Capitol Reef

I am going to go out of sequence and share about our first day in Capitol Reef. We drove from Moab- temperatures averaging 104 degrees a day until the 4th of July. We got a huge thunder and lightning storm (actually several that were converging on us simultaneously!) and fireworks that night. Prepping to leave our camp site, it was sprinkling,  but the temp was already near 85 degrees.

We visited Arches NP and Canyonlands NP from Moab- more to follow about all THAT beauty!

On to Capitol Reef- a late addition to our trip itinerary- we abbreviated our stay in Moab two days to hit the last of the Big 5 National Parks for two days. The drive over was uneventful (yay!)and we found out that the campsite was right across the street from our food stop on the way TO Moab! It was funny especially since when we were there, Joe remarked that if we had booked the stay in Torrey on the way to Moab, we would have been nearly there! If he only realized! :-)

We arrived around noon- set up the trailer and the boys found a basketball hoop- so low that Joe could dunk! That entertained them (and exercised them, too!) for about an hour and a half. We already knew that our first stop- for a warm afternoon- would be the petroglyphs, so we headed out.

As we drove to the location of the petroglyphs, we passed a sign that said u-pick fruit. I had read that we could pick fruit to eat in the field for free (in the orchards of the Fruita district) and there was a small cost to take any fruit with you, so I was ready for that!

We got to the petroglyphs- which are very faint (as you can see) but also very cool. We did see some very cool petroglyphs in Canyonlands at something called Newspaper Rock, as well. As we were walking the boardwalk to the second location of the petroglyphs, we heard thunder and saw lightning- and then the downpour started! Huge drops of rain and hail poured down on us- and then tapered off after we reached the truck. 

We drove out a bit farther (on a road/highway that we had already driven twice as it is the only way between Bryce Canyon and Moab and back) and took in the view.

The Fremont River was very muddy with red dirt stirred up by the rain. The rock formations there are very different from all the other areas- the strata of soil, the honeycombing, all so amazing!

The storms continued for a bit- on and off- but stopped so we could pick apricots off the tree. YUM! Love being able to get fruit "from scratch"! 

Then we drove through the hoppin' town of Torrey, Utah. They have 4 restaurants (though we didn't eat at any of them) and a grocery store/deli/bakery (where we did have lunch- french dips for the kids and a southwestern salad for me- pretty yummy) and then back to the trailer for the night.

We got up early enough to go for a hike in the morning. The temps were supposed to be in the upper 80s, so we wanted to see Hickman Natural Bridge before it got too hot.

An interesting hike through the diverse rocks and plants (look for a blog with all the flora and fauna of the National Parks of Utah!) to see the Natural Bridge. Color was not as pretty as the arches at Arches, but it was amazing, nonetheless. 

Hiking in Bryce Canyon

We arrived in Bryce Canyon City, of the infamous Ruby's Inn, early enough to head into the National Park for an evening stroll. Our goal was to get to Inspiration Point. We ended up near to Rainbow Point, which is the southernmost tip of the park, before heading back north to our actual destination. Their signs are more useful on the way down than the way up- their plan is that you head to Rainbow Point and then stop at all the overlooks on the way north, thereby avoiding any cross traffic turn offs. Great in theory- not so much in practice.

 We were told at check in that there was a free tour up to Rainbow Point (if you had either an annual pass or a receipt for the 7 day entrance fee). We signed up for that, too, hoping that we would get
more information. This little tufted titmouse was trying to feed its babies as we waited for the bus. The nest was in the bus stop- the pair of them would fly out of the nest and then wait on the branches for a clear shot at the nest... you can see the bugs in its beak, though.

Have to say, the scenery is as amazing as I remembered from our 2004 trip. This time, we planned on many hikes since the kids are old enough to be able to manage them. We were also glad that the temps here are about 20 degrees cooler than in Zion- so even in the midday heat, it was considerably cooler for hiking (although we tried not to be out in the rocks in the heat of the day!).

Inspiration Point was spectacular. The colors of the hoodoos, the depth of the crevasses, the view into the distance- simply phenomenal. The ravens hang out at the view-points, hoping for handouts.

