Chasing Waterfalls: My 2014 Travel Retrospective

 

At the start of 2014, I had no idea that my travel plans for the year would involve going against TLC’s lyrical advice about chasing waterfalls. I didn’t particularly craft my trips with that intention, save for one special park. But for some reason, I found myself standing in awe of these magnificent natural wonders in various places around the globe.

March: Iceland’s Majestic and Ethereal Spectacles

There is no shortage of waterfalls in Iceland due to a fascinating combination of factors.   Frequent rain and snow,  proximity to the Artic Circle, formation of large glaciers, and long summer days that melts ice that feed many rivers.  Just a drive along the country’s Route 1 or Ring Road will yield pockets of gushing outpour in the surrounding mountains more frequently than you’ll find gas stations.

One of our first stops in our drive along the South Coast was at Gljufrabui, a 40 meter tall neighbor to the more popular Seljalandfoss.  The water comes from the Gljufura River and falls into a deep chasm that is blocked by rock formations believed to be home to huldufolk or Hidden People, Iceland’s resident elven population.

Inside Gljufrabui (video)

A hundred meters away is the larger Seljalandfoss.  To make our experience even more interesting, our guide Jonas Freydal of GoEcco Tours decided that the best time to go would be at night.  So at 10pm, we make our way through the dark and slippery path to climb behind the veil of the falls which was beautifully illuminated by floodlights.

As a warm-up to the Big One, most Golden Circle tours in Iceland stop at Faxi, a smaller waterfall popular among white water kayakers.

The winner of the most spectacular waterfall of this trip to Iceland, in my humble opinion, goes to Gulfoss, which translates to Golden Waterfalls.   From the entrance of to the falls, you take in Gulfoss in all its majesty.  Tracing the Hvita river from as far back as you can, the water cascades and drops in stages until it reaches a vertical crevice that gives the illusion that the water plunges down and vanishes into the earth.

June: Niagara’s Powerful Force

One of the most popular natural tourist attraction in the Eastern seaboard is the Niagara Falls.  Straddling the Canadian and American borders in the province of Ontario and the state of New York, Niagara’s beauty and power are legendary.  As all guidebooks will tell you, it is comprised of three separate falls. On the New York side, the smallest one, Bridal Veil Falls, is separated from the middle sized American Falls by Luna Island.  Canada claims most of the big one, Horseshoe Falls, which is the most powerful in North America.

September: Croatia’s Lush Garden of Eden

A trip to Croatia had been a dream since the start our marriage.  In 2014, we finally made it.  While Dubrovnik was the city that made me take notice of this country in the first place, we learned about Plitvice Lakes National Park during trip research.  It is an easy two hour drive by car from Zagreb (three hours if from Split) on Croatia’s wide open highways (except if you lose your way and end up in a lonely back country road – but that’s a story for another post) and was hands down the highlight of our time in the Balkans.

The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe.  There are 16 lakes that feed and are fed by the countless waterfalls in the park, separated into the Upper and Lower Lakes.  There is a system of well-marked trails and boardwalks that make navigating around the park a joy.  A separate post on this part of our trip is coming soon.  For now, I share with you some of my favorite vistas and scenes from Plitvice.

October: New England waterfalls

I visited New England with my friend Cathy for its fall foliage, and we were not disappointed.  I was, however, surprised that my newfound love affair with waterfalls continued in the most unlikely of ways.  I was not expecting to see any in this trip that involved driving up from Massachusetts through Rhode Island and Connecticut to Vermont.  However, a brief stop along the Mohawk Trail led us to Shelburne Falls. This picturesque town was originally known as Salmon Falls, a traditional fishing site for Native Americans to catch salmon spawning upstream from the Connecticut River.  It is located in another local attraction, the Glacial Potholes.

The most unexpected waterfall I encountered thus far is a real beauty.  During our stop in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, we were hosted by a lovely young couple, along with their two dogs and a cat in their wonderfully cozy home.  The lady’s name: Waterfall.

November: Amicalola Falls’ Quiet Beauty

On our way home from a weekend in Georgia’s Blue Ridge mountain, we stopped by Amicalola Falls State Park.  The waterfalls itself is close to the start of the Appalachian Trail, the 2,200 mile Georgia to Maine hiking trail.  This gorgeous spot, just 53 miles from our front door, goes to show you don’t have to go far to find beauty in nature.  And that travel and exploring is even more fun with friends.

 

With the start of 2015 looming, I look forward to our next travel adventures.  I have a feeling that this year, I’ll be seeing a lot of desert sand.

 

What nature-themed travel adventures are you looking forward to in 2015?