CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

July 6th, Friday

We left Arches behind and traveled through Captiol Reef National Park down into Zion National Park. We hadn't intended to take this route, but were encouraged to do so by the locals and other folks who had been through Capital Reef National Park previously. What a delightful ride it was. Capitol Reef, Zion, Bryce and the Canyonlands are all National Parks on the Colorado Plateau which is bordered in the south by the Painted Desert and the Sonoran Desert, on the north by the Uinta Mountains of Utah, on the east by the Rocky Mountains and on the west by the Great Basin of Nevada.  While these are all formed basically by the same geologic and erosion processes, they are all uniquely different.  We saw part of the Canyonlands when we were staying at Arches. We traveled through Capitol Reef on Scenic Byway 12 on our way to Zion and we will see Zion and Bryce in these next few days.

Had we realized how much there was to see in Capitol Reef, we probably would have scheduled a few days here. Failing that, we saw as much as we could on the route including stopping at several overlooks. The Capitol Dome, Navajo Dome and the prehistoric petroglyphs were among our favorite sights.

Capitol Dome

Prehistoric Petroglyphs



Navajo Dome

It is said that the Fremont people inhabited the Captiol Reef Park area around 700 AD and stayed there for about 600 years. The petroglyphs are believed to have been left by them. Around 1880, the Mormons inhabited the valleys and used the water from the nearby Fremont River to irrigate their crops. These pioneers lived there for about 100 years. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the area a National Park Service monument and Congress designated it a National Park in 1971. The residents left the area in 1969 and left behind a few small fruit orchards that are still farmed today in a little place called Fruita. If you plan a trip to the West, be sure to include this lovely park.

ARCHES PART II

July 5th, Thursday

Tower Formations


Around every turn you will see all different types of Navaho Sandstone rock formations. Beyond that, each time the light changes or you change your position, you get a different feel for the structures. Once you will look at them and see greyish, brownish hues and when the sun hits them just right, they are ablaze  in red. Some of the more interesting sights we have seen are the arches already spoken about in the previous blog as well as the fin, dune and tower formations.

Fins

Dome Shapes

The Balanced Rock looms over head and you can almost feel it tipping towards you as you look up. We know that is an illusion, but that is the sensation you get. The last major occurence of anything falling off an arch, etc. was in 1991 at the Landscape Arch. Fortunately, the people sitting under it were able to move to safety in time.

Balanced Rock

The Gossips are an interesting grouping of towers that actually look like a group of women (or maybe men) standing around exchanging stories.

The Gossips

The Courthouse Towers actually looks like a New England county courthouse with columns across the front and looks very stately.

The Courthouse

All three of these are very easily viewed as you drive on the main road through the Park. There are also overlook stops so you can get a better view.



In addition to the ones we spoke about in the previous blog, we had to hike to Broken Arch, the Sand Dune Arch and the Tapestry Arch. We also did a short hike to the Delicate Arch Overlook but didn't do the climb to the top. We found the heat to be oppressive and only hiked in the early morning, late evening, or on overcast  days.

Delicate Arch

Tapestry Arch

Broken Arch (Crack in the Center of Arch)

Our hike to the Tapestry and Broken Arch. was on an overcast day and we started it from our Devil's Garden Campground. Again, it was touted as an easy trail and it was for the most part but they seem to forget the harder areas and don't bother to mention them.  The trails were also difficult to follow as the only signage out there were cairns (piles of rocks) to mark the trails and those were few and far between. If it hadn't been for other hiker's footprints, we would have gotten really lost. As it was after we viewed Tapestry and Broken Arch, we missed the Sand Dune Arch as it was not clear as to which way to go on the trail.

Trail Through Broken Arch

We did find the sign to hike back to the campground, but once we were inside the fins, we only saw one set of cairns.

Trail Inside the Fins

Note the two small piles of stones on each side of the slippery rock (called cairns) that mark the trail

 We followed that and looked for others, but evidently missed them as we hiked about fifteen minutes the wrong way. Realizing we were not going in the right direction because the trail simply was not evident at all, we turned around and made our way back to the trailhead. This time, we scrutinized the area more closely for cairns, found them, climbed the rocks and spied our campground below. It was a welcome sight as the rain was coming down and we were pretty wet and our hiking boots were laden with red clay. All of this before 11am!

