Hello again dear Wave lovers.
This leg of the trip brings us probably the most eventful handful of hours thus far.
If you haven't already, grab a refreshing Wave Soda and find a comfortable seat as I take you along on yet another exciting segment of this Wave journey.
Zion National Park To Bryce Canyon
Leaving Zion was almost as beautiful as entering, but we will get to that in a little bit.
After a very early morning, (remember the whole thing with my brother missing his flight?), my mom and I spent almost four hours hiking through ankle-deep, and sometimes even waist-deep, water.
The Narrows were absolutely extraordinary and perfectly named. A skinny body of water, only about twenty feet across, was our path as we wound through skyscraper height cliffs on either side of us. We trudged over a bed of rocks, some the size of a small kiddie pool, as we used our hiking sticks to keep balance lest we slip and crash down onto the hard ground beneath us.
The painfully hot sun beat down on us and I thanked my lucky stars that I remembered to pack a Mango Wave Soda for myself and a Blueberry Wave Soda for my mom.
As we made it back to the shuttle bus and boarded it to ride back to the lodge, my mom and I could barely keep our eyes open. When we got back to our car we did our best to repack everything quickly so we could get on the road and to our next location before the afternoon snoozies hit us. (I just made that up but I feel like it should be a legitimate thing).
As I mentioned before, the drive out was stunning. Winding up through the awe-inspiring mountains we peeked over the edge of cliffs to spy the deep canyons below. At one point we spotted an archway carved into the rocks by water erosion and decided we needed a picture.
Hopping out of the car I quickly ran up a few yards, soda in hand, to snag a snapshot of the stunning curves splayed out before me. I always take the keys out of the car with me because I'm terrified of getting locked out, and when I jumped back in and restarted Mo' (my car) I didn't think twice.
Well, I really should have.
Two and a half hours later we finally make it to our place for the night and I am grateful the longest day of my life is coming to an end. My mom and I desperately have to use the bathroom after drinking at least two politely caffeinated Wave Sodas each (to give us that extra buzz for the trip). I clicked off the power button and grabbed for the keys that I usually place in the cup holder and I immediately stopped short. "No no no no no", I muttered grudgingly under my breath. They were not there. They weren't lost though. Matter of fact, I remember exactly where they were.
On the windy road out of Zion National Park.
Cursing myself for taking that dang photo, I relayed the tragic news to my mom. We called my dad, my brother, and my girlfriend, trying to get as many people on the job as we could. Two hours later we had found the best solution: a locksmith located over an hour away that was willing to drive to the nearby big city to find a dealership, purchase a new key fob, drive two hours to our accommodations, and then program the key for us.
Five hundred dollars later, we had a new key fob and a newfound appreciation for lanyards and their practicality.
As we started back on the road, I once again sent a prayer up that no more speed bumps would be on our path, but once again, I underestimated the universe.