Tour of Utah: Capitol Reef National Park

Chel Owens

Utah has a LOT of national and state land. It’s a recreational paradise if you like hiking, biking, camping, skiing, fishing, feeling dry almost all the time, walking, and a bit of boating or canoeing.

I haven’t been to all of the government parks, but I have visited Capitol Reef. When I was a child, my mother used her local library and a telephone device to book us a week’s stay at a vacation home nearby. The owners had a farm and built the guesthouse as an extra way to make money. Their kids played with us and even let my brother come along on their ATV to move sprinklers.

As to the park itself: I don’t remember much. I take Utah’s scenic destinations for granted and did so to a greater degree as a child. I remember thinking, “Oh, great. More red rock. Oh, great. More big, open spaces where deer and antelope roam.”

Okay -I didn’t think those phrases exactly. I did mentally yawn over yet another hike through sagebrush and sand.

I mean, what’s so fabulous about this?

CR1

Navajo Dome, from Capitol Reef’s website.

Or this?

CR2

Looks like the Fruita Schoolhouse, also from their site.

Or this?

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Okay, I stole this from Wikipedia.

…Maybe we ought to go back with our own family.

Wanderu outlines the attractions and explains the meaning of its name, below:

“Located in Utah’s south-central desert, Capitol Reef National Park is defined by the Waterpocket Fold – a unique geologic landform extending from southern Wayne all the way to northern Kane counties. Some of the park’s highlights include the Chimney Rock pillar, the Hickman Bridge arch, the towering monoliths of Cathedral Valley, and, of course, the Capitol Reef. The latter is an extremely rugged segment of the Waterpocket Fold famous for its whitish Navajo Sandstone cliffs with dome formations.”

They also provide a live webcam and a few YouTube tours. If you go in person (by car), it’s 3 hours 39 minutes from ye olde airport to a pricey lodge near the park entrance.

 

And, here’s the writings of the Chelsea before this point:
Wednesday, May 6: An update on home life during Coronavirus.

Thursday, May 7: “Going Postal, VIII.” The plot thickens…

Friday, May 8: We toured Beehive House. You know, virtually.

And, announced that Ellen and her cheeky tits won the first Weekly Hilarity Contest.

Saturday, May 9: Announced this week’s Hilarity Contest. Think of a not-too-shocking caption.

Sunday, May 10: “Love the World” for Carrot Ranch’s prompt.

Monday, May 11: Shared a quote by Charli Mills.

Tuesday, May 12: “Going Postal, IX.”

Wednesday, May 13: Today

I also posted on my motherhood site. I wrote “What the Frick?” and a haiku.

 

©2020 Chelsea Owens

Pictures ©2020 Capitol Reef National Park, and By Axcordion at English Q52 – Own work, Public Domain

53 thoughts on “Tour of Utah: Capitol Reef National Park”

  7. Alright, now your just making me mad. Rubbing my flatland nose in your red rocks. During my last trip to Las Vegas, my biggest thrill was when the plane banked over the southern part of Utah. Seeing Bryce and Zion were worth the trip to me. Growing up where the tallest thing in sight was corn, I am still awed by the beauty of the western states. I thin you’re just downplaying the sights of your state to keep the riff-raff out.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m not really mad. I do enjoy seeing the mountains and different rock formations. Utah is a beautiful state. My August trip to Nevada was just canceled due to the pandemic. Some day I hope to spend some time taking in the sights.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Looks pretty spectacular to me! My wife likes to tell the story about when she was a kid and her mom drove twelve hours to take the kids to the Grand Canyon. When they got there, my wife (maybe 11 or 12 at the time) said, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a hole in the ground.” Needless to say, that comment did not go over well.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Thanks for the travelogues to get us armchair traveling from confinement! While I’ve been to Utah numerous times, I didn’t do much sightseeing. The one unexpected stop my roommate and I made was to Zion. Yeah, lots of red rocks, but we also got to see some wildlife up close – something we rarely encounter in LA.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. At the time, my roommate was still living and she had family there, so the trips were mainly for visits to them, often just a quick weekend visit. And sometimes it was driving through on my way to/from somewhere else. I would do road trip vacations that covered a lot of miles and several states, usually making a big loop.

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          1. We used to work with a man (my roommate and I) who thought we did the most interesting things on weekends. So, when we would make a fast trip to Utah, we’d find something to tell him as our reason for going (rather than the boring “visiting family”). So when he’d come in and ask “What did you do this weekend?” we’d say something like, “Oh, we heard about this great Chinese restaurant so we just had to drive up to Utah and try it out.” He loved those responses (true or not).

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