Necessity is the Mother of Obsession Ch. 05

A few minutes later, Karen was standing next to a really nice looking helicopter which she was informed was a Eurocopter EC145-T2. It looked more like a big luxury limo. It had six passenger seats with a cabinet between the front rear-facing seats and the rear forward-facing seats. The two in the middle were forward-facing, too, with no cabinet. Plus the pilot and copilot seats.

"Mercedes-Benz," John told her. "They designed the interior. It's modular. It can handle up to 8 passengers. Heavily soundproofed. Usually we use it for ferrying various VIPs out to factory sites and such, out west here. A lot more practical than trying to use limos. Let's get you oriented and airborne."

Karen listened intently as Carl went over the various safety procedures for the aircraft, including when and how to approach the aircraft, the use of various hand signals, the use of seatbelts and opening or closing doors, emergency brace positions and so forth. She was told that though the interior was heavily soundproofed, she and John would probably want to use the noise-cancelling Bose headsets. In all, it was quite an education and Karen was quite happy when they finally lifted off.

"Sightseeing from the air is a little different," John commented as they left Henderson. "We're going to run the Red Rock Canyon, then head over to Hoover Dam. We can't loiter and we can't go near the power stations, but we can give you a very different view of the dam and Lake Mead. Then we're going to follow the Colorado River along the Grand Canyon for awhile. Then I have a surprise lunch for you."

"That sounds awesome, John," Karen answered, her eyes glued to the cabin window. She hadn't known this kind of scared and excited at the same time. She loved it. Below her, the rugged terrain west of Las Vegas stretched out and she could see in the distance what look like a slit carved in the earth.

And the earth was an odd color. Everyone thinks "big blue marble in space" but she was finding out it looked more rust-colored and grey, with lighter patches. And not like from 30,000 feet. This was definitely three-dimensional. She could make out buildings and streets and cars for awhile, and then the landscape got a lot more sparse and desert-looking. They basically followed a couple of highways going west and north, flying over a couple of green oases which John told her were Blue Diamond and Bonnie Springs, and a larger one he identified as Spring Mountain Ranch State Park.

Then, after pointing out that they called it Red Rock Canyon for a reason, he sat back and let her stare out at the amazing display of Nature passing by. She was rapt with awe at the colorful formations and was still engrossed with the scenes below when John suggested they head on over to Hoover Dam.

She simply turned to him with a smile and said, "as you wish...", which got a smile and shake of his head in return. They banked away to the east and overflew Las Vegas again on their way to the Nevada-Arizona border. As far as Karen was concerned, Carl did a magnificent job. They saw other tour helicopters in the area, but managed to avoid a collision.

They came up to the dam from the downstream side, the canyon walls towering on either side of the Colorado River, and just like in all the picture books and movies, the sight of the dam looming before them was incredible... except this was real, and it left her speechless. A monument to the aspirations and ingenuity of Man, it dominated the landscape, framed in blue waters, standing out like alabaster in the sun, crawling with people the size of ants compared to its stupendous magnitude.

As they passed over the top of the dam and Karen saw the white rings surrounding the huge reservoir which was Lake Mead, she became aware that she'd been holding her breath. She let it out and gasped as Carl climbed and banked, to give her a better view of the enormity of the lake.

"The extended drought is taking its toll," John interrupted her thoughts. "That white ring marks the difference between where the water level is and where it ought to be. It's down almost a hundred feet, which is approaching crisis level. Leaving out the conspiracy theorists, it's going to be a very real problem very soon, especially for California." He paused for a moment as she took in what he meant, then asked, "do you want to a fly-around, before we head on?"

"Yes, please," she answered, still mesmerized. So John told Carl to do a wide circle with Karen's side of the aircraft towards the dam. Karen was still staring intently when they completed their circle.

"I don't mean to be rude," John told her, "and someday we can take a much longer time to come out and explore, but right now, I think we need to move on. Lunch is a bit of a flight away."

