Rich on the Road

The first four pictures here were made in Southern Utah at a location that includes a former movie set where several westerns were filmed. The actual buildings and props from that era are gone, and replicas stand in their place.

The rest of the pictures were made enroute to a place called The Wave, in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument which straddles the border between Utah and Arizona. The Wave is actually in Arizona, and is one of the most awesome things I have seen in my life, and I've seen a few things that might fit the definition of awesome.

This was one of the most arduous, and yet rewarding, days of my trip. Anyone who knows me knows I don't like heat. My body doesn't like heat, dry or otherwise. People who point out to me that it's dry heat get the following response: Dry heat is like dry heaves--there may be no moisture, but it's equally unpleasant to me. I took about two gallons of water with me this day, and it was all gone by the time I got back to my vehicle.

I started out early with poor directions from the BLM office where the permits are issued. Side note: there are only 10 permits issued daily for entry to this area, and if you intend to go there, get there early the day before you want to go because you must have a permit and you must get it a day in advance. Anyway, it's a little over two miles hike from the parking area to The Wave, about 4.5 miles round-trip, if you know the way. With the poor directions I had, I probably hiked closer to 6 miles round-trip. If I hadn't run into and followed a couple who had been there before I probably wouldn't have found the place. I drank another gallon of water once I got back to the campground before I started to feel right again.

It should be noted that some folks with the BLM, at least the one that gave me directions (he said as much), would prefer that nobody visit The Wave, so don't expect much help if you plan to try and hike to it.