Campground Below

In the afternoon, Tim set off for an adventure with a Ranger led hike through the Fiery Furnace. You can hike it without a Ranger, but you would need a permit and it is not recommended. A telling fact..so much so that I opted not to go.

Fiery Furnace is so named because of its appearance at sunset. It is a "mazelike labyrinth of narrow standstone canyons."  Tim describes the entrance as a steep decline through the fins and then a walk through arroyos along the base of the fins. He said he had to "skittle" or crabwalk the crevices as he continued through.

Climbing Through a Crevice

The Ranger demonstrated how to proceed through each obstacle and the group would follow suit. Some of the highlights of the trek were that they went through a walkthrough arch

Walk through Arch

a crawl through arch

Crawl Through Arch

 slid down a rock to a crevice

 and  did a two foot leap over a five foot deep drop to another rock.

They saw a Skull Arch and the Kissing Turtle Arch which were very unusual formations.


Skull Arch

Kissing Turtles

 The Ranger stopped about every twenty minutes to explain the various plant and animal habitats and did a great job. It was a challenging hike and those more able, such as Tim, had to help others through the course. It was a three quarter mile loop which took three hours and was well worth the journey. 

ARCHES AND CANYONLAND NATIONAL PARKS

July  2nd, Monday

The road from the Visitor Center to our campsite was eighteen miles of switchbacks and curvey roads and it took 45 minutes! We have a great site, however, and are looking forward to our stay here.

Campsite at Arches National Park

The Arches was dedicated as a National Park in 1929 by Herbert Hoover. It has over 2000 documented arches. Some of them you can see from the scenic road, while most you have to hike in to see. We will see as many as we can, but I know that number will pale in comparison to the ones that are here. The arches starting forming over 300 million years ago. With flooding, then evaporation leaving salt deposits behind that over those millions of years became thousands of feet thick.  The sediments became rock and the weight of the rock caused the salt to be pushed away. Thus, the domes, faults and the anticlines (upfolds of earth) were formed.  Entrada sandstone is the basic element of the arches. The rocks weather differently and form the fins, arches and sculpted rocks.  When you look at all of the different formations, you would think you were in a prehistoric era with dinosaurs ready to come out from behind a rock at any time. They are truly an other worldly experience. In fact, there is a space film that is going to be filmed here soon!

July 3rd,  Tuesday

Just as we thought it would be, the temperatures today rose from 84 at the start of the day to 109 by midafternoon! Yikes!

We left the RV by 6am to catch the rising sun on Landscape Arch. It was only about five minutes from the campsite and there were only a few people on the trail this early. It was well worth rising early. The light on the arch early morning was incredible just as the literature stated it would be.

Trailhead to Landscape Arch

Landscape Arch

The hike was  1.6 miles round trip. However, there were a few side trails that we also explored, Tim more than me. So I probably hiked over two miles and Tim did almost four. We were glad it wasn't too hot yet. The trail was rated as "moderately easy" but one of the side trails was called "primitive" and believe me it was. I went part of the way and then sat and waited for Tim to return. It was more like rock climbing than a trail.  Tim followed the trail for another mile to see Partition Arch. He said this rock climb was the hardest part, but no matter. Enough was enough for me.

Tim is at the top of the rock!

I stopped here!!

Partition Arch

It seems to me that all of the trails that we have encountered to date are a little more than we had expected. Easy doesn't always mean "easy"and moderate doesn't always mean "moderate" ..unless of course you have been hiking every day for your entire life!! Then again, if we would stick to the trail we started with, it might help! But I digress..

From Landscape Arch, we drove to Turret Arch which is also supposed to be good for morning light.

Turret Arch

 We climbed up the "easy" trail to the arch and plotted our return for the evening so that we can could catch the light on the North and SouthWindow Arches at that time.  The day was getting hotter and it was only 10:30am. We returned to the RV and decided to go to Moab and explore the town and the surrounding area in a nice air conditioned car.

