USA 2005

Sunday 31st July 2005 - Departure from Hite and drive to Capitol Reef National Park

We had an uneventful drive through fabulous landscapes from Hite to Capitol Reef. Capitol Reef is a quiet park which receives fewer visitors than most of the other Utah parks like Bryce Canyon and Zion. It's a national park because of its curious and beautiful geology. On arrival, we went straight to the visitor centre to ask about camping. The park's one site had spaces but the site was not equipped with showers (which we desperately needed after our hot and sweaty time at Hite!) so we drove 10 miles out of the town to a campsite at Torrey, where we all showered, Marina did some laundry and Martin sorted out the cooler box.

After this we returned to the park and camped. The camp ground is located in the beautiful "Fruita" area, which was once inhabitted by Mormon pioneers, who settled there in the early 1800s and lived there until as recently as the 1960s. It's lush and green and has a number of fruit orchards which grow pears, apples, cherries, apricots and other fruit. The site is also overlooked by two large and very colourful sandstone cliffs which are typical of the park. Nearby, the river Fremont runs fast.

We went to explore the area around the camp ground and found an old mormon farmhouse and some of the orchards. We picked a few pears and wandered round, looking at the many young deer and other wildlife.

The weather started to change and we had a period of thunder and lightening accompanied by some rain so we sat out the inclement weather in the car, playing cards and reading. Once it had passed we embarked on a short but very satisfying hike up the "Fremont River Trail", which takes you a mile and a quarter up the river, climbing from the river bank steeply up its canyon side to the top. The view from the top was wonderful, the reds, oranges, greys and purples of the sandstone cliffs contrasting with the vibrant greens of the canyon bottom.

When we got back to the camp ground, we got in the car and drove to a couple of sites of interest; an old mormon school and an area of one of the canyons where ancient people had left petroglyphs, depicting human figures and livestock, thought to be sheep.

Back at the camp site, we had pasta for dinner and rounded the evening off playing cards and charades until it was dark. Western Pipistrelle Bats and Swallows (Northern Rough Winged Swallows in fact!) provided extra entertainment. And in addition, we saw a Golden Eagle!

Wildlife: Deer, A Golden Eagle, Black-Chinned Humming Birds, lots of other birds, bats

Click on the photos for full size versions

Somewhere on the road to Capitol Reef through Southern Utah. This reminded us of Lord of the Rings...

At our camp site in Capitol Reef NP.

On the road north of Kayenta taken through the windscreen of the car

There were wild deer wandering around the campsite. The site was adjacent to an old Mormon pioneer settlement which was established in the early nineteenth century. The last settlers left the area in the nineteen sixties. They left behind them a series of orchards in the Fruita area and various old buildings.