Shaking her head, she walks off to the bathroom and closes the door. The lady at the welcome desk smiles as if she’s been expecting us. She doesn’t seem to be surprised to see the camera guys following me around.
“Good morning,” I say to her.
She nods once. “Morning. I have something for you.” She hands me a map of the park along with the pass to enter. There’s also a note attached to the map.
Allie & Hudson,
Enjoy the scenery as you cruise over the rocky path to the natural pool. There you can take a dip and indulge in lunch under the sun. It’s the only place you’re allowed to swim. Afterwards, take a drive down the coast to Boca Prins and around the southern loop back up to the park entrance. Use plenty of sunscreen and stay safe!
“What’s that?” Allie asks, focusing on the note.
I hand it to her along with the map. “More of our itinerary. You ready? I’m counting on you not to get us lost.”
She snorts. “Please. How hard can it be?”
We walk back out to the Jeep and all of us climb in. I try my best to ignore Jean and Stan, but I’m still not used to them following us around. In a way, I can’t wait to get back home so I don’t have to worry about someone being up my ass all the time, but yet, I also don’t want to leave.
Allie opens up the map and points toward the gate. “All right, we have to go through there and turn toward the right. That road will take us to the natural pool.”
Once we’re through the gate, the road is smooth and narrow. There are rocky hills to both sides with hundreds of cactuses everywhere. The road winds up to the top of the hill and when we get there, the smooth path disappears. It’s nothing but various sizes of rocks, and not the typical gravel you’d see in the states. Our trip through the desert is going to be a bumpy one. The view, however, is stunning. The ocean doesn’t look that far away, but with the rough terrain it’s going to take a while to get there.
I put the Jeep into four-wheel drive. “Here we go.” Allie holds onto the dash as we start on our way. We’re all bouncing around and I know it has to be hell for the guys in the back. “Bet we’re going to make some of the viewers sea sick trying to watch this video,” I laugh.
Stan chuckles. “No kidding. I didn’t realize it’d be this crazy.”
Allie bursts out laughing. “I’m glad I don’t get car sick.”
I wink over at her. “Me too. If you throw up on me, I can’t promise I won’t do it back to you.”
We both laugh and it makes me realize how much I love hearing hers. It’s the same laugh she had in high school. I really want us to continue our talk from dinner the night before, but I don’t want the world knowing our private conversations. That’s between me and her. She’s the only person I’ve ever confided in about the reason why I wanted to be a firefighter. I’m dying to know more about her.
“I bet you do adventurous things all the time, don’t you?” Allie asks.
It’s in my blood. “Sometimes,” I reply, glancing over at her. “When I’m not working, I like to ride dirt bikes with my buddies every now and again. Why do you ask? Think I’m wild or something?”
She smiles and gives me a little shrug. “Maybe. You seem like a take risks kind of guy.”
That can either be a good or bad thing. “Does that scare you?”
I can see the seriousness on her face as she averts her gaze to the ocean. “It doesn’t scare me. On the contrary, it makes me envious. There was a time when I used to be a risk taker, but I like to play things safe now.”
Reaching over, I place a hand over hers. “Coming on this show isn’t taking the safe route.”
Her eyes turn to mine and she smiles. “Exactly. I’m actually shocked at how much fun I’m having.” She nods toward the terrain. “But if we get stuck out here with a flat tire, I’ll have to retract that statement.”
I squeeze her hand. “I’ll get you back safely. I promise.”
Further down the hill and toward the coast, the natural pool comes into view. It’s right by the ocean and surrounded by huge volcanic rocks. Allie gasps and points at it. “We’re almost there. It’ll feel good to get in the water. It’s so damn hot out here. Looks like no one is there.”
Stan clears his throat. “That’s because the producers paid a hefty donation to the park to make sure of that. Usually, the natural pool is packed with tourists. We didn’t think it’d make for great TV if you were waiting for hours just to get a chance to take a dip.”