Once More The Wave… so magical. The kind of place one would want to visit more than once. Assana entered the lottery for years, and won it in 2013. We invited Dan’s friends to join us for the trip, but Assana always pined for another visit. Besides, she has been needing an excuse to justify a stay at the oh-so-luxurious Amangiri! So… she keeps on entering the lottery. And 12 years later — boom! — we win again! This time it is just the two of us. Dan moved to Arizona a few months ago. It has been a rough year for Assana. Just being together, the two of us, is nice.
Half a Bucket Amangiri is one of Assana’s [two] bucket list items, and it does NOT disappoint. The level of service, food, pampering, surroundings, views, architecture, food, and simply the luxury is on a different level. The iconic rock-hugging pool deserves the media attention it gets. The desert and mesa views from every direction are breathtakingly beautiful. Bittersweet.
Tortured Tommy We visit a bunch of sites that we didn’t the last few times we have gone through the area. Horseshoe Bend, weirdo Toadstool Hoodoos, etc. One favorite hike is Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch. The hike is an easy walk down a wash leading to an amazing slut canyon — uuuh, SLOT canyon — with basically no one around. We run into perhaps 2-3 other couples during the 6.7 mile hike. The canyon is deep, narrow and simply beautiful. The only downside of this hike is the 8 mile dirt road we put poor Tommy through. Definitely not a road suitable for a sissy Tesla.
Funny enough the trailhead to The Wave shares a parking lot with the trailhead for Buckskin Gulch. So back we are, the next day!
To save Tommy Jr. from doing the ridiculously rough road again, the hotel sends us off with a diver in one of their cars. That car ride ends up being of one the highlights of the trip.
Sorry Our driver, Tilman, is a Navajoian, and one of the brightest and most curious people we have ever met while traveling. Actually… probably ever met. Period. He educates us on the Navajo culture, language, life on the reservation, his upbringing, his siblings lives vs, his, etc. Who would have thought that in 2008 there was a Navajo kid on a reservation jailbreaking an original iPhone?
One fascinating concept: in Navajo language there is no word for “sorry!” So if one wants to say “I’m sorry!” they will have to repeat, in their own words, what they did and how it must have impacted you, and that they feel bad about it. No dirty apologies in Navajo. Assana knows family members who could learn from the Navajo.
Still There, Still Beautiful The Wave, of course, is every bit as amazing. This time around, unlike the last time, we don’t get as lost! For starters, we spot the incognito trail head while we walk the Wire Pass trail the day before. The photo map is still confusing… especially with comments such as “Go 30 feet down until to see a rock formation.” Yeah… the one rock formation! Hm. Now, 11 years later, there are half a dozen poles & arrows. Not enough, if you ask us. Admittedly, it is possible that these poles are NOT new and that we totally missed them the last time around, while being lost, of course! But this time we know better to make mental notes of where we are walking, Regardless, not enough.
Permit We do run into, not one, but two BLM permit-checking folks. The first gal is cool and just asks us if we have our permit. The second dude suspiciously eyes us, doesn’t answer our questions, and accusatorially asks to see our permit. A permit that Assana can’t find in the backpack. Bored with our rummaging he finally pulls out his “list” and crosses our name off. Dude, if you have the list in your pocket, why don’t you just look at it from the start?
While we are at it, and in the area, we revisit Upper Antelope Canyon again. As always, with a Native American tour company. As fun and informative as Tilman was, our tour guide, Sunny, is NOT. Grumpy, unfriendly, with a chip on his shoulder. Whatever. Once again, and Sunny not withstanding, we are not disappointed by Antelope Canyon's beauty, And now with our iPhone's amazing cameras, our photos are stunning.
Just Assana What an amazing trip. And as always, so much fun.
More than thirty years of friendship, a relationship almost a quarter century long, and over a dozen years of marriage… hundreds of trip, a ton of Grandma specials, a lot of amazing wine… laughter and love… it has been an amazing time. The future is murky for us, but we will always have the past. Love you Dan.