At the local visitor center we were told of the lake that the locals use, Ken's Lake. With map in hand, we found it. Fortunately, we had our bathing suits in the car so we changed and jumped right in. Tim fished while I lounged in the water. Believe it or not, he caught his limit of six fish!!! He has fished everywhere we have been in all the lakes and streams. It seems strange that we had to come  to the high desert for him to catch any.

Ken's Lake in Moab

We drove the scenic highway along the Colorado River on the way back to Arches and just enjoyed the cool air conditioning and the sights along the way.

Colorado River

After dinner,  about 8pm, we returned to the Window Arches hoping that we weren't too late to catch the evening sunlight. By the time we got there, it was crowded with folks doing the same thing we were. We climbed through the Turret Arch hoping to get a great shot through it to the North Window. The light didn't disappoint. We got some great shots!

North and South Window Arches

North Window Through Turret Arch

 The air was still hot but with the sun going down, it was a lot more bearable. We waited with a group of other folks to see the moonrise over the rock formations. It was truly a beautiful sight to see the sunset through the North Window and the full moon rise above one of the rock outrcroppings.

Sunset Through North Window

Moonrise Over Rock Formation

 

This was one full day and we were exhausted by 10pm when we hit the hot RV. No electricity and no air conditioning in this desert climate. Tim slept outside in a chair under the stars.

July 4th, Wednesday

Happy fourth of July!

The road to Canyonland National Park'a Island in the Sky area is only twelve miles from the Arches Visitor Center (which is eighteen miles from us) so we decided that we would tour by car and stop along the way at various overlooks.  The Park, dedicated in 1968, is 527 acres with only a few paved roads along the top rims. We thought it might be too hot to do much walking, but we packed a lunch and went out for the day. Fortunately, it was overcast with a little breeze and the temperatures were hovering in the mid 80s. That being so, we drove directly to the farthest point in this section of the Park, Grand View Point Overlook. Once there, we opted to hike the rim trail for panoramic views of the canyons. This two mile round trip hike across the top of the canyon and at times very near to the rim, gave us breathtaking views.  The top of the canyons below were 1000 feet below us. The bottom of those canyons were 1000 feet below that. The sights were awesome. Being a hazy day, however, I'm afraid the images we took cannot compare with what we actually saw.

Tim Hiking on the Rim Trail

Canyon Views

Canyon Views from Rim

The Monitor and the Merrimac Rock Formations

Yes, He is Still on the Trail!

 We only ventured out on one more walk this day to Mesa Arch. We're told that the best time to come here is at sunrise, but that is not in our timeframe. I think we enjoyed it just as much this afternoon without having to rise at 4 am to be here in time for that.

Mesa Arch

Tim Atop Mesa Arch..This is definitely not the trail!

We stopped several places along the way with quick hops out of the car as the day was clearing up and heating up, but we really enjoyed this fairly new National Park. Pictures just don't do any of this vast expanse justice.

FROM THE TETONS TO THE ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

June 27th and June 28th

On Wednesday the 27th, we began our journey to the next National Park on our list, the Arches in Utah. Our first stop on the way was in Idaho at a State Park called Bear Lake. We really didn't know a lot about the lake but it was a respite along the way. What a nice find! The lake was huge. Half of it was actually in Idaho and the other half in Utah. It is 22 miles long and 8 miles wide with lots of beaches and marinas on both sides of the lake. The color of the water with the mountains behind made us think of being on a tropical island. Tourquoise..beautiful.

Bear Lake View from Campsite

 We arrived here after a long drive from the Tetons and stayed two nights to refresh and relax. Absolutely no driving for one whole day! The afternoon breezes would kick in and just cool everything off which was nice because the temperatures were in the mid 90s. You could actually sleep with the windows open and enjoy the cool night air.

June 29th-July 1st

Friday came and it was time to hit the road again. This time we headed around the lake into Utah. As we left Bear Lake, there was a herd of about 80 cattle coming right up the road. We stopped to see where they would go and watched as they moseyed on past us with two cowboys riding right behind them. We're not sure where they ended up, but none of them were in any hurry and neither were we.

