Roosey Road, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

We exchanged our small car for a minivan today and headed to El Yunque, the only rain forest in the U.S. Forestry Service. We wound our way up the narrow streets of the mountain to the visitor center where we stopped for a short film regarding the history of El Yunque and the work toward bringing the Puerto Rican Parrot back from near extinction. We admired the orchids hanging throughout the center, the red ginger flowers, the multicolored lobsterclaw flowers, and the multitude of other topical flowers, shrubs and trees too beautiful to describe.

We continued up the mountain past the pink impatients growing wild along the roadside and ferns of every shape and size to stop again for a photo-op near a waterfall close to the road. A few of us climbed up the rocks for a better pose; you never really grow up.

When we reached our destination, we stopped again to hike to the La Mina waterfall located at the junction of two nature trails. We ventured into the thick shade of the forest along a pathway that meandered up and down along the side of the mountain. The sights, sounds, smells and feel of the forest were a delight to all of the senses. The chirping of the coqui tree frog (yes during the day time) could be heard along with the tweets and calls of the birds, the wind rustling through the leaves of the canopy overhead and the sound of falling water in the distance. Light filtered through the canopy wherever it could to dance upon the vines and flowers before being soaked into the decaying wood to provide the incubator for new life to spring up. Even the boulders were a sight to behold and touch with the variety of mosses and ferns clinging to them.
This wonder and mystique was broken only by the shrieks and shrills of children of all ages playing in the waterfall beyond. At the end of the trail, a small stone bridge arched over the stream and ascended to the hillside beyond where the second trail also ended. On either side of the bridge, boulders were populated with humans looking much like sea lions, entertaining themselves by sliding into the water, climbing out on the rocks to warm themselves, preening before their mates, or clapping at their offspring's marvelous tricks. The water was brisk, bordering on frigid, but once submerged, it became refreshing on a hot day. The six of us frolicked until we recalled that we were only half way through as we still had to make our way back, which amazingly, didn't seem as far when we did reach the car.

On our way back down the mountain, we stopped at a tower shaped like a turret on a castle that had 750 steps up to a beautiful panorama of the surrounding areas. As I've climbed this before, I stayed on the ground and took pictures of everyone hanging out of the windows, instead of climbing them myself. I remember the last time I did something like that and since we're headed for a tour of the Bacardi Rum factory tomorrow, I want to be in perfect condition for that.