It’s a forty-five minute drive to the falls and the scenery is beautiful during the day. The hills and grassy-fields are beautiful. It’s chilly and there is a bit of snow on the ground, but the views are worth it. She drives us into the falls and brings us down to the parking lot. There’s a little bit of a walk to see the falls, which I’m not against because it is absolutely beautiful out here.
The lady at the entrance did remind us that the falls aren’t quite as flowing as they would be if we come out in the spring when it’s warmer. We walk in the cold to the falls, which Lawsyn assures us isn’t much further around the corner of the cliff that lines the sidewalk we’re on.
There’s a building with restrooms and then there’s a cute little concrete bridge that goes over the pool of water that the falls pour into. It’s beautiful. Even with it not being in its full glory, I recognize the scenery from the photo of Adelaide and Clayton in the clubhouse.
“Wow,” I whisper, standing in the center of the bridge staring at the water coming down.
“I always thought waterfalls were super tall,” Mindy notes.
“They don’t have to be. There are actually some really small ones further up in the park. We can go look for them if you want to!” Nova says with way too much excitement.
I can see Mindy’s stance go rigid at the thought of exploring in the cold. I pat her back in reassurance. “It won’t be so bad,” I whisper to her. Her shoulders relax a little, but she still doesn’t seem convinced.
“Let’s do it!” I say. Nova leads us back to the car and we drive up the steep roads leading to higher ground. There are different buildings that have showers and bathrooms in them on the way up for the tent campers in the park. We don’t see any RVs out here, though. It must be too cold. There are only one or two tents along the way, I can’t imagine there are many that spend the cold winters out here. What a rough way to spend a winter.
We pull off in a parking lot and Nova hops out, giddy and excited to show us the way. There’s a log that acts as a bridge to the rocks on the other side of a small stream. The only problem is, there’s water running over the log. I glance down at my feet clad in tennis shoes and socks. I don’t want to get the shoes or socks wet. I opt to slip them off and go barefoot.
“Oh my God, Lilly your feet are going to freeze!” Mindy shrieks, staring at my bare feet.
“It won’t be that bad once they get wet. Besides, they’ll thaw out when we get back in the truck,” I tell her.
She shakes her head. “Yall have fun. I’ll be right here in the heat. Me and this baby aren’t going galivanting through slippery rocks. Uh-uh. No way.” She makes an ‘X’ with her arms.
Lawsyn giggles. “I didn’t know you were expecting!”
Mindy blushes and nods. “Yeah, we just found out.”
“That’s so neat. Yeah, the rocks aren’t safe. I would be too worried about you falling and hurting yourself,” Nova says.
Violet takes off her boots and socks and rolls her blue jeans up. “Let’s go explore,” she says excitedly. The sun is still shining in the sky, but likely not for too much longer. I know when it sets, it’s going to be so damn cold out here. I’m wondering how much ‘exploring’ I’m getting into.
Violet leads the way, with Nova trailing behind her, then Lawsyn, then myself. By some miracle, no one slips going across the log-bridge although it’s slippery as hell. Once we make it to the rocks, the water is ankle deep in most areas and we walk freely through. There are small little falls, merely four or five inches high, as we make our way further down the stream. The parking lot to our left turns into the side of a cliff the further we go.
As we wind through the stream, there are rock formations that create four- and five-foot waterfalls to our right. The sound of the water moving is calming, almost calming enough for me to ignore the stabbing sensation in my feet as the ice-cold water pricks my skin. My toes have long been numb, but this view is breathtaking.
I stare at the beauty surrounding me and I think that I want to be married here. At the falls. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seenandit holds a special meaning. It’s sentimental. It’spart of Cass’s family. I know he won’t care where we say our vows, but I can’t help but hope that this will be just a little bit special to him.
The sun begins to sink below the tree line, and the temperature is dropping by the minute. Lawsyn has pulled her jacket tight around her and has her hood on to protect her ears from the wind that has picked up.
“Okay, let’s head back before the sun goes down all the way,” she says.
Nova and Violet agree, but I’ve already turned around and begun leading the way back to the parking lot because she doesn’t have to tell me twice. Mindy has the heater on full blast when we make it back to Lawsyn’s Escalade and I could kiss her right now.
My toes are frozen to the bone, but I don’t think frostbite has set in yet. It takes the full forty-five-minute drive back to the clubhouse for my toes to thaw out. They were just getting good and warm when I slipped on my socks and shoes and got out into the cold night air. I need to make sure I reiterate to Cass that although I want to get married at the falls, I want to do it in the spring or summer because I cannot stand to be this cold.
When we walk into the clubhouse, the chatter and laughter coming from the bar echoes throughout the entire building. Lawsyn wraps her arms around Junk, he's sitting closest to the hall where we enter. Mindy has made a bee-line for the bathroom and Nova and Violet go and find their men. I scan the bar for the broad shoulders that I'd recognize anywhere and come up short. I don't see Cass anywhere. Or Scott. Or any of the Baton Rouge Hounds, for that matter.
Clayton isn't here either. "Cass said to tell you he'd be back and not to worry," Junk says as he watches me scan the bar.
"Thank you," I tell him.
Lawsyn walks over to the seating area with the couches and coffee table and plops into a well-worn section of the couch. It looks like it was made to mold her body, making me think she's spent countless hours sitting in that particular spot. Nova and Violet sit in various spots and Lawsyn pats the couch beside her.
"Come hang!" she calls out cheerfully.
I do as she requests and sit down beside her just in time for Mindy to come walking in. She spots us and walks over, sitting beside Nova on one of the loveseats and melts into it. "This thing is so comfortable," she sighs, resting her head against the large cushion. It's an old, faux leather couch but Mindy's assessment is likely right. It does look pretty comfortable.
The clubhouse is a bit chilly, and I almost want to go down into the bunkroom and curl up beneath a blanket.