Moseying Along

We needed to stop in Salt Lake City to have our converter for the batteries replaced, so we left the RV with the shop, unhitched the car and toured Salt Lake City. We went to Temple Square where we sat in on the Organ Recital at the Temple.The acoustics in the Temple were phenomenal. The Organ itself has 206 ranks totaling 11,623 pipes organized into 8 divisions and played from a 5 manual console.  I remember being there in the Temple with my children in 1978 when we heard a rehearsal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. 

Organ in the Mormon Temple

We  had lunch at a cafe in the old Utah Hotel which has been refurbished by the Mormon Church and is spectacular with its stain glassed roof, crystal chandeliers, antique furniture and its old world charm. It's now called the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The people were very friendly and probably looking to recruit us.

With time on our hands, we drove out to Antelope Island to see the Great Salt Lake and couldn't  believe how many thousands of birds are all over the shore on the causeway and on the island itself. Actual seagulls from California. The draw for them is the brine, shrimp and brine flies. One naturalist estimated on one of the islands in the Great Salt Lake there were 160,000 birds. They also have a herd of 1800 bison. Amazing numbers.

Great Salt Lake

Overall, we enjoyed our brief visit to Salt Lake City. When the RV was finished being serviced, we left and headed up through the mountains to Jordanelle State Park in Heber Valley just outside of Park City where the winter olympics were once held. Again, it was a very pleasant experience. The park was on a reservoir. What a playground of activity.. from fishing and swimming to power boating, sailing, paddle boarding, canoes, and kayaks.

Jordanelle Resevoir

The temperatures were still in the high 90s to  102 but with the afternoon breezes it cooled off every day to the high 60s by nightfall. Perfect for sleeping! We originally had planned to stay here three nights to go into Salt Lake City and see the surrounding areas. Since we had already seen Salt Lake, we didn't travel back over the hills again.  Instead, on Saturday, we explored Heber City, grocery shopped and just tried to stay cool. But, on Sunday we were up and out early to hike the Heber Valley Outlook Trail in the Wasatch Mountain Range before the temperature started to rise. It was an easy 1.8 miles round trip up a trail used by a lot of the locals for mountain biking and horse back riding as well.

Smoky View of Heber Valley From Overlook

 I say an easy trail, I mean for walking. For mountain biking they were rocky, narrow, and steep none of which seemed to bother the bikers that we saw. The views were a little hazy due to the smoke coming up the valleys from the many fires in the region. Fortunately, we are no where near the fires and we are keeping alert as to any dangers in that area.

After that, Tim fished in a little stream for a while (don't ask) and we went in to Park City. Lucky for us as it was their Sunday street fair with at least a hundred vendors. From one of whom I bought a cowboy (girl)  hat! Very cool now that we're in the west. We had a late lunch and decided to ride the Town Chair Lift up the slopes. Nervous as I am about heights, it was a little intimidating. At first, we thought we didn't have a bar across the front, but we found it alright. I couldn't even watch the folks riding up and down the lift with the bar up while I had a white knuckle ride! There are many lifts that go up the mountains right from the town area itself. One actually crossed right underneath us. In the summertime, the mountain bikers bring their bikes up on the lifts and ride their bikes down the mountain on very steep and narrow paths.

A Steep Look Down on Park City

Chair Crossing Under Us with Bike Path Below

July 2nd

Utah has been amazing for traveling through thus far. The mountains and the canyons with their sheer cliff walls are beautiful. The highways are built right through them all and we chug up one side and down the other.  On the way to Arches, we stopped in Provo for another RV check. Tim thought we were having transmission problems with the way we would lose power on these hills, but after a quick diagnostics, it was determined that we need to use a higher octane gas for the altitude that we are driving in.  Wyoming and Utah have regular gas at 85 octane rather than 87 which is typical of most regular gasolines. So we will start using 89 which is the next available grade. We have been over 5000 feet for over a month and a lot of the hills (more than hills I guess) take us up 2000 to 3000 feet in  under 10 miles or so.

That resolved, we moved on and reached the Arches National Park around 5:30pm. It is amazing. Tomorrow early morning the temperatures should be in the 70s, so we will begin exploring before the temperatures rise up to the typical 102.