Sunday we decided to go on a waterfall adventure in CA. It was quite an adventure let me tell you. Okay maybe not for real mountain people but for this North Dakotan, it was thrilling. The first waterfall was very easy to get to. We drove on paved roads the whole way, only walked a short distance and walla, there it was. The only unfortunate part was that the viewing stand that was build to view the waterfall was not the best view. There were new little trees that had grown and blocked the view. So of course we had to wonder down the bank of the river to get a better view. This is Bear River Falls.
After viewing Bear River Falls, we continued down the road to our next waterfall. The book said that we would hit unpaved road which is why we opted to bring the Jeep. Boy are we both glad we did. Our adventure would have been cut short had we not because the poor Civic would not have made it. We have learned that whatever is written in the waterfall books is generally an understatement. On one of our previous adventures, the book said we would have to "meander a few small boulders." Oh boy, we were climbing up and over giant boulders, in and out of the water, and most of the way to that waterfall, not just a short distance. So when this book told us we would hit a rough dirt road, we knew we could be in for a ride. And a ride it was.
This road was probably the roughest road I have ever been on in my life. Not only was it not paved, it was littered with rocks of all sizes, dips, holes, crevasses, oh and the small stream that was flowing down part of it. For part of this crazy road, it was right on the edge of a cliff. It was not big enough for two cars either by the way, so one had to be very creative when meeting another car. This went on for probably 15 miles which is a long way when you can only travel 5 mph. Go any faster and you will be bumped off the road and fall down the mountain.
Along the way, we are wondering where the heck this lake is that we are trying to find. We crossed a bridge and looked to the east to see a massive dam up on the top of the mountain. We learned that that dam was what was creating the lake sitting on top of the mountain. It was a very pretty lake. This is Bowman Lake.
The waterfall was at the very end of the lake, which meant we had to drive on the crazy road all the way down the shore of the lake. The road rose and fell and when it was up, the edge of the cliff was the edge of the road. I kept telling Noah that I didn't want to go swimming. This is the road.
We finally made it to the falls and I have to say that it was worth it. You never know on this side of the world if it is going to be worth it or not. There is not a whole lot of water around so it could be more like a drip of water than an actually waterfall. But this was a waterfall and it had plenty of water falling. This is Bowman Falls.
We enjoyed a nice break relaxing by the waterfall and then headed back to the car. There was not a trail that actually led to the waterfall so finding the way back was a little more challenging than our normal adventures. It was a fun time all except for the tiny water snake that crossed my path when we were almost back to the car. I am terribly afraid of them no matter was size. Luckily, it swam in the opposite direction.
We checked the tires on the Jeep and then started our trek back to paved roads. It was a fun and definitely Noah/Megan adventure. We tend to get ourselves into these situations that are not what we expect. I think that is what makes it more fun.
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