Yesterday, the four of us went on a family drive out to Lal Lal to see the magnificent Lal Lal falls. It was a bit of a trip down memory lane for Craig and I since we both haven't been out there for over 20 years, and the landscape had vastly changed a lot in that time. What had also changed was the actual accessibility to the falls. After a terrible accident in 2010 which cost some poor soul their life, they have closed off the access path that you used to be able to use to walk down to the falls and get up close to them.
Now however, there is only one sad lookout spot hundreds of metres away from the cascading water. Well, that shit just doesn't fly with us, and one crappy old warning sign and some rusty wire was the only thing standing between us and adventure. So adventure time it was. Over the wire, passed the sign and behold, the old path was still there and clearly still well worn. Obviously hundreds of others had felt the same level of determination as we had and just gone for it. And apart from there being no guard railing - which is a little hairy in spots we all managed to maneuver ourselves right to the base of the falls and enjoy a wonderful, and somewhat illegal, view of Lal Lal falls.
We have done a stellar job of instilling the right actions in our children because Seth was so concerned about breaking the law that he was actually quite difficult to coax past the rusty wire. Arms crossed and demanding that we don't break the law like a model citizen, he really did us all proud. He was convinced that the police were going to sweep down in a chopper at any given moment and it would be off to jail for the lot of us.
We managed to get around this little moral conundrum by telling him that usually we would agree with him, but that Craig and I had done the journey before and knew from previous experience that is was going to be fine and that we would never put him in harms way. That being said, I would seriously not recommend taking kids down to the falls via this illegal route, it is dangerous and not safe for little people in general. I made Craig hold onto Seth's hand the entire time and even them, I was a bit nervous. However, for sober adults that don't suffer from hip troubles or vertigo, I say - go for it!
Anyway, by the time we got back from our trek, our law abiding son was drunk with the thrill of anarchy and was up for anything, asking when we could all go out again and do something equally rebellious. Seriously, I probably could've gotten him to steal a car he was so high on adrenaline! Proving that seeking illegal thrills must be kept in perspective at all times when it comes to the younger ones.
Still, it was a really marvelous way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon and a great adventure for us all. Spending a small amount of time in nature is really very soothing to the soul. It is too easy to get caught up in our own stuff and then we forget to take in the real essence and beauty that is around us.
Now however, there is only one sad lookout spot hundreds of metres away from the cascading water. Well, that shit just doesn't fly with us, and one crappy old warning sign and some rusty wire was the only thing standing between us and adventure. So adventure time it was. Over the wire, passed the sign and behold, the old path was still there and clearly still well worn. Obviously hundreds of others had felt the same level of determination as we had and just gone for it. And apart from there being no guard railing - which is a little hairy in spots we all managed to maneuver ourselves right to the base of the falls and enjoy a wonderful, and somewhat illegal, view of Lal Lal falls.
We have done a stellar job of instilling the right actions in our children because Seth was so concerned about breaking the law that he was actually quite difficult to coax past the rusty wire. Arms crossed and demanding that we don't break the law like a model citizen, he really did us all proud. He was convinced that the police were going to sweep down in a chopper at any given moment and it would be off to jail for the lot of us.
We managed to get around this little moral conundrum by telling him that usually we would agree with him, but that Craig and I had done the journey before and knew from previous experience that is was going to be fine and that we would never put him in harms way. That being said, I would seriously not recommend taking kids down to the falls via this illegal route, it is dangerous and not safe for little people in general. I made Craig hold onto Seth's hand the entire time and even them, I was a bit nervous. However, for sober adults that don't suffer from hip troubles or vertigo, I say - go for it!
Anyway, by the time we got back from our trek, our law abiding son was drunk with the thrill of anarchy and was up for anything, asking when we could all go out again and do something equally rebellious. Seriously, I probably could've gotten him to steal a car he was so high on adrenaline! Proving that seeking illegal thrills must be kept in perspective at all times when it comes to the younger ones.
Still, it was a really marvelous way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon and a great adventure for us all. Spending a small amount of time in nature is really very soothing to the soul. It is too easy to get caught up in our own stuff and then we forget to take in the real essence and beauty that is around us.
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