Journey to Mojave Desert (part 3)

Continuing the Journey from the Mojave Desert in Northern Arizona on to Death Valley, we spent a day going to the Racetrack Playa.  Before we left for the trip to the Playa some in the Group or Grandmother Parisha herself had two stories to share.

One was of a man who had stayed at the same hotel where we were all staying.  He had been told before going out hiking that he needed to sign himself out of the hotel and sign himself back in upon his return.  His journey took him out to the Playa where he spent the afternoon.  Or so he thought.  On his return trip he ran into two Park Rangers who asked his name.  He told them and the Rangers said they were glad he had been found.  He said, "what do you mean, "found".  I was only gone for an afternoon."  The Rangers looked at one another and said, "come with us".  They took the man back to the hotel and showed him the book with his signature and the date where he had signed himself out to go on his 'afternoon' trip.  The date was 3 days later.

The Rangers said that there have been many people who have taken trips to the Racetrack Playa and have never been seen nor heard from since.  They told this man they thought he was going to be one of them.  The man was absolutely amazed.

Another person, a man I think, said he went to the Playa, found a rock to sit on so he could draw and before he climbed up on the rock, he took off his shoes.  When he went to get off the rock, his shoes were about 15 feet away from the rock.  The rock had moved with him on it and he never felt a thing.

We got to the Playa mid-afternoon.  Many of us walked out to the Bandstand, a group of rocks in the middle of the flat expanse of hard-packed mud.  Time moved quickly and it was time to go as dark was upon us.  Most of the people had already returned.  We were sitting in our cars waiting for one other.  It was now dark.  Grandmother PaRisHa sent someone out to get the one person whom, we could tell, was just walking across the expanse from the rock back toward the vehicles.  She said she thought she had only been out there for 15 to 20 minutes when in fact about 2 hours had passed.

I breathed a little easier once we got back to the hotel.