Winter Waterfall Hunt

On Wednesday I had some time to get out and explore. I went to one of my favorite valleys but when I got to the entrance of the road that leads up to a waterfall there was a sign. It said the road was closed while they did some repair work through February. It wasn't clear if it meant cars, people, or both. I opted to jump down the valley and check out some other territory. It was probably for the best because I found this nice little clove of tranquility as it started to snow.

The valley continues to reward me with gems scattered up and down its length. Eventually I'll find all the secrets but I can always go back to enjoy them whenever I please.

Today, on Sunday, it was a splendid day of sunshine that warmed the land and brought eminent happiness to all of those who basked under its rays. I went out with a friend to see if we could find some iced over waterfalls. Based on Wednesday I was pretty skeptical there would be anything good to see. Yet, getting outside is better than a day spent wallowing around the home so we ventured onward. The first stop was Amegaeri. There is a good chance I didn't spell that right. It wasn't frozen at all and that is probably because of the southern exposure it gets from the sun. Shucks. Still looked beautiful as usual. I love this one in rainy season.

A short way up the valley is another fall. This one was frozen a bit around the edges. It has the potential to freeze over in February. I still thought it looked nice. What waterfall am I not pleased with?

Some little ice teeth with roots.

Then after a drive through the hills and some windy roads, we came to the chief objective for the day. On Friday I did some searching and found a picture of the following waterfall from a few weeks back. It was frozen over so I knew it would be a success no matter what happened. We descended across the river and fought through plants and logs with great effort. From the parking area I saw people at the base of the falls taking pictures but had no idea how they got there. It seems that we might have taken the hard way to get there...

After much scrambling and a few nervous maneuvers, we got to the frozen basin of the fall. This is the kind of thing I love to see. Why is ice so beautiful? It made me miss some of the icicles that would form in Southern Illinois along the bluffs and rocky areas from melting snow. Those were always spectacular. Wish I could go back and shoot better pictures of them.

It's rather hard to see the small stream of water shooting down the middle of the fall. At the top of the fall water was shooting out in little streams from the pressure of the ice in the way. I enjoyed watching chunks of ice fall off and ricochet against its firm brethren.

Afterwards was miso ramen, followed by french fries at home for dinner. I was truly a happy man.