Karen nodded her understanding as Carl straightened out the helicopter and began flying east, following first the lake and then the river, the canyon walls being an amazing sight on their own. The twisting and turning as they flew was mind-numbing and Karen was starting to feel disoriented, but she'd be damned if she would admit to being airsick to John. John, on the other hand, correctly interpreted her look of discomfort.

"Carl," John got on the intercom. "Let's take it up out of the canyon, okay? Let's skip the West Rim fly-by, and go straight to Peach Springs. Karen can Google the West Rim before her next trip out here. I presume the package will be ready."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Thompson," was his simple reply as he took the aircraft up to about a thousand feet above ground and leveled out on a specific heading.

"You can keep on looking, if you want," John told Karen, "but we've got a bit to go. We're going to bypass the touristy type stuff. I think you've got the general idea of the majesty of the Canyon. And if you want something to drink, open the console. There should be various cold drinks and probably some munchies in there."

"Thanks," she smiled and opened the console, finding exactly what he said she'd find. Some lemonade and pretzels, and her stomach was feeling quite a bit better. It wasn't long after that, John pointed out the window.

"That's West Rim airport," he explained. "Most of this area is owned by the Hualapai tribe. They operate some attractions, like the Skywalk and Hualapai Ranch."

"What's the Skywalk?" Karen asked as she watched the land below slip rapidly by.

"It's a 70-foot horseshoe bridge with a glass floor that looks 4,000 feet straight down to the canyon floor. Unfortunately, it isn't over the Colorado River, but one of the side canyons. Still... impressive. They've got a bunch of tourist-oriented stuff there."

Karen looked down and wondered what it would be like to be standing on glass over a four thousand foot drop. Tourist trap or not, it might be kind of cool to do, she thought as they flew by.

"I think if I were going to come back for a vacation," John commented as they flew on, "with some real time to spend, I'd probably rather spend it whitewater rafting and trail riding, which the Hualapai have. We're a bit short on time, so you're getting the condensed version, to sort of whet your appetite."

"Consider it whetted," Karen smiled. "Will we be setting down anywhere?"

"Two stops, actually," John told her. "The first will be in a few minutes at Peach Springs, pretty much the headquarters of the Hualapai tribe. It will be a brief stop, to onboard some stuff, and then we're on to what I hope will be a very pleasant surprise."

"One that involves some hiking?" she asked, pointing at her boots.

"One that involves some hiking," he confirmed with a grin.

Not long after, Carl set the helicopter down in the parking lot of a rather modern looking building surrounded by desert and a smattering of houses and businesses.

"John, are we supposed to be landing in a parking lot?" Karen asked, a bit concerned.

"In this case, yes," he told her. "Just sit tight while Carl gets the stuff loaded."

Karen sat and watched as Carl exited the aircraft and, leaving the rotors idling, went to meet two men carrying large white boxes that looked like Styrofoam coolers. She heard the clamshell doors behind her open and the boxes being loaded and secured. Then Carl locked everything back up and with a couple of handshakes with the men, got back in the pilot's seat.

"All set, Boss," he told John.

"Okay, then let's head for Supai," John answered and moments later they were airborne.

"Head for where?" Karen asked over the headset as they flew over alternating green and brown hills, this time in a straight line and not meandering.

"Surprise," John answered.

"That's not what you said," she pointed out.

"Karen, are you particularly religious?" he asked out of the blue. She had no clue why he would ask.

"In my own way," she answered, deciding to be truthful. "I don't belong to an organized church, if that's what you mean. But I do believe strongly in a Higher Power, and I do believe in the power of prayer, even if the answer is sometimes 'no'. I just don't see the infinite variety of this planet happening by accident. Is there some reason you're asking?"

"Yes, actually," he told her. "You and I have had one hell of a week making business happen. And I can't tell you how much I truly appreciate your efforts and your skills in helping it come out the way I wanted. But there's something else that's been going on, and I'm tending to put it in the category of 'spiritual', and I didn't want to stick my foot in it if, for some reason, you didn't believe in a human spirit that transcended the physical."

