*Birds we’ve seen on our 2011 trip so far: mountain bluebird, golden eagle, Indigo bunting, Lazuli bunting, Say’s Phoebe, yellow-rumped warbler, Western Tanager
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Fruit was finally ripe for picking! The last of the tart cherry trees were open to the public, and we stopped by to pick a lb. as a gift for Dotty to thank her for all the meals and yummy baked goods she’d been sharing with us.
The apricot trees were also ready for picking b
efore we left Capitol Reef, and we made sure to get some. We had picked some off the ground for free as they fell earlier in the week but then grabbed some more before we left since you can’t beat the price…$1/lb.! I planned to cut many in half to freeze and make puree with others for future use in baking…or maybe even apricot daiquiris! Of course, we needed some to just eat fresh!
Before leaving we attended a few ranger programs, stopped to check out the blacksmith shop (basically a shed with period farm equipment and an audio message), and visited the Ripple Rock Nature Center, a little two-room building that houses interactive displays and activities aimed primarily at kids teaching them about the history
and geology of the area. Open afternoons, five days a week, kids can grind corn like the Fremont Indians, dress up in clothing as worn by the settlers, pretend to milk a cow, play some of the games kids back then would have played, and so much more. Russ tried his hand at flipping the ball into the little cup, which takes more coordination than you might think but he did it!
Directly across the street from the campground is the Cohab Canyon Trailhead, and early one morning I decided to hike part of it. The first 1/4 mile of switchbacks has an elevation change of 320 feet and is considered somewhat strenuous but then it pretty much levels out after that. The entire trail is 1-3/4 miles one way and can se
rve as a connector trail to two others, but I only walked a portion of it. Looking back down into the valley, the view is spectacular with the campground below and its many trees contrasted against the colorful surrounding hills. (That’s our little silver car in the center of the ph
oto above left.) Now you know why it’s often referred to as an “oasis in the desert”. The views were magnificent, and I felt as if I was seeing an overview of the center of Capitol Reef. I was tempted to go further but thought better of it…perhaps next year. As I made my way back down, I spied Russ and Abby waiting for me, and I zoomed in for a photo as Russ waved. This had been a lovely, peaceful way to start the day. 
Fruit was finally ripe for picking! The last of the tart cherry trees were open to the public, and we stopped by to pick a lb. as a gift for Dotty to thank her for all the meals and yummy baked goods she’d been sharing with us.The apricot trees were also ready for picking b
efore we left Capitol Reef, and we made sure to get some. We had picked some off the ground for free as they fell earlier in the week but then grabbed some more before we left since you can’t beat the price…$1/lb.! I planned to cut many in half to freeze and make puree with others for future use in baking…or maybe even apricot daiquiris! Of course, we needed some to just eat fresh!
Before leaving we attended a few ranger programs, stopped to check out the blacksmith shop (basically a shed with period farm equipment and an audio message), and visited the Ripple Rock Nature Center, a little two-room building that houses interactive displays and activities aimed primarily at kids teaching them about the history
and geology of the area. Open afternoons, five days a week, kids can grind corn like the Fremont Indians, dress up in clothing as worn by the settlers, pretend to milk a cow, play some of the games kids back then would have played, and so much more. Russ tried his hand at flipping the ball into the little cup, which takes more coordination than you might think but he did it!
Directly across the street from the campground is the Cohab Canyon Trailhead, and early one morning I decided to hike part of it. The first 1/4 mile of switchbacks has an elevation change of 320 feet and is considered somewhat strenuous but then it pretty much levels out after that. The entire trail is 1-3/4 miles one way and can se
rve as a connector trail to two others, but I only walked a portion of it. Looking back down into the valley, the view is spectacular with the campground below and its many trees contrasted against the colorful surrounding hills. (That’s our little silver car in the center of the ph
oto above left.) Now you know why it’s often referred to as an “oasis in the desert”. The views were magnificent, and I felt as if I was seeing an overview of the center of Capitol Reef. I was tempted to go further but thought better of it…perhaps next year. As I made my way back down, I spied Russ and Abby waiting for me, and I zoomed in for a photo as Russ waved. This had been a lovely, peaceful way to start the day. 
