Fall, 2000

Why am I so mesmerized by waterfalls? No matter how small, even just a few drops falling from the rocks along the side of the road, they draw my attention. The sound of the water falling over a cliff, roiling in the rocks below, is soothing to me. Does everyone react like this?

One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous designs was Fallingwater, a home built partially over a waterfall on Bear Run in rural Pennsylvania. Rather than build the home across from the waterfalls, Wright wanted to integrate the house with them so they would be an essential part of the structure. You cannot see the falls from inside the house, but you can hear the water. You can buy a Lego set and build your own Fallingwater! I have yet to visit Fallingwater, but it is definitely on my bucket list.

There’s a television show named Falling Water; there’s a song by Maggie Rogers called Fallingwater; a small town in West Virginia named Falling Waters; a Florida State Park named Falling Waters; a Falling Waters Lodge in Michigan; a Falling Waters Winery in Wisconsin; a Falling Waters apartment complex in Phoenix; and now there’s a post on my blog. There will be more.

I’ve decided to take a look back and share some of the waterfalls we have enjoyed during our travels. I don’t always know the names, if there even are names, but I will include that information where I can.

On one of our early trips, in 2000, Mark and I visited the lovely island of Maui. We do like adventure, so signed up for a full day rainforest hike with Hike Maui. We hiked the Pipiwai Trail in Haleakalā National Park, through lush jungle and a bamboo forest, ate guava off the trees, and swam through caves and pools that had been created by lava flows. The highlight of the trip was stopping for lunch at the base of Waimoku Falls, a 400’ waterfall that plunges over a sheer cliff, raising a fine mist as it nears the bottom of the drop.

We did not choose to walk underneath the falls, as it can be dangerous. Just take a look at the rocks and boulders at the base and think about where they came from.

We recommend this hike to any people who say they are going to Maui. It was a long day, yet so rewarding.