(Scroll down to start with Part One)
The Wave is perched up high on a long relatively flat bench of rock; I wander the surrounding area and find some other neat stuff. I’m always looking for reflections; these frozen puddles provided nice butte (that’s butte, not butt!) reflections.
To the north, I discover an incredible swirl of texture and color, too bad the light isn’t quite right! Ah, a reason to come back! (Yeah, as if I needed one…) Now a good distance away from The Wave, I pick my way carefully down a slope off the bench into a canyon and supernatural world of blue shadows, red sand, slick rock and big buttes.
Following the path of the occasional flash floods that must roar through here, I encounter a steep drop-off. At first glance it appears unscalable without ropes. Just when I’m thinking that I’m going to have to turn back and re-trace my route, I spy a way down via some protruding ledges. That obstacle overcome, the canyon spits me out below The Wave.That’s where it hits me, how utterly exhausted I am and I still have to hike back. At this point I’m also experiencing sensory overload, so much stimulation in one day. It’s definitely time to leave.
My legs, complaining the whole way, manage to drag my tired torso back to the entrance and the scene of the couple of unnecessarily added hiking miles early this morning. Those extra miles are looming large now as I trudge up the wash, staring at my feet, willing them to keep moving. After what seems like forever, but in reality is only about a half mile, I look up and, hooray! - there it is - Hotel Truck. Its four wheels and shining shell of steel never looked so good! Oh magic ride, take this crumbling carcass some where it can sleep, in a heap, long and deep – won’t need to count sheep to fall asleep!Next: From Page to Sage…
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