Not far from the campground are the Fremont River Falls that are only about 15 ft. tall. It’s a big attraction for campers and locals who like to jump into them despite the huge sign in the parking lot prohibiting such activity. The water isn’t very deep and a majority of injury reports filed in the park are from the falls with many being for broken ankles, and it’s become a law enforcement nightmare for the rangers. We drove over one day and hiked down to the riverbank for a better look, and as you can see in the photo, the falls don’t stand much taller than Russ. We are still amazed that people would be so stupid as to actually jump into it!
Speaking of waterfalls, the monsoon season started a little early so we got to experience what happens when even a brief shower hits the canyon cliffs. What an amazing sight! From our RV we could see the beginning of a nice, clear waterfall and then suddenly the amount of water flow increased, and as the water hit
the ledge below, it gushed forth into a spectacular vision of reddish color. We could even see large rocks being thrown down the canyon wall in the cascade of water. A couple of these pictures might seem a little hazy since they were taken during the rain, but none of them can do justice to the beauty of the moment. Once the rain cleared, the water continued to flow, and on one day we took a quick drive down the road to get a closer loo
k…absolutely beautiful! In the photo below left you can even see two waterfalls coming down the canyon walls. The road in the campground became flooded in some areas as you can see in the photo but quickly receded. 
Speaking of waterfalls, the monsoon season started a little early so we got to experience what happens when even a brief shower hits the canyon cliffs. What an amazing sight! From our RV we could see the beginning of a nice, clear waterfall and then suddenly the amount of water flow increased, and as the water hit
the ledge below, it gushed forth into a spectacular vision of reddish color. We could even see large rocks being thrown down the canyon wall in the cascade of water. A couple of these pictures might seem a little hazy since they were taken during the rain, but none of them can do justice to the beauty of the moment. Once the rain cleared, the water continued to flow, and on one day we took a quick drive down the road to get a closer loo
k…absolutely beautiful! In the photo below left you can even see two waterfalls coming down the canyon walls. The road in the campground became flooded in some areas as you can see in the photo but quickly receded. 
Our time at Capitol Reef was winding down and Abby took one last “walk” during one of our rounds. She loved occasionally running alongside the golf cart, something Mikey isn’t able to enjoy any longer with his severe arthritis.
On our day of departure several employees and rangers made a special effort to stop by to bid us a fond farewell. We thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone at Capitol Reef and for making our last day special. Doug (pictured at right) is an assistant professor in upstate New
York and had saved up his vacation so he could spend 3 weeks at Capitol Reef providing night sky and solar viewing programs for the visitors. It was great getting to know him and being able to share in these experiences. We didn’t get photos with everyone who stopped by but here are a few. Chad came by not only to say farewell but to pick up our uniforms, rad
ios, etc., and Holly caught me with my wet hair. Dotty and Gary, the other hosts, were sad to see us leave as we had become good friends in the short time we had worked together. Steven and Tiffany made their way through the road construction jam just to say goodbye, and little did any of us know that we’d be seeing each other and several of the other rangers again in just a few minutes. 
We were ready to depart and the road construction that had been ongoing since we arrived had recently begun just outside the campground. A few days earlier when they had dug up the existing asphalt, they had damaged a section of a historical sewer system put in by the Mormons so there was now a large area cut out with about a 3 foot dropoff. The crew had compacted some dirt on one side of the road so the pilot car could still lead people out, but things didn’t work out so well for us…we had a little accident. One of the basement doors had to be totally removed and there was damage to two others. We were fine, but this was going to make a slight change in our travel plans.
1 comment:
So glad you took pictures of the rain coming down the mountaian in a flash flood. It is amazing to imagine seeing that much waterwhen we saw only dryness when we were there. Thanks for sharing . you do such a good job.Nancy
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