February 4, 2015
We won the lottery!
Actually we won it several months ago.
Today we cash in our prize. It
is not a million dollars but something worth just as much to me. After more than a dozen attempts, we finally
won our chance to visit an unusual rock formation called “the Wave” deep within
Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. A
few days ago on a lark we called to rent a jeep. Partly because we are thinking of buying one to better explore
the backcountry, and partly to protect our car from the eight-mile dirt access
road. Instead of a new jeep, we got a
very old SUV, with 170,000 miles on the odometer, and in need of a lot of
maintenance. Not necessarily the
vehicle I want to take into some of the last frontier in our country.
We crossed the Colorado River and drove into Utah. Thirty miles west we take a dirt road south
for eight miles. I am so glad we are in
a rental. The road is very poor and
crosses a still muddy deep creek crossing.
I would have turned around if we were in our sedan.
When we get to the trailhead we find a dozen vehicles
already there.
We must be late.
The trail to the Wave is short (2.5 miles)
but over rugged terrain.
It is
purposefully left unmarked to discourage casual visitors.
The BLM provides lottery winners with a map
containing photos, pointing out landmarks to follow.
The trail follows a dry wash and then traverses the slickrock
edge of Coyote Butte past stunning scenery.
In less than ninety minutes we enter the Wave sitting atop the butte.
The Wave is very special.
The smooth, banded sandstone here has been eroded into sinuous shapes
that resemble water waves frozen in time.
Mother Nature is truly an exquisite artist.
There are only a handful of people here and we take turns
snapping photos.
Satisfied we scouted the surrounding area to see other
formations. Coyote Butte is full of
beautiful and strange shapes. On our
return hike I was disappointed to see no ranger. Even though the BLM limits the permits, apparently they don’t
enforce it. We ran into several
international visitors coming out undeterred.
As with most government regulations these days, they only hurt the
honest citizens.
Back at our hotel room, our legs are tired. We must be out of shape. For dinner we had Texas BBQ at a newly re-opened restaurant down the street.