 The Natural Bridge- which is actually an arch (since by definition bridges have to be over water) is totally awesome.

 We headed back to Inspiration Point for sunset that day- not Sunset Point (which is strange, but all the people that know said go to Inspiration Point for sunset and Bryce Point for sunrise.)

 On the way up to the highest viewpoint, there was a Clark's Nutcracker sounding off from a pine tree.

And so we end our first whole day in Bryce Canyon- my family in the sunset.

The Zion Tunnel

Last night, we went to one of the social events they hold at the Zion River Resort. While we were enjoying the snacks, we chatted with a couple from San Diego. They described driving through the tunnel and the hike they took at the end. We told them about hiking the Narrows. Off they went to rent water equipment and we had our plan for today. We were up and out by 8:00!

The drive out HWY 9, through Zion National Park is simply beautiful. The tunnel was pretty cool, too- with the periodic view windows to provide the only light in the whole 1.1 mile tunnel (carved through the mountain in 1930!).

We also did the hike at the end- which has more amazing scenery. It was a bit freaky (because of the heights and sharp drop-offs) in a few places; I had to hug the rock face.

There was one part of the path that was 4 x 6 planks out over NOTHING! Obviously, they have no fear!

 (There was one poor guy hiking up with a companion- obviously he had a major fear of heights, because as we passed him on our way down, he said he hoped it was a loop and that they wouldn't have to come back down. Then we could hear as he was hitting one of the more severe drops [along a narrow rock path with a iron fence] and making noises of distress. Shortly after that, his companion came past us going down in a hurry (huff?)  and we saw the poor guy sitting in a shady corner in hat over his face and sobbing; apparently he just couldn't do it. I felt for him!)

As you can see, Joe doesn't have any fear of heights. I have to resist the urge to pull him back from places like this one- eeek!

Some other shots from the path up and from the top of the trail. It was completely worth the patches of anxiety!

Since today was our last full day at Zion, Joe also wanted to do a short hike that his reading had indicated was "not to be missed". We spent the heat of the afternoon in air conditioning and headed out at 7:45 pm. There were only a few of us on the shuttle bus. The "hike" turned out to be a walk of less than 5 minutes. We decided to head to the Museum of History to watch the 22 minute video. The shuttle we ended up catching was full of large adolescent boys. Luckily the shuttle driver was a match for them.

We saw a nice mule deer buck- and heard that the museum was closed. We also listened to information about the Pa'rus trail- and decided to get off at the museum and take the .6 mile hike back to the truck in the evening heat. It was a lovely way to end  our visit to Zion.

Hiking in the heat of the day

Today, we (well, really me- because Joe asked what I wanted to do today) decided to do some of the hikes that were rated "easy". Two were called Upper and Lower Emerald Pools (and involved a waterfall in the description)... and then there was a more strenuous one that ended at the Virgin River in the Grotto.

Sadly, we got a later start today- so we didn't hit the Visitor Center until 9:30. There was parking (though not in the shade) luckily, and the shuttle wasn't very full at the beginning, so off we went to the Zion Lodge. By then, it was after 10:00, so the heat of the day had already started building... and lots of the trail was in direct sun, though there was some shade.

First we headed toward Lower Emerald Pool (a hike of around half a mile). There were trees, greenery (so not all sand and stones) but an abundance of heat and sun, too. There was lots of whining, too. "It is so hot." "Can't we stop for a minute?" "Do we have to go as fast as yesterday?" (Side note: yesterday, when we got out of the river, we still had the mile Riverwalk to get back to the shuttle. Did I tell you there are no bathrooms out there? All the information said that any human waste needed to be carried out. So- I needed to get to the bathroom and I hustled to do it. Kira kept up- which kind of surprised and impressed me- because she was hot and cranky!) And, yes, all those questions were from Kira.

We ran into a couple and two children (one in a Snugli and the other about 4 years old). They said that the hike to the Upper Emerald Pool was worth it- hot, but worth it. We were going to go anyway, but it was good to hear that someone had thought it worth the trek.