"Put your foot in it, in what way?" She was starting to get a tingling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had no reason to believe he was some kind of romantic, except for how he'd been treating her on this trip. And she had no reason to believe that beyond his declared interest in keeping up a relationship with her, that he had any feelings to match her own. But now the anxiety was setting in. Anxiety because he might be feeling like she was feeling. And it might be more than she could handle.

"Well, we've talked about continuing to date, and I'd like to," he explained. "You should know that my previous marriage, engagement and dating experiences all involved women who were looking to climb the social ladder and saw me as one or more convenient rungs to get where they wanted to go. Hence, my not dating for quite awhile. And now here you are, and you're different. You're sharp... clever... and that's good. But you're also kind, and unassuming, and compassionate. And you really do seem to care about me. Not because it's your job, or because I asked you to be my escort, or because there's some material advantage in it for you. You just seem to care because. Just because. And that, to me, is both very attractive and very dangerous."

"I have no intention of being dangerous to you," Karen hurried to reassure him. He smiled and gently shook his head.

"I know. You don't intend harm. It's part of what makes you so damned attractive," he told her. "The place I'm taking you has a certain spirituality to it that, if you truly believe in a Higher Power, may very well overwhelm you with its beauty and the very real metaphysical feeling of peace and tranquility. I don't like using the words Fate, or Destiny... but there is some reason we belong together, Karen. I just hope you're open to it."

"John, I..." she started, then shut her mouth. I hope to God you're feeling the same things I am, she thought as she took a breath and let it out as she sat back and looked out the window. I hope you, too, are a spiritual man as well as a damned good physical one.

"If it's okay with you, John, I'm going to close my eyes and medi... um, think for awhile," she decided to tell him. "Please let me know when we get there."

"Absolutely," he smiled. "You've got about twenty minutes. And the word you wanted was meditate. If you want to switch your headset to music or something, you can. Just let me know, so I don't interrupt you."

Karen thought about it for a moment, then turned in her seat, mumbling "Dammit!..." as she leaned forward across the console. "Come here!" she growled and he smiled and leaned into her, each easing into the kiss and relishing it. It was a strong and deep kiss that lasted quite awhile before they broke it.

"Thank you," she told him, then turned back in her seat, settled down and closed her eyes. Right around the twenty minutes later that he'd estimated, John brushed her arm. When she opened her eyes and looked at him, he indicated his headset. She touched a button on hers and asked, "yes?"

"We're coming up on it," he told her. She sat up and looked out her window, seeing nothing but red, jagged mountains with occasional ravines.

"Coming up on what?" she asked. "All I see is arid mountains."

"Eden," he answered and to her quizzical look, he held up a finger. "Wait for it..." She looked back out her window.

And gasped in surprise as the helicopter cleared a ridge and laid out below them was a verdant gorge surrounding a very blue stream. And houses, and farms or ranches, and people moving around who were decidedly not Native American, and a couple of large, flat concrete pads. Carl was heading for one of those.

"Where is this?" she asked, drinking it in.

"This is the village of Supai," John told her, "home of the Havasupai tribe. There are only three ways to get here. On foot, by pack animal, or by helicopter. The Havasu Creek runs to meet the Colorado, and provides enough water here for adequate farming. The brightly colored people you see are hikers and campers who love to come here to enjoy its pristine beauty and the waterfalls. There are several between here and the Colorado. There are a couple of hundred actual residents and they operate the facilities, including a campground farther downstream. They've got water and electricity, but almost everything else comes in by mule train or helicopter. Even the mail comes in by mule. The last place left in America that does."

Carl was settling down on one of the concrete pads as John continued. "Usually there's a huge wait for permits and reservations, but I made a deal with the tribe. That stuff we loaded up back in Peach Springs is refrigerated medications, like amoxicillin and insulin and others. I'm delivering them to their clinic for free. Well, not free, exactly... in exchange for waiving the permits and reservations. We're only going to be here a few hours, and I'll take out anything they want taken out when we leave."

