I’m kind of tired tonight, so I’m going to try to limit the narrative a bit.
Morning at the Rim Rock Inn.
The hotel is in a great location right by Capitol Reef so we only have to drive a short distance before getting to our first stop: Panorama Point
Next up is nearby Gooseneck Point, a short leading to an overlook where you can watch sulphur creek wind through a set of sharp curves around the mountain.
Sandy’s got blisters on her feet so she stays in the car while I jog down another trail to Sunset Point. This is the first time I can tell the effects of the high elevation. It’s only 2/3 mile roundtrip, but I can’t make it all the way without having to walk. The view is nice, but nothing spectacular.
After watching the introductory movie at the visitors’ center we follow scenic drive all the way to the end. The views are quite nice, but not necessarily any more scenic than the rest of the park.
Trees blossoming at one of the Orchards in Fruita.
Sandy’s got blisters on both her feet so we change our plans a bit to decrease the amount of hiking we’re doing. Our first hike is part of Cohab Canyon. The first 1/4 mile switchbacks up the side of the mountain … it may be a short distance, but it’s quite the workout! This is the view from halfway up the mountain (Sandy is the little blue dot to the left of the barn).
Entering Cohab Canyon
The walls are like Swiss cheese.
Some of the holes are big enough for me to fit in.
There’s also a short slot canyon branching of to the side.
After getting back down we eat our apples and feed the cores to the horses.
Old cart in the field.
Rusty old-timer.
Sandy points out a bunch of wild turkeys in the field across from the horses.
There are mule deer everywhere in Fruita. I think they're in the process of switching to their summer coat; they look so scraggly!
Pretty pink flowers in front of the red cliffs
Old Fruita school house
The inside
There are also a bunch of petroglyphs.
The Fremont River
There are all kinds of beautiful purple flowers here.
I wanted to take a picture of Pectrol’s pyramid so we planned to hike a short distance on the Hickman Bridge trail. It starts out somewhat strenuous also and to make matters worse I have to get a lot higher up the mountain to take a nice picture than I imagined, but here it is:
We pass a sign that says Hickman Bridge is still 0.7 miles up ahead, but Sandy’s wearing her other shoes and decides we might as well keep going. Suddenly I spot something on the mountain. It’s too far for me to see if it is what I think it is, so I take this picture to make sure:
Did you find it?
A male bighorn sheep! How cool is that?! I've never seen a wild one before.
Hickman Bridge is nice too.
I found this great overlook branching off a short distance from the main trail. You can see the Fremont River winding through the valley below.
You really have to look where to put your feet on the way down. Sandy is threatening to buy me a stairmaster for my birthday ... she's hoping that I will get all my climbing in that way; I told her it'll just make me want to do even steeper mountains haha.
And we’re back at the beginning of the trail.
We leave Capitol Reef behind and drive past Old Town Giles.
Nice views of the mountains in the distance from a pull off along Route 24.
Our other stop today is quirky Goblin Valley State Park. One of the first formations you drive past on the way in is the Three Sisters.
Overview from the parking lot.
They are a lot of fun to climb under, over and through! Just think of the fun you could have playing hide and seek here.
We’re on our way back to Route 24 when I suddenly spot this beautiful creature: a male pronghorn antelope.
Until today I had no idea they existed, let alone in the United States … doesn’t it look like something you’d see on an African safari?
Why did the pronghorn antelope cross the road?
To play with her friends! We saw more than 25 of them in that one spot!
We’re in our cabin in Moab now for the next three nights and so far I’m really liked it. It reminds me a lot of camping when I was little!
Vibrant sunset over the park.
No word yet on the government shutdown, but apparently it's not looking good :-(
Total miles for today: ?have to check tomorrow?
Hotel: cabin at Moab Valley RV Resort
Restaurant: Moab Diner
Restaurant: Moab Diner
Till now, an incredible journey.
The holes in Cohab Canyon look like birdnests of the kingfisher.
The path between the rocks is quite claustrofobic, you could be crushed like an insect if the earth moved.
I like the picture of the brave pink flowering tree with the red background at Fruita. How can anything grow there? It looks so barren.
A school house?????????? Could anyone live there?
The Bighorn sheep is funny. Haha, as if he is wearing a fake hat that is slipping over his eyes and is way to big!
If I look at the vieuw at the parking lot I could easily believe you took a trip to Mars. Like I said an incredible journey.
xxxxx Joeve