Blogs from Capitol Reef, Utah, United States, North America - page 3

Tuesday August 25, 2009 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. In Which the Author Heads to Capital Reef National Park After reorganizing the bins yet again, Sophie and I packed our tent; I was a little bittersweet about leaving Bryce, as I found the place very satisfying. It’s probably good that I wasn’t able to do many serious hikes/backcountry camping, as it left me wanting to return with Jennifer at some time in the future. I left a bin and some plastic containers at the cool “Leave Something, Take Something” spot on the campground host’s table. The New Yorkers gave a quick wave and were off in their Mustangs (we never did continue our conversation last night over their campfire—instead I worked on the massive amount of Bryce pictures). I headed over to the General Store at Sunrise ... read more

No photos yet because my camera isn't with me right now, but I will throw some up next week. I have been, since the middle of June, in Boulder. Utah that is. A place you've likely never heard of before, but certainly worth knowing about. Boulder has less than 200 year-round residents and it's a 45 minute drive to the nearest town (which has a population of 500). The closest grocery store, as you all know one, is a two hour drive. The town, from above, is nothing more than a small patch of serpentine green pastures nestled amongst white Navajo sandstone mesas all set at the base of Boulder Mountain. The mountain is the highest forested plateau in North America, soaring to over 11,000 feet and packed with meadows full of wildflowers interspersed with stands ... read more

The next stop on our trip was similar to Colorado National Monument, in that it was not a planned stop, but turned out to be a pleasant detour. Capitol Reef National Park is located on another Scenic Byway (SH24) between Arches and Bryce Canyon. (We opted out of visiting Canyonlands N.P, which is also in the vicinity.) Like the other National Parks in Utah, Capitol Reef has beautiful colored rocks, cliffs, and winding trails. However, the distinguishing geological feature of Capitol Reef is that it contains the Waterpocket Fold, which is a monocline. As I understand it, a monocline is a wrinkle in the earths crust that causes a ridge to form (a great definition, huh?, I don't really understand it, either). I was told that the cool thing about the one at Capitol Reef is ... read more

You may ask "Have we tired of Canyons yet?" In a nut shell, No! Everyone we have visited so far, has had something different going for it....... Now we are starting to hear about outlaws and how they had their hideouts in the canyons. Well, we can believe that. Who else in their right mind would want to be there, with temperatures reaching the 100s? Not us, that's for certain!!! Really enjoyed Capital Reef National Park. And we learned about The Fermont Petroglyphs. (We can even spell it now) Rock Art The Fremont people lived throughout Utah 700 to 1300 AD. The culture was named for the Fremont River and its valley in which many of the first Fremont sites were discovered. Pictographs (painted) and petroglyphs (carved or pecked) are depictions of people, animals and ... read more

After visiting Zion and Bryce we weren't sure what we were in for at Capital Reef National Park. Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised and very impressed. If you get a chance take the short hike above Chimney Rock-the views are amazing. Also, we did a day hike consisting of Cohab Canyon, Cassidy Arch Trail, along with the Narrows and found it to be quite rewarding. We were lucky enough to come across three mountain sheep including an impressive looking ram (see picture). The town of Torrey was really limited in terms of what was open in early March. Unfortunately, we ate at "The Patio" and found the food to be very poor and overpriced. We wished we had just gotten something from the fast-food Mexican place. After Capital Reef we headed for Arches and ... read more