When organizing our summer trip to south west US, we participated to the Coyote Buttes North lottery on May 1st and we disappointed when we lost (more than 120 groups applied for that day!).
During our vacations, at some time, we decided to move from a busy and hot campground in Page to the more quiet Kanab area. It opened a new opportunity to participate to the lottery with better odds (about 30 groups applied) and to win a permit for 4 people (out of the 7 slots still opened at that time).
With rains during the night and notice of storms, the next concern was be able to reach the trailhead with flash floods at risk. Fortunately, the dirt road was solid when we drove it in the morning, the second group parking after one using an outfitter (who doesn't count in the 20 permits per day and know how to drive his 4x4 SUV!).
The area is rich with different landscapes and geological features other that The Wave and we tried to explore a little after having collected the cache information and taken the "we've been there" pictures. But the horizons were getting darker and we didn't dare to reach the other earthcache higher in the cliffs.
While we were enjoying our visit, it rained somewhere north and we later had to drive past running water, stones and branches that had appeared on the road : we sure appreciated having rent a AWD vehicle and understood the warning of the BLM ranger the day before, saying that the most difficult part of the Wave may be going to the trailhead!
Many thanks for placing the earthcache on that very special place that is one of the hiking highlights of our vacations (along with Half Dome cables in Yosemite, the bottom of the Grand Canyon and a visit to Betatakin asanazi ruins).
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Entering Coyote Buttes North |
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Wave at the horizon! |
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Layers upon layers upon layers |
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A lone hoodoo |
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Is it going to rain? |
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The Wave is inhabited |
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A wave, some still water and possible moving water |
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Twist or rock'n roll? |
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Wave II ? |
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Landscape diversity: dunes |
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Landscape diversity: mini slot canyon |
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The wash is filling |
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The road used to be "clean" in the morning |
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After spending some time using our Coyote Buttes North permit to explore the Wave, we didn't had much time for the other nice features of the area. We just stopped to do this cache before leaving for Bryce and discover more hoodoos there.
The cliffs close to the cache look very much like what can found in underground caves but seem to be much more fragile, making them a little onimous when seen from below!
Thanks for this big cache!
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Where are the stalactites and stalagmites? |
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Why stand up electrical poles in this landscape? |
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Marker F139 |
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