Wednesday May 24, 2023
After a relaxing morning, in our dome it was time for our next National Park, Capitol Reef.
The landscape and layout of Capitol Reef is by far the most interesting I have seen. It is a combination of Luscious orchards and green pastures mixed with dry, rocky and sandy terrain. The grassy and shaded areas make it feel like a forrest in the middle of the desert. What makes it even more fascinating is that these different landscapes are situated just a short distance away from each other.
Our first stop, maybe my favorite was the fruita district to get some fresh made pies from the Glifford House. These mini pies are made fresh daily with fruit from the Capitol Reef Orchards! The store sells other handmade good such as jams, honey, salsas and freeze dried goods. After ordering personal sized peach, apple and mixed berry pies we decided to have a picnic in a small shaded park like area. The pies were outstanding and one of a kind, not too sweet but just sweet enough, a perfectly golden and flakey crust, and the fruit had a light and fresh flavor. There was not much pie left over to enjoy later, they were so good!
Once we had finished our pies, it was time for our hike to Hickman Bridge. The trial was moderately strenuous but not terribly. The majority of the hike to the endpoint was uphill but some parts were more flat, which was a nice break. Anna and I hiked ahead of Mom and Dad stopping for pictures of the interesting and changing scenery. The trial weaved through the rocks and desert like landscape providing some panoramic views of Capitol Reef. After about 1.1 miles we reached Hickman Bridge. A tall rock structure stretched between two cliff sides forming a bridge. Then, it was time to hike back to the bottom.
We stopped at an old school house used by the settlers that once lived there along with an area to view petroglyphs. It was interesting to see a school so small and think that students our age had once attended classes in that same building. The petroglyphs were few but it was neat to see how the various shapes and letters that were etched into the rocks years ago were still visible.
Our next activity was a scenic drive through the most rocky and desert-like terrain of the park. There were several different short dirt access we drove to get a closer look at various areas. A relaxing way to spend the afternoon and enjoy the nice weather.
After driving around the park for a while the four of us headed back towards our home away from home and had some down time. While my Mom and I showered, Anna and my Dad rode the pedal boat and caught tadpoles
Capitol Reef is one of the World’s darkest national parks which makes it great for star gazing at night. Following watching a beautiful sunset, we drove to a secluded and quiet pull off and watched as the stars doubled in number every five minutes. A signal of God’s grace displayed elegantly throughout His sky.
With a perfect ending to a perfect day, we drove back to our dome and got ready to explore Bryce Canyon National Park!
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