Does that photo looks familiar?
Yep, that's one of Windows Desktop backgrounds (under Landscapes category) and it's taken at a place called Coyote Buttes North, also known as "The Wave", in Arizona.
I discovered The Wave not because of Microsoft's Windows but while I was at some gift shop in Page, Arizona looking at calendars, souvenirs and post cards. It was right after I saw the Lower Antelope for the first time, around Thanksgiving of 2010. I was with my friends from Chicago and Canada, that time.
That time I didn't know it as The Wave yet, I only knew it as Vermilion Cliffs. So armed with this new information, I set out a goal to know more about it. Where it is, what it is, how to get there, etc. That's how I learned that one doesn't just go there, there are procedures and not an easy one at that.
Fast forward, two dear friends of mine have moved to Arizona year 2013 and we planned to travel together to see the Antelope Canyons. I wanted to go back at the Lower Antelope because I was too mesmerized by that place and I want to show it to my husband. I started planning that trip but I have some other agenda in mind, I really wanted to see The Wave. So I went to apply for the Wave permit, online. This was 3 months before our scheduled Arizona trip. If you want to know how that works click me.
Coyote Buttes North, aka, The Wave is an internationally renowned hiking destination. In order to make it fair for everyone who wishes to visit, a lottery system has been put in place. Easy enough?
Fast forward, two dear friends of mine have moved to Arizona year 2013 and we planned to travel together to see the Antelope Canyons. I wanted to go back at the Lower Antelope because I was too mesmerized by that place and I want to show it to my husband. I started planning that trip but I have some other agenda in mind, I really wanted to see The Wave. So I went to apply for the Wave permit, online. This was 3 months before our scheduled Arizona trip. If you want to know how that works click me.
Coyote Buttes North, aka, The Wave is an internationally renowned hiking destination. In order to make it fair for everyone who wishes to visit, a lottery system has been put in place. Easy enough?
Nope.
To preserve the place, they only give 20 available slots per day (atleast, at the time we were applying for permit). 10 they give online and another 10 for walk-ins. I applied for a permit online twice, and didn't get lucky. That didn't discourage me though. I had a plan B.
My friends in Arizona, the hubby and I still pushed through with our Arizona trip. The plan was go see Antelope Canyons (lower and upper, I haven't been to the upper one yet). Go see the Horseshoe Bend (haven't been there) and then go to Utah.
The plan B was we will attempt to apply for lottery personally. Yes, walk-in, but we want to have a back-up of the back-up plan (did that makes sense? 😆).
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| The Wave walk-in permit lottery drawing |
When you apply for the walk-in permit, it is only valid for the next day, not on the day you applied. So if for example you applied today, Monday, and you won, the permit is valid for Tuesday. With this, I had to make an itinerary around that situation. Below is how it looked like (for the complete itinerary and logistics click me):
