After a beautiful week in Moab, we headed to Torrey, Utah, about 150 miles away. The drive was unreal. I didn't really want to take many pictures, but I just couldn't help myself at some points! Right when I thought it couldn't get any better, we entered Capitol Reef National Park, and had to drive through it to get to our next campground.
 |
| just look at those colors |
 |
| sharp rocks starting to break through |
 |
| a painting |
 |
| check the colors |
 |
| brush away the gray rock and look what's underneath |
 |
| swiss cheese |
 |
| driving through Capitol Reef |
 |
| the colors are fabulous as we drive through Capitol Reef...trying not to take pictures |
 |
| nature's art |
 |
| check that out |
Once through the park, I had to pick up my camera one more time for this breath-taking scene. The colors are so beautiful. Looks like a painting! Once we reached our campground, we were thrilled with those views as well. Our new backyard is pretty nice! Since we were feeling like slackers, we decided to go out for dinner....and where did we go? Why Slackers, of course! Burgers and fries were really tasty!
 |
| the colors are so soothing |
 |
| view out our front window-snow-capped mountains |
 |
| view out our side window |
 |
| Slackers-as we drove by in the morning |
In the morning, we headed out to Capitol Reef National Park. After a stop at the Visitor Center, we decided to hike to Hickman Bridge-which was listed as a moderate hike. The trailhead was right next to the Fremont River-very nice. An oasis in the desert!
 |
| warning abound |
 |
| here we go |
 |
| lots of stairs early on...before turning to a real trail |
 |
| beautifully "landscaped" |
 |
| Hey...I thought it was too cold yet for snakes!! Ugh! |
 |
| next set of steps....going up! |
 |
| BEAUTIFUL! |
 |
| is that lava rock? |
 |
| Yes....lava rocks |
 |
| the lizards are getting bigger here |
 |
| an easy part of the trail |
 |
| just wait..it'll start going up again soon |
 |
| ready? |
 |
| ready! |
 |
| sweet |
 |
| a little bridge right there...but that's not Hickman Bridge (I asked already) |
 |
| see the bridge from here? in the middle of the pic |
 |
| heading along the slickrock to the bridge |
 |
| this part is a little scary for me-there is a drop-off |
 |
| doesn't Tom look great? |
 |
| working our way to the bridge...wait for me! |
 |
| the end there was a little dicey and I'm still trying to get a grip (so embarrassing)! |
 |
| really great views |
 |
| looking up from under the bridge....the trail goes right under it |
 |
| okay....terra firma....doing better now |
 |
| very nice |
 |
| wow |
 |
| fun times.... |
 |
| the views are great all around |
 |
| much bigger lizards |
 |
| what? not another snake? |
 |
| noo..its pictographs.....ohhh....cool! |
 |
| inside too... |
 |
| how did lava rocks get here? |
 |
| do you see an angel in that desert varnish? Another hiker was photographing it and was really amazed by the extraordinary angel...but we just don't see it-oh wait....now I do! |
 |
| a spot of color |
 |
| even bigger lizard |
 |
we you made it down Susie! |
After that wonderful hike, we drove past the designated area for viewing the petroglyphs and decided to stop as we still had a bit of time. I had a haircut appointment (right at the campground!) at 1:00, and didn't want to be late. The petroglyphs here were easy to see. There was one chunk of rock that fell off and destroyed the 'glyphs that were on it. The park has built a boardwalk that walks past the rock walls, so you can take your time looking to see what you can find.
 |
| petroglyphs |
 |
| loving the green trees in this verdant oasis |
 |
| a little harder to see |
Another little pull-out on the drive through the park let's you get out and see the schoolhouse. It was locked up and visitors could not go in, but you could see in the windows. This little building was used for town meetings as well.
 |
| view through the window |
 |
| teacher's desk |
 |
| very little schoolhouse! Bet it got loud in there |
 |
| Gifford House-great little bakery too! |
 |
| part of the Gifford Museum |
 |
| the horses looked a little sleepy-must be there naptime |
 |
| again..the view driving back "home" |
Back at the campground for a quick haircut before heading back to the park! The weather forecast is dicey for this area for the next several days, so we are doing what we can when we can.
 |
| the red rock view from our campsite |
 |
| we are enjoying this site |
Once we went back to the park, we stopped at some scenic overlooks along the way that we by-passed in the morning in favor of hiking. This is a beautiful park! We wanted to get pictures while the sun was shining, since the black clouds were starting to move in. On our agenda for the afternoon: the scenic drive through the park and a hike in Capitol Gorge...a dirt road at the end of the scenic drive leads to the trailhead. That drive was amazing too!
 |
| Twin Rocks |
 |
| What does that little sign say? Twins rock?? (hahaha) |
 |
| one word....color |
 |
| in the distance |
 |
| taking pics while the sun is shining |
 |
| the colors are fantastic |
 |
| off in the distance...we are not even on the scenic road through the park yet! |
 |
| yep...looks like a castle! |
 |
| part of the scenic road |
The road leading to the trailhead was a dirt road suitable for 2WD passenger vehicles, but not suitable for anyone in the rain. There were many warnings not to enter if a storm was coming.
 |
| blue skies...so we headed in (though there were rain clouds heading in) |
 |
| the road did twist and turn through the rocks |
 |
| pretty |
 |
| at some points the road was pretty narrow |
 |
| but everyone drove slowly so it was ok |
 |
| driving through a canyon |
 |
| such coolness! |
 |
| pretty-along the road |
 |
| ok...the start of the trailhead |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| ready? |
 |
| ready! |
 |
| just a few petroglyphs here-that we saw anyway |
 |
| the trail continues through the gorge |
 |
| always something pretty around |
 |
| a little windy here....hope that's not a storm brewing |
 |
| no ledges!! |
 |
| very cool hike |
 |
| bizarre rock walls |
After a few minutes or so, saw what is designated as the Pioneer Wall. The pioneers that cut through this gorge signed their names, as it was quite a feat to make it here. Check out some of the dates. I am impressed by the neatness of the writing. Most of them are totally legible! After examining the wall for a few minutes, I noticed bullet holes in the rock! It was a different era.
 |
| Pioneer graffiti |
 |
| 1888? |
 |
| more |
 |
| lots of bullet holes! |
 |
| more bullet holes |
 |
| a look at the big "Pioneer" wall from a distance |
We continued walking down the gorge until we reached the trailhead for another hike, which we weren't going to do. The skies were looking a little threatening and we didn't want to push our luck. We didn't want to get stuck on that dirt road...impassable when wet.
 |
| end of the trail for us |
 |
| fun hike |
 |
| pretty |
 |
| I keep expecting to see a mountain lion or bobcat sleeping in one of these little caves |
 |
| fun hike, right Susie? |
 |
| Rain clouds moving in |
 |
| no worries...we're almost back now |
 |
| i like looking up at the rocks-better than looking down! |
 |
| so cool |
 |
| we were talking to another hiker when I looked behind his head and saw this high up on the rock wall! Check out how neat that writing is! |
 |
| driving back out of Capitol Gorge |
 |
| the rock walls were fantastic |
 |
| I can see why the pioneers considered this a feat |
 |
| amazing |
 |
| after that little adventurous ride, we headed back along the scenic drive in the park |
 |
| springtime is here! |
 |
| Perfect timing! |
No comments:
Post a Comment