Playing the Lottery

Adolfo and I drove up to the one-room ranger's station. We were plenty early, yet there were other cars already parked there. It seemed some even camped in the parking lot. People were standing around waiting for the ranger to unlock the door. Each group of people spoke a different language--German, Norwegian, Chinese, English.

The ranger opened the doors, and bodies poured into the room. All began frantically completing applications. Ours was filled out in advance so we handed it to the ranger and were assigned number 1. Finally, when all applications were gathered and numbers were assigned, the ranger threw balls of corresponding numbers into a tumbler. She tumbled the balls and began drawing numbers. Silence filled the room as the ranger read the numbers: 22, 18, 6... Once all ten slots were filled, the winners paid their fees and the losers filed out. We joined the losers, slowly making our way to our vehicles. Better luck tomorrow.

So, why join a lottery only to pay a fee? The winners of this lottery are allowed to purchase permits into The Wave, a sandstone structure with orange, yellow, and white stripes that undulate like waves connecting several buttes. After visiting, Los Angeles Times writer Hugo Martin described the sight as Rock Candy. He claims it looks like saltwater taffy pulled across the desert. After the first photo I saw of this place, I was sold; I just had to see this with my own eyes.

Disheartened that we had lost the lottery, Adolfo and I spent the day exploring other sandstone formations in the area. Cliffs with multicolor rings, dry waterfalls, hoodoos that looked like toadstools. We were not disappointed, but we were not ready to give up on The Wave, either.

The next morning, we headed back to the ranger station. This time we arrived later and were assigned number 11. We waited as numbers were called: 24, 18, 11. We stood stunned. We won!