Weekend Getaway to Capitol Reef

Spring weather (or so we thought), a new car to break in, and deciding not to go on a cruise this year can only lead to one thing... a road trip to Capitol Reef for a quick weekend.  Weather reports made me a little nervous because there was snow/rain predicted for both Friday and Sunday and a clear day on Saturday.  The trip down wasn't too bad.  We definitely hit just about every type of weather that there is (rain, snow, sun, wind..) but the roads were basically clear so no scary driving. 

We got to Torrey by about 8:00 at night and drove thru the town looking for the Howard Johnson's motel and it was nowhere to be found.  Luckily I remembered that the pictures of the hotel showed red rocks in the background so we kept on driving thru town and towards the park where  the rocks got much redder.  Kim noticed a tiny HoJo sign right next to a much larger Hidden Falls Motel sign.  They are right in the middle of changing the motel to a Howard Johnson's and new signs are coming in the mail.  Garrett, the desk clerk, was awesome--friendly and very outgoing.  Our phone was ringing when we opened the door to the room and it was him calling to make sure everything was ok.  We saw him at breakfast each day and he was enthusiastic and gave us some great hints for not to be missed sights and restaurants.

Capitol Reef is absolutely beautiful-- so majestic and at times the towering rock walls are so inspiring, but difficult to capture in a picture.  Different vantage point being at the bottom of the canyon looking up rather than being at the top looking down like you are at many of the national parks.  Great day for taking pictures with the blue skies that gradually turned to gray as the day went on.

We stopped at the Visitors Center and the ranger there suggested that we drive along Hwy 24 first and then on the scenic drive in the afternoon when the light was better.  We got a CD of a self-guided tour thru the park and listened to it as we drove around.  Good information on the CD but not something we would ever listen to again probably... so if you are going down there, let me know and I'll see about getting you the CD.  Recycling is good!

One of the first stops was to see petroglyphs.  Loved walking along the boardwalk to see them.  There were probably lots more to see, but we only saw the really obvious ones.

Both Garrett (from the hotel) and the Park Ranger said that we had to stop by the historic Gifford House in Fruita to try their pies and salsa.  Not together obviously, but both got rave reviews.  The Gifford house is a museum with several women demonstrating needle pointing, quilting, knitting, and braiding rugs.  Looking around, asking questions, and taking pictures was fun although the light from the windows made photography difficult.

So did we check out the pie?  and the salsa?  Of course we did!  That area must be famous for pie-- I haven't had so much pie in years!  We were thinking that anyplace that sold pie might also have some lunch items but there wasn't any so we had pie for lunch.  I got a peach one but the first few bites tasted distinctively like apple.  I think I got the lucky one because there were also peaches in it.  Two for the price of one!  Gifford House pie was far better than the pickle pie I had the night before.

On to the Grand Wash area... I'd been here before years ago and had some fond memories of walking along the trail and coming across a spot where the walls created an echo as clear as a tape recorder.  We didn't find that spot, but it was beautiful.

Kind of a scary picture of me (although I do look like that), but I sometimes feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulder and this picture kind of illustrates that. 

And the mysterious Kim actually showed up in a photograph.  Normally, I try to get a shot but she just becomes invisible.  This is a good picture too... and since we aren't going on a cruise this year, it probably counts as the one picture she allows me to take each year. 

One of my favorite shots... love the colors and the sky turning darker as storm clouds rolled in.

Great trip and a nice getaway.  We drove back on Sunday morning and I was a little nervous about the weather since rain/snow was predicted.  Most of the trip was fine, except for snow-y, white-out conditions going over a pass right outside of Loa.  Bit of white knuckle driving.  We didn't have any problems and the car handled great, but I was glad to get back to clear roads and smooth sailing...