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“Hey! I see the boat dock. Does that mean we are there?” ask Max. “I didn’t see a waterfall.”
“We are getting closer,” replied Josie. “The map says the turn off for Hidden Falls is about a half mile from the dock.”
“It shouldn’t be much longer,” said Grandpa.
“I hope you have more than Lifesavers in your pack Josie,” sighed Max. “I’m getting tired and hungry.”
Josie handed him the rest of the pack of Lifesavers and smiled, “Remember, we get to ride back on the boat!”
“Good thing,” mumbled Max as he popped another Lifesaver in his mouth.
Just around the next bend, they came to the turn off for the falls and could hear the sound of falling water.
“It’s just as beautiful as I remember,” sighed Grandma as the falls came into view. “Let’s sit on that bench and rest while we enjoy the view.”
“That’s a lot of water,” said Max. “How high are those falls?
“I read that Hidden Falls is about 200 feet high,” answered Josie. “This is awesome!” Josie pulled out her sketch pad again and started drawing. So did Grandma.
After resting for a bit and enjoying the falls, the family headed back to the boat dock.
Just as they left the falls area and approached the boat dock, Max jumped back and shouted, “What was that!”
“What?” asked Josie.
“Something just buzzed by my face and flew away really fast,” explained Max.
Grandpa chuckled, “That, Max, was a Calliope hummingbird. It is the smallest bird in the United States, and they are fairly common around here.”
“Where did it go?” asked Max. “It was here one second and then gone.”
“They’re very fast,” said Grandma. “Let’s look around, it might still be close, but it will be tough to spot if it has landed on a branch. It is only about three inches long and has green feathers on its back, so it blends in well. If it was a male, it will have magenta coloring on its throat.”
“Is that it?” asked Josie as she pointed toward a small bird hovering above the trail ahead of them. It suddenly dove toward the ground then flew back up to hover, making a U-shaped flight pattern.
“That is it,” confirmed Grandpa. “Good eyes, Josie-Jo. They are hard to spot.”
After watching the bird for a few minutes, Max started to shift from foot to foot and his gaze wandered around the path. “Let’s keep going,” said Max pointing toward the dock. “I am ready to ride that boat.”
“Sound likes a plan,” Grandma said, “Let’s head back to the boat.” As they got closer, they could see the boat coming towards them from across the lake.
“Let me get the tickets,” said Grandpa as he hurried toward the arriving boat. Soon Grandpa was back, but without tickets. “They said we can ride, but we will pay at the office when we get off. We can board as soon as everyone is off the shuttle. It should be just a little longer.”
When it was time to board, Josie and Max climbed in and hurried to seats next to the outer edge of the boat, so they could see out easily. Grandma sat next to Max and Grandpa sat down by Josie. Soon they were gliding along the lake toward the opposite shore.
“This is awesome!” called Max. “Way better than hiking! We should have just taken the boat in the first place.”
“No way,” replied Josie. “I liked the hike, but it is fun to ride back.” Josie turned to face Grandpa, “Thanks for letting me plan the adventure today, Grandpa. I had fun.”
“You are welcome, Josie-Jo. You did a great job planning,” answered Grandpa. “Tomorrow is my day to plan, and I think that we’ll go visit the fish hatchery.”