Horseshoe Bend
NOT THE ONLY BEND IN THE RIVER
About five years ago I took Wyatt and Carson on a road trip of the desert southwest with our good friend Yoram. We stopped at Horsehoe Bend on a weekday morning…granted it was winter and about fifteen degrees but still…it’s Horseshoe Bend. There were only three cars in the small parking lot and we didn’t run into the pilots of those vehicles in our four hour stay at the bend.
Yesterday afternoon we returned to Hoseshoe Bend. It was later in the day and the weather was better…and we were greeted by throngs in the thousands. Five enormous tour buses, at least a hundred cars, a Congo line up the trail. Bus operators eyeing their watches, urging their charges on…”Hurry people, we need to get Antelope Canyon in before the sunset.”
Not the scene we were hoping for. We left and returned this morning. It rained a fair bit early this morning and we hoped that would thin the crowd. There were fewer people but the vibe was the same…seen it…check…next. It’s still an amazing view and a dizzying vertical experience to be sure, but it’s definitely no longer a wild place.
I remember Carson saying “you don’t see this every day…”. He was so right……