Utah Wave - Really?
When: 1-5 July 05
Who: P, R and Me - Ofcourse Hertz-rented Ford Taurus (w/o GPS X-( )
Where: Bay Area to Utah (Zion, Bryce) and Vegas
Planning: P - P had an idea to go to the WAVE - google images for Utah Wave. He showed us the pic on a brochure- it was awe-inspiring to go on any amount of drive for it.
[Day 0/1]:
Atlast, we took off for yet another long drive - Utah this time. Assuming 15hr drive, we safely started at 5PM. I took the first turn, drove till 11PM and then handed over to P. As expected, got hit by 152 sick-traffic. Coz of the traffic delay, I passed on a new rule - No breaks unless for Gas or Food - R in panic. R complained that every hour or two, he needs to take a leak. The goal was to be at Zion NM by sunrise and no way we can make it if we violate the rule - I claimed. Anyways, after few minutes (or rathers tens of minutes) of argument, we took the first break for dinner. P took his chance at the wheel and then right before LV, R got his turn to drive and eventually we arrived at Zion NM minutes before sunrise.
[Day 1]: Zion MM
Beauty of Nature - Zion NM had great things to offer in terms of nature - but something that couldnt be appreciated directly. It is a part of the Colorado Plateau and is located close to some fantastic places in USA - like GC, Bryce Canyon etc. All we found there was some bad food, some entertaining conversations, one long hike where you should use chains to go up for a while, and another cool hike which leads to two waterfalls - bad timing, none of the waterfalls/lakes were bigger than a few pee-fulls. Now, coming to the most interesting parts of our Zion day. It has a different funda - Park and take a bus.
Incident #1: At one stop, we ran out of water. R opted to sleep in the busstand for a while when P&I volunteered to fetch water from another stop. We set a rough time of half-hour to return. Enroute, P got an idea of going to car to get more rolls (he has this cool SLR camera - non-digital). Slightly worried, I agreed assuming we might just make it. When we returned to where R should be, we didnt find him. Looked in the restrooms --- Nah! he wasnt there either. We can up with multiple opinions - Did he go on a hike? Did he go to another stop for water? et al. P went to few other stops only to return in despair. The tension built up. I got couple of smokes meanwhile - boredom & tension kills your thinking!. After waiting there for over 2 hrs, we decided to go back to Parking lot and look for him and atleast try to announce for him - a bus driver told me when sought help. We took the longest route bus trying to cover all the stops - back and ahead. Just when the bus entered the stop at the Parking lot, an announcement came for us - our names & description of our dress. Ahhhhh!!!!!! He is here. We just jumped out of the bus and looked for R. ------------------ R approaches with fury - furious than a tortured hero (not to mention we were his villians). Btw, I remembered him mentioning that he wasnt carryin his cellfone and wallet - dropped them in the car for convenience. He started bashing us in English before we could even try to reason with him. P admitted his fault. R is adamant on leaving that place and goin back to Bay Area - even by cab if thats the only option. That was the funniest thing I have heard in the recent times. But it certainly would have spoiled the scene. I took R's side, blamed P for the whole mishap and told him to rest a bit and then think. After 15min of consoling, he agreed and we went to a restaurant.
Incident #2: A very beautiful girl -- gosh, she is damn beautiful was at the cash table in the restaurant. I took the chance and made order and talked to her for few mins. When I returned, R started appreciating her and I figured out everything is set alright. Just for a few fries and couple of drinks, they made us wait for -- an HOUR? I didnt realise the time atleast ;-) as I occupied the cash-counter facing seat! In the evening, we drove back to Cedar City and then went into a slumber. The chequered pattern and the tunnel on the way were good. How the hell do I attach pics here? The motel owner supplied us with a free third bed from his home for R's mistake in the dealing (so nice of him) - Now that we cant blame him, we kept quiet!
Day 2: Bryce Canyon NP & Wave?
We knew this will be the toughest day - Gotta cover so much stuff. Still we woke up late - Lazy bugs. Missed sunrise at the motel. Bryce Canyon is the most unique place I have ever visited. They are like there huge pillars in red/orange with beautiful sculpture called hoodoos, made of sand, naturally created. Having enjoyed the fun, on the way back, P drove with excitement and got himself a ticket of $100 - we couldnt have dealt smarter with the cop!. Worried, I was driving into Grand Staircase - Escalante. I dont know where we were going .... Just kept going on only to find that we missed the Visitor Center. Upon enquiry at the visitor center, we couldnt have gone anywhere it had to offer than just drive a few miles around and get a feel of it. We took the dirt-road for the wave which is supposedly 20miles in the map for the Utah wave. This road aint like any Indian road - more sandy and you have to maintain much higher speeds. As I was driving it, I thought it is ok to drive at 35 even in the mountainous roads and the steep/narrow/single-laned roads. Then started trouble - Kota Style. R would complain whereever he felt I should have turned at slower speed and caused inconvenience. The list couldnt get any shorter when I instinctively managed a escape a dangerous skid. Surprisingly R appreciated my driving skills - unheard of, everbefore in such a situation and took the wheel in a couple of miles when some passerby told us that is 20 more miles. Mind it, I already drove like 20 miles. R, inherently very careful driver - like a family man, drove very slowly. Still had opportunities to skid once or twice. P took his turn and manged somehow to reach the freeway. When we reached the Visitor Center at 6PM, we discovered for the first time some new rules.
- Only 10 people will be allowed to go the The Wave every day.
- Reservation for the plan must be made.
Quite comforted?, we started for LV.
[Day 3]
Damn! LV strip traffic sucks. It took me 30 minutes on the strip to cover the distance of two miles - mistake of taking an early freeway exit.
Met friends at LV (pre-planned) and hopped into a pub. Spent an hour and drove back to Bay Area.
Summary: The hero of the whole trip is: R followed by Bryce Canyon which filled our lives with memories :-) with No Utah Wave. Hence, mission accomplished.
