Rocks and Us - Day Two

As the order goes within the group, no one was late for the 530 huddle in front of our vehicle, all packed. It was again the case like Alaska, where we did not get to see how our hotel looks is daylight. But, nevertheless, we were more excited to see the Arches National Park than our nice little hotel. 

Asish da opened the driving that day and after stuffing ourselves with some good breakfast, we entered the premises of the Arches. And with so many flat vertical rocks, one standing in front of the other, you can actually see the phenomenon of sunrise till very late. The stone faces are half orange with the rays and half in dark shadows.

In this area, it is a little surprising to see wherever there is a huge rock, there are holes put through them. And if the "putting a through hole" process had gone a little too far, the rock is eroded on all its side to give a shape good enough to tickle the human imagination.

The heat was very evident that day. The area was not very high from sea level and lacked trees. Living in such conditions is an achievement in itself. This was the first time when we realized that even harshness can be home. And home is always beautiful. Soumen and I walked up to this Arch and felt like a pair of Pumas descending down the rocks to get its sunny side. Even though, we both had normal wide angle lenses (exactly the same cameras, actually), it barely fit in. Nevertheless, the task of finding the proper foot and back rest among the rocks itself felt kind of exciting.

The advantage of starting well ahead of the "convenient hours" was very evident when we saw the queue at the park entry not less than 70-80 cars long, while we had entered as a single car in that entire stretch of the road. And the feeling good had only started. Again, I was behind the wheel but this time the only excitement in the rest of the passengers was of seeing the Bryce Canyon. Although, 75 (or 70 or 65 or 60 or whatever ...) was meant to be the upper limit of the speed, it is an unwritten convention among the interstate drivers that these numbers only get a treatment of a lower limit. Hence, my speedometer was oscillating between 90 and 97. And, dude! you surely feel a rush driving an SUV through a desert, wearing a dark sunglasses (just for the sake of style!).

I wont lie. I had underestimated the Bryce Canyon looking at Google images. But when I walked up to the edge and saw what lies in front of me, I stood speechless (at a safe distance). It totally resembled the myth  which tells about people turned into stones by magic. The canyon looked like a huge (really huge) ballroom where people are standing in there own peer groups, making silent conversation, ready for the music to start. The only problem being, they seem to have been waiting since forever and the music does not promise to start anywhere in near future.

Suddenly, it came to the other four of our group to walk a trail. One and half miles, along the rim of the canyon. It was something without water and seemed never ending (afterall "Bheto Bangali Never Does Any Trail in Ayemerika"). But when the pain in the feet finally felt hopeless and became easy to ignore, the trail seemed like a good setup to talk to myself. Walk and Talk. When finally  the end came, there was a feeling of an attainment in spite of the aching calfs and gaspings for breathe... Sort of its own reward.

We were not done yet! Thanks to the amazingly analytical brains of Asish da and Soumen, we concluded that we might not reach Zion National Park in time (Bryce had taken more than expected). Soumen took the wheel now. With the route set up in the GPS and in the Google maps of our phones, we started. We didn't have the hopes to catch the shuttles to roam inside the park, but we did manage to get inside it and take a road that was perfectly suited to take us through some of the natural beauty of the park and land us in our final destination of for that day.

Like the morning, the sunset was also visible on the nearby rocks (partly orange, partly in shadows). The least attractive of all that we had seen that day, we still manage to make a story out of yet another trail Soumen, Asish da and I did. Sukanya di and Moumita decided to stay back in the car while we three went out to see a view point "only 10 mins away", starting with stairs made on the rock. We climbed and we climbed and we climbed. We were cautious not to slip off the narrow edges and when we were told by the hikers going in the opposite direction, that it is only 2/3rd of the hike, we were determined to murder that "only 10 mins away" guy. But when we finally reached the top, the sunset had yet again proved its agelessness.

It was like a vast corridor suddenly opening in front of us. We climbed on the highest rock and took some pictures and then remembered that the ladies in the vehicle are surely breathing fire. That was the quickest descent we did. And I would not like to talk about what happened when we returned. Except the exceptionally skillful driving of Soumen along those single lane roads and the deadly U-turns in the dark while coming down the park. And the dinner crisis (again) before we could spot that almost closed Chinese Restaurant on our way to Vegas.

Yupp, Vegas was our last stop of this tour. Every soul in the car was "re-happified" to see the lights of Las Vegas from Interstate-15. But Vegas-ing had to wait till the next day evening. All we needed now was sleep! A visit to one of the most hostile places in the United States awaited us the following morning.