The Wave

On Friday the 13th our luck finally changed.  On our 40th lottery entry, we finally won!

After winning the lottery, we were required to attend an orientation the next morning at 8am (don't be late). The orientation was about 1 hour long. Permit-holders are given a route description, which includes a photo guide and GPS coordinates along the suggested route to the Wave.  Permit-holders should be comfortable navigating in undeveloped areas.

The Wave is located in Coyote Buttes North and is just a small part of the 112,500-acre Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness area and does not contain any developed trails or facilities. The permit area has some of the most visually striking geologic sandstone formations in the world.

Dave signing us in

This is where split off to the right

The sign only says "Permit required ahead"

The suggested route to The Wave is a strenuous hike in a wilderness area which requires visitors to cross challenging terrain and use way finding skills.

We made it!

Top Rock Arch

Second Wave

While we were here we did some extra hiking to see more sites

Apache Tears

Apache tears are round pebbles of obsidian composed of black natural volcanic glass.

The name comes from an Apache legend - The US Cavalry and 75 Apaches fought on a mountain overlooking what is now Superior, Arizona, in the 1870s. Facing defeat, the outnumbered Apache warriors rode their horses off the mountain to their deaths rather than be killed. When the warrior's families heard of the tragedy their tears turned into stone upon hitting the ground.

The Alcove

Looking down onto The Wave from up above

Praying we find Melody Arch soon because I know we are not leaving until we find it.

There it is.  Now we just have to figure out how to get down there.

Melody Arch and the Grotto

We returned to The Wave to see it in different lighting.

We left the motorhome at 6:15 am and hit the trailhead at 7:30 am.  We arrived at The Wave at 9:00 am and stayed in the area until 4:00 pm.  We got back to the Jeep at 5:45 pm and back to the motorhome at 7:15 pm.  We hiked 10 1/2 miles.

The Wave is located on the Utah Arizona border, which caused our cameras to switch time zones all day long.  Our pictures were so jumbled up it took days to put them in chronological order.