We made it to Upper Emerald Pool- and it was pretty. The waterfall was basically the water that has filtered through the sandstone over months and eventually squeezes out where it can, creating a spring or waterfall. There were some nice drips, though, to catch and rub on hot faces and necks. We stood under it for a while, just enjoying the moisture!

From there, we headed toward Upper Emerald Pool- a more strenuous hike (according to the map information- and definitely true in the heat.

Here we are, just across the gorge from the drips that are a waterfall in the winter. (Love the tripod, by the way- it grips onto things for shots like this one. There is almost always someone willing to take a photo for us, but it is great to be able to do it on our own, too.)

The Upper Emerald Pool was not much to see, really. It was cooler there, and there were squirrels that were begging at your feet, but the steep climb in that heat made it a difficult sell to the girl! There was a pretty awesome cathedral wall behind the pool, though.

 There were tadpoles in the Middle Emerald Pools... all different sizes... Koen said they were probably the tree frog that looks like a toad.

 This was a set of steps that were really cool- and where we decided to take the Kayenta trail back to the Grotto, before catching the shuttle bus for the Zion Lodge and lunch. Notice Kira's happy expression!

 I told her it would be mostly downhill, which it was. It was also partially in the shade, so not as hot in those places.

There were some gorgeous views, prickly pears in bloom, and as I had promised, mostly downhill.            

 Here you can see the valley with the Virgin River meandering through it- hard to believe that it can be so dangerously high when you look at it here!

And at the end, Joe and Koen hit the river just across the road from the Grotto. 

 Lesson learned: when planning a hike in the desert of Zion National Park- GO EARLY!

Zion Narrows- Happy Father's Day!

    Today, we got the kids up at 5:30, hoping to get up to the visitor's center and hit the Narrows by 8:00. As it worked out, we didn't actually get there that early, but we did get parking under a tree (for a bit of relief from the heat of the day) and were on the shuttle by 8:30.

   By the way, both Kira and I had a bit of trepidation about this excursion, but for very different reasons. Kira was concerned that she would be in water that was too deep because of her height. (All the photos of the Narrows, and the video clip that is running on TV for the National
Parks of Utah,  show the water being waist deep; she thinks her waist is too close to the ground for that to be a good idea!) I don't swim, so I was concerned that I would slip on the "slippery bowling ball" river rock that all the details about the river mention and go into the water. Turns out, neither of us had anything to worry about. (I was also thinking about the flash flood issue- but every sign said that there was very little chance of that, so I was reassured!) The water flow, less than 70 cubic feet per second, was listed as ideal, meaning that most crossings would be around knee-deep.

    Once you ride the shuttle bus to the end of the line, the Temple of Sinawava, you have a 1 mile Riverside walk to the access of the Virgin River. Although Kira was not pleased with her walk (swim suits have issues with staying put during anything except swimming), we managed to get there with little complaining.

   After sitting down to swap out our footwear for the rental stuff, we were off.

    The water, which is described as being cold enough to cause hypothermia, was much warmer than the Pacific Ocean. There were no blue legs or toes to be seen! It was mostly a clear aquamarine blue, although when the sand was stirred up, it was a bit latte in color.

   We were not there as early as we had hoped, but the air temps were very pleasant and our rented shoes/neoprene socks and walking sticks made the walk into the river pretty easy; we did lose the advantage of being early and had plenty of company joining us on the walk to the river.

Koen immediately headed off in the center of the river, while Joe was a bit more thoughtful. Kira and I watched Koen take off and people coming out and going in, and went where the water was about mid-shin deep.

Kira and I  had a mutual understanding that our goal was not to get in too deep. I watched other people crossing and judged based on where the water came on them- sometimes there were two people, and one was obviously going into the deeper section, so we knew where NOT to go, which made it all good. Koen and Joe didn't worry about it!

The rocks were round, but not slippery for the most part. There were lots of tippy ones, though, which caused interesting rotations of feet and ankles. Scenery was amazing and people for the most part were friendly and respectful of nature. It was something I will remember. Joe truly enjoyed it all- though he fell a couple of times and banged up a knee and a hand- he went into deep pools, swam a bit, trekked up the center of the increasingly narrow canyon and reveled in it all. It was a super way to spend Father's Day.