Guajataca Forest Reserve

On Friday we went to the Guajataca Forest Reserve.  The drive took us up through a mountainous area, which was so high we lost cell reception.  We read about the small road you had to drive up, and thought it wouldn't be that big of a deal as we had been on the Road to Hana in Hawaii last year.  Well, we were wrong.  This road was the narrowest road we have ever been on.

When you see this sign while driving, you start to get a little worried...

Our car made it up the narrow, windy road safely- with both our windows rolled down, and lots of honking! We encountered a few vehicles, and even a large truck, but we managed to make it to the forest reserve in one piece.

The view while driving up the road...

We parked the car, and took a look at the map.  Then, we started trekking up the paths.  The first place   we stopped was the observation deck which was the tallest point on the reserve (65 stories up).  We took in the views and drank some water.

Panoramic view from the observation deck

Next, we started the half hour hike to the wind caves.   Since we were in a mountainous area the altitude and humidity made for a sweaty hike.  The trails were a little narrower than the trails we've been on in Minnesota, but it was much more lush too.  

We were greeted by this sign.  Then, we saw the stairs we needed to go down, and debated whether it was worth the long flight of stairs.  

So many stairs...

Ultimately, we decided to trudge down the stairs and arrived at the cave.  We noticed a broken step, and heard something down there- so we decided not to go in.  This cave seemed a little less well cared for than another cave we visited on a previous trip.  Since there weren't many people out on the trails, we just enjoyed peering down into the cave before heading back up the trail.  Maybe next time we'll be a little more adventurous....

We took video of the descent back down the mountain.  We were happy to make it out without encountering another vehicle on the way down!

We knew we made it safely, when we saw this view at the end of the descent!