi and Pedro
Fun day trip to Camuy and Hatillo
Lots of fun and improvements on the farm. New concrete pad, new plants, flowers, and even new ponds for aquatics plants and fish!
Went through Tropical Storm Isaias and Laura
Short Excursions around Rincon, Aguada, Mayaguez, Anasco areas
New Waterfall Blue lagoon we found in San Sebastian
Amazing day in Yauco exploring a coffee finca
Exploring more of Quebradillas and its amazing cliff views!
In Aguadilla we finally found the “Secret Stairs” of Survival Beach! We’d been looking for them forever!
Our little boy turned TWO! I can’t believe it! Felicidades!
A wonderful day for a swim under a rainbow in Rincon!
Our little jungle boy!
Overall, life is good! We’re staying busy trying to remember that the best way to appreciate life is to LIVE it. Hope you are all doing well! Remember if you want to see what we’re doing more regularly, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our Youtube Channel where we make videos weekly!
After a very long lockdown, Puerto Rico is now officially back open for business. It is not quite “back to normal” but for all intents and purposes, we are finally coming out of lockdown. That is not the same as having a pandemic end, but at least the self-imposed torture of “quarantine” seems mostly over.
Masks are the newest fashion! haha Masks for Britton & my neighbor/friend Omayra
Poco a poco Puerto Rico has loosened the restrictions to the point that besides the masks and some rules in certain stores (checking temperatures, not allowing children inside) the happy island I know and love is pretty much back. We have been appreciating our newly returned freedoms by going to the beach, hiking, checking out new waterfalls and spending time with friends in small groups again. How much we have missed these simple pleasures of life. Where the hurricane days stripped away the physical comforts of electricity, communications, and even water service, during the lockdown we were fully connected to those things but lacked and very sorely missed our social and nature connections. The lockdown was like an inverse hurricane. I’m not sure which was worse, but I don’t wish either on anyone!
Beachside days
Fun in Rincon
Flamboyan season has been soo beautiful this year!
Aeden’s first school photo. Daycare will even be starting up again in July! yay!
Good times once again
Gozalandia falls and El Ultimo Brinco in Rincon
Fun trip to Adjuntas-even saw a blue flamboyan (jacaranda)!
We had a nice time in Adjuntas visitng Charco El Mango, a suspension bridge and some other sights until Britton suddenly felt ill and we had to return home. Turns out his car accident a month earlier and a genetic disposition for blood clots was not a good combination. He’s doing much better now thankfully!
Quick stop at Playa Tres Hermanos on Father’s Day
Our little boy is growing up so fast!
An easy waterfall that turned into an adventure: Salto Collazo
Just off the side of the road, but waaay down below we found the tallest waterfall we’ve ever seen. Salto Dona Carmen
Overall, we are very grateful for every day we get on this beautiful island and in this strange life of ours. Hope everyone else is doing as well.
Waterfall chasing has become one of our new favorite hobbies. Especially on hot, humid summer days, the clean river water is so much more refreshing than salty sea water, hot sand and blaring sun on the beach. I still love the beach, but the best beach days are in the winter when it is less crowded and slightly cooler water. We had heard of a new waterfall to check out called “El Saltillo” in San Sebastian and attempted to find it the other day.
Britton and Aeden in the river
Since we go to the San Sebastian pulguero almost every Friday now, we decided that would be the best day to go on the hunt. Our car broke down as we were eating lunch afterwards at El Meson, but thankfully El Meson in San Sebastian is right next to Pep Boys and Britton managed to put on new wheel bearings even as it began to rain. Then we were off. We weren’t sure how much exploring we would do given that it was raining, but we thought we could at least scope out the area.
Turn at this corner near “El Castillo” Hotel
We found the little road that would lead us closest to the river access point. We gathered a few supplies from a local watering hole and parked at a pull-off next to a strange little dump/hang out site (an overturned washing machine and a makeshift bamboo hut).
Where we parked. Was this a hangout spot??
From there on, what little we found about the waterfall said we would have to walk through the river to find it. That isn’t new to us, and is a common way of approaching falls. It’s easier to go barefoot so we parked and changed into our swimsuits and kicked off our shoes. While we were changing we saw an older man in the river. He was changing his clothes too, so we gave him a moment. Then he emerged and began talking to Britton in a mix of Spanish and English. He told Britton that he knew the area well and that the “Big One” (El Saltillo) was much further down, but that if walk a little further down the road we would find another beautiful waterfall. It was like the part in the video game where the character gives you just enough clues to help you find the treasure.
Britton talking with the man as steam rose from the asphalt and clouds settled into the jungle
So we all headed in the direction he recommended. We figured at this late point in the afternoon we wouldn’t be up for a huge hike to find El Saltillo anyway, so we were blown away when we saw this secondary waterfall with no name.
Absolutely incredible! Like a movie set!
What a gorgeous fall! Soft and mossy steps and so much plant life!
I don’t even think this other one has an official name, but it was just so perfect!
Aeden’s point of view (our little cyclone head haha)
Fun at the falls
The only drawback to this fall, was that there wasn’t much of a pond for swimming and we heard that El Saltillo has a nice pool beneath the cascading water. So if this little beauty was the warm-up, I can’t wait to see the “Big One.” The hunt is on! Stay tuned to see if we find it in the weeks to come.
