Since we weren't far at all from a pretty waterfall that was just up the road from where we were camping, we thought it'd be a good idea to go and take a look before hitting the road again. So we packed up and got ready to go. Jo, as usual, was the pack master. He's really good about keeping the car organized; very useful to have around. I'll keep him.
Apparently, we were going too fast to even think about stopping to brush our hair. I'm just kidding, Erin. I feel she's going to be mad if she ever sees this blog because she doesn't like the way she looks in pictures, but the fact of the matter is that she's adorable, even with crazy hair. Another fact of the matter is that this is my blog, so I can put whatever pictures I want on it.
This is the nameless waterfall we went to see.
And this is my BFF. Love her.
And this is The Boy, examing moss (in typical Jo fashion). Love him, too.
And this is me with my girl.
And this is the three of us, all together. And don't ask me what Erin's looking at because I have no idea.
We left the falls to get back on track, since we had failed to take a turn the day before and had gotten slightly off track. As we were backtracking, we came across a dog character walking down the road in some random town called Poncha Springs. Of course we had to double back and hunt it down so we could take our picture with it. It was our lucky day, because by the time we parked and found the dog, a cat had joined it! Score!
In case you're wondering, it turned out to be a fund-raiser for the local humane society. We donated money, ate a cookie shaped like a penis, took the picture above, and went on our way. We had decided not to eat at the campground, and to find a place to have a picnic instead, so that's just what we did.
It turns out that Poncha Springs is one of the quaintest, most all-American little towns in America. The park we found was full of old-timers shootin' the breeze as they waited for their buddy to bring the sloppy joe mix. There was a community yard sale going on, dogs being walked, and a dad playing catch with his kid, all the while shouting encouragments. The sun was out, the sky way blue, the grass was green.... It was all so...pleasant. We had stumbled across Pleasantville.
We set up our picnic in the middle of all the pleasantness going on around us, and enjoyed a brunch of bagel sandwiches, oranges, and granola.
I was a very pleasant meal.
And there was even a pleasantly large bee close to where we were sitting, looking precious all covered in pollen.
One word of advice to the Poncho Springians: new locks on the bathroom doors would be nice.
Anyway, after our picnic, we hit the road and took the turn we had missed the day before,which was simple Highway 24 North. From there, we branched off on a county road to get to the trailhead that Jo had found for us. I had told him it would be nice to find a trail with a waterfall and, bless his heart, that's just what he did. Brown's Fall, to be precise. Here he is at the trailhead.
And off we went! This was the view ahead of us on the trail.
And this was the view behind.
And a good view is always a good excuse to take a picture with a good friend, right?
A trail shot, of course.
And another shot of the pretty view. Note all the snow on the mountain top, which is the reason we had decided not to attempt to climb a 14er, Mt. Princeton.
Here's a pretty little flowering cactus, which in our opinion is always picture-worthy.
And a little yellow flower that needs to be identified.
Jp took this picture of Erin and I and I just love it.
Here's a sweet little pool of water we stopped at just before the last leg to get to the waterfall.
There were several stream crossings, but all of them had bridges, so there were no wet feet.
And here it is, Brown's Fall.
Looking at these pics now, I feel the same way about the falls that I did on the hike: namely, that they look so much bigger in real life. I had seen a picture of the falls before we hiked to see them, and I was surprised when I saw them for myself for the first time because the falls are really quite large up close and personal.
This is the pool of water the falls fed. There were some Fat and Lazies hanging out in there and we watched them try to catch bugs for awhile. Then I may or may not have, you know, fell in this pool of water while trying to get a closer look.
After falling in, I decided to sit on a rock with Erin and enjoy some granola while Jo took care of all the scrambling around. He wanted to take a look at the ice formation next to the falls. He's like a mountain goat, but it still makes me nervous to see him jumping around on slick rock. Still, to be fair, he's not slipped yet...
When Jo came back, we all hung out on a big rock, enjoying the warm sun, the roar of the falls, and some crunchy granola. Then, all too soon, it was time to go. Goodbye, Browns Falls.
On the hike back, we couldn't resist taking some cheesy, Partridgefamilyesque style pics.
And a CCS.
Back at the trailhead, we filtered some fresh water and then continued on down a little dirt road to find home for the night. We looked at several options, but decided to forgoe the windswept, burnt, stumpy section of the forest we drove through in favor of this spot. The campground itself was just fine, but what made it such a gem was that a beautiful river ran through it. Awesome.
Dinner was more bagel sandwiches and cold smores. We set up an assembly line that worked brilliantly to get the job done. Then it was time for bed.
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