Alan Cressler
Today we spent the morning cleaning and reorganizing our gear. Then, we visited Salto Curet. We hiked around for quite awhile before taking the trail to the falls. The waterfall was very pretty. We swam in the large splash pool and took some pictures. The water felt very good. It was quite hot walking to and from the falls. We both did the hike in sandals which wasn’t necessarily the best of ideas. It was rather annoying that small rocks kept getting in my sandals whenever I walked through the water.
We next drove to Bosque Estatal de Guajatuca where we hiked down trail 1 and turned off to see the observation tower. The tower karsts was quite prominent. We could see a thunderstorm to the east. We descended back to trail 1 and hiked to Cueva del Viento.
We descended down stairs and a rather treacherous railed trail to a wooden platform. The cave would have a 20 – 30’ pit entrance but a staircase structure was built to allow easy entry. Combined, the platform, staircase, and wire mesh gave the entrance a bizarre appearance. Alan and I photographed the weird entrance and descended the staircase into the cave. Behind the staircase structure a 2’ diameter tree trunk wound into the cave. The structure was surrounded by large roots which descended to the cave floor. I saw the end of one such root several hundred feet further into the cave.
Below the karsts window entrance, large borehole 20’ H x 30’ W took off both right and left. We went right first. This passage contained many large dry formations. We paused to photograph the entrance and a tall flowstone wall. We continued ahead through the decorated borehole. About 200 – 300 feet in, I looked back and could still see the light from the entrance. I saw some large branches on the floor and wondered what they were doing there. Then I realized the branches were really roots form the entrance.
At this point, the floor became very sticky. Each step I took was quickly followed by a peanut butter sucking pop. I encountered a flowstone wall which I climbed around to the left and noticed a rat scurry into a hiding place among the flowstone. The cave ended in this direction in another 100 – 200 feet.
We backtracked back to the entrance noticing a narrow skylight pit entrance on the right. We passed the entrance and climbed a dry flowstone and rimstone slope to this end of the cave. A couple hundred feet from the entrance.
We had to get back to San Juan to return our rental car so we exited the cave, quickly routed to the car, and drove back to San Juan. We spent that night at Mimi’s.
Tom's Porch
This sneaky little lizard couldn't evade my camera forever.
Don't do it little lizard.
Tom's Porch
Tom's back porch.
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Tom's Porch
Tom's back porch.
Another lizard picture.
Tom's Porch
I snuck up on him :)
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Tom's Porch
I was going to get a big lizard picture but he ran off so I took a picture of this fly.
Airing out the Neon.
Fester
What a fester!
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Alan
Alan reading in Tom's hammock.
A cascade downstream of Salto Curet.
Salto Curet
The sign for Salto Curet.
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Salto Curet
Alan photographing the waterfall.
We went swimming in the pool below the waterfall.
Salto Curet
I had to get wet to take this picture.
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Salto Curet
Pretty flower close-up.
Pretty flower close-up.
Guajatuca
A thunderstorm rolls into Bosque Estatal de Guajatuca.
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Viento
The entrance to Cueva del Viento.
Alan posing just within the entrance to Cueva del Viento.
Viento
Alan descending the staircase into Viento Cave.
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Viento
Alan posing near the entrance of Cueva del Viento.