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Feb. 4 - Cueva Ventana

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” –John Muir

This morning we left the beach to hike and explore Cueva Ventana (Window Cave). It's a cave situated atop a limestone cliff about 10 miles from our hotel. It overlooks the Rio Grande de Arecibo Valley. The guided tour enhanced the experience, helping us to understand the ecosystem, sharing the history of the caves, illustrating the diverse beauty of the plants and pointing out animals, birds and insects. This cave is fairly small, only 300 meters long, at the end is a window that opens up to an impressive view of the green mountains and the Rio Grande de Arecibo...it makes you feel like you’re on top of the world as you overlook the valley.

Our tour guide Ernesto.
Heading down into the cave. 
Our first look at the valley below.
Can you see the old man's face in this formation? 
The cave was completely dark, except for the flashlights we were given. My new iPhone can take amazing pictures with very low light. These were taken with no flash.
Part of the trail to and from the cave entrance.
After the tour we drove further into the mountains to visit Lago Dos Bocas. It's a beautiful lake hidden in the mountains above Arecibo. From there we drove back to town through the valley we could see from the cave. In the valley we could see the window of the cave on the side of the mountain. It was fun to experience the view from the cave and the valley. Puerto Rico is a beautiful amazing island full of hidden treasures. 
Another view of the valley from the window in the cave. We stopped our car just to the left of the bridge in this picture and took the next photo.
The top window is where we were during the cave tour. You can see two more windows...one very small one is between the two larger ones. The tour usually includes a second cave, but since the earthquakes began they have suspended that part for safety reasons.
The surf really picked up today...the waves were massive on every beach we visited. We had lunch overlooking the port of Arecibo and then visited the Bishop Pools near Arecibo Lighthouse. The sea was crazy and very impressive. I don't think I've ever seen waves this large before.
The waves in front of our house were much bigger today and we enjoyed watching people surf.

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