They'd landed and the rotors were winding down when John took off his headset. "Let's go meet our hosts." Carl came around and helped open the door while a couple of tribesmen, from the look of them, approached the aircraft. John greeted them and confirmed he was the one bringing in the meds, while Carl opened the clamshell doors. The men went with John and picked up the Styrofoam boxes, thanked John and handed him some kind of packet, then left.

Karen overheard another tribesman explaining to a group of hikers nearby that this wasn't the Air West flight, but a private one, and the Air West flight would be in about 1pm, as scheduled.

"Okay!" John turned, smiling. "Carl... would you like to take a hike with us?"

"No, sir," he answered. "I think I'll stay here. You'll have plenty of company."

"Plenty of company?" Karen queried, but he seemed to ignore the question.

"Would you like a quick tour of the village and a light bite before we start our hike?" he asked.

"Sure..." she agreed. He seemed to have some kind of plan in mind and she wasn't going to mess it up.

"Then let's go to the Convenience Store at the south end of town and you can see the Mormon church and meeting house. Then we'll work our way back up past 'downtown' where the Tribal Café, the Market and the Elementary School are, past the Bible Church and on up to the Lodge. That will give you a pretty good idea what the village looks like. Then we can head on out to Havasu Falls, which is the one I want to show you, in particular."

"Sounds fine," Karen agreed. "How far are we talking?"

"Well, probably a mile to tour the village, then about two out to the falls and two back," he estimated. "Are you okay with that?"

"I'm fine with that," Karen smiled. "A five mile walk? No problem..."

"In that case," he smiled, fishing around in the packet and pulling out two wristbands, "put this on. It says we've got all the permits and stuff." They donned their wristbands and he guided her away from the helipad and onto a dirt trail which they followed to a sign pointing to Sinyella Store, which Karen found out was the convenience store John had mentioned. Along the way, they'd passed several wood frame houses with fencing around them, often keeping in horses or other livestock. They'd also passed a number of tourists coming and going from the store.

It surprised Karen that it looked like any other small town convenience store, with cold drinks and hot food, and picnic tables under shade for eating. She was also surprised at the number of visitors. They might even outnumber the residents, she thought as she and John downed a cheeseburger and fries, washed down with iced tea. And true to his word, John gave her the nickel tour of the village. Obviously, he'd been here before.

It was a dusty, dirt road Canyon village with some exceptionally beautiful scenery, including the façade of the Bible Church, made out of stones hewn from the surrounding red and grey canyon walls, and its tall bell tower, made the same. Many of the main buildings were modern in construction and had air conditioning, and the Lodge looked interesting... modern and rustic at the same time.

"If we visit here again," John told her as they turned back through town, to head for the Havasu Falls trail, "I'll probably get reservations at the Lodge. It's comfortable, and you can do day hikes to several truly beautiful spots."

"If we visit?" Karen prompted. His choice of words hadn't been lost on her.

"Well, I'm presuming that by the time I'm done showing you around, you'll want to come back," he smiled. "And I am the one with the helicopter..."

She just smiled a little and lightly punched his arm as they headed out to the Falls. It was a dusty trail that ran alongside the Havasu Creek and there were other hikers along the way, all quite friendly and excited. She was glad John had recommended the pack and that he'd also recommended bringing plenty of water. Even in the occasional shade, it was still hot out and dehydration was a serious risk.

She had estimated about an hour for the hike and it turned out she was right. The only clue she had that they were nearing it was the sound of the falling water. John cut left on the trail and followed it on a long sloping curve which revealed the falls in their majestic beauty as she descended to the basin. She had to remind herself to not stop and gawk. The crystal blue waters, contrasted with the red rocks and emerald trees, were stunning.

She kept on following John down and noticed a fair number of bathers in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall, and others at picnic benches on the far side of the pool. If she ignored them, or imagined them as water sprites or some such, she could see the place as if it were some Fairyland setting. She was feeling very overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of it.

This must be what John meant when he said if I was open to the spiritual side of it... she mused as she watched John pause to take off his boots and socks and put them in his backpack.

"Come on, take your boots off," he prompted her, breaking her reverie. "We can walk over to the other side where the picnic tables are."