Coming into Capitol Reef last night, I took this shot, then spent some time straightening it out in PhotoShop Elements.  This morning, coming back from my campsite near Torrey in the other direction I saw that the rocks really are tilted, so re-did this one the way it is in real life………………

See what I mean ??  When I saw this I was very careful to keep the camera level.  The whole country is goofy……………….

Coming into Capitol Reef is a beautiful drive.  It’s only a few miles wide, but what a few miles……………

 

This is all well and good.  There’s petroglyphs to look at, old Mormon farms, rivers, and so on, but it’d take a week to tell it all.  I like the part where you go south from the visitor’s center toward Capitol Gorge……………..

You can follow the strata in many places and trace distinct layers.  The grayish purple band in the center of this shot is what I like to call Dinosaur Dirt, cause I’ve seen several TV documentaries where that’s the color of the strata they’re digging in.  Dinosaurs here ??  Yup, but couldn’t even guess which layers they really are in.  You can see the same layer in the center of the above shot, too…………….

The pavement ends and a good graded gravel road goes on down into the gorge, but with the big rig and towing the boat I was un-easy and also want to get in shape.  A lady friend from many years ago is waiting for me up north in Canada.  She’s a big time hiker and I think she’s gonna run my wheels off, so gotta be ready for her.  :-)  The Diesel Dodge went to sleep in the parking lot and I took a quick look around.  Quite a place.  Look straight ahead…………..

……….and it’s kinda nice, eh ??  Look more to the left………………

……….and it doesn’t disappoint.  Now swing back all the way around to the right.  Migawd ! ! !……………

All this is just a warm up.  Now, armed with a couple of bottles of Diet Pepsi, snacks, walking stick and camera gear, we head for the un-known……………..

This one is called the “Tapestry Wall”………

Across the way.  Don’t think I want to stand under that very long…………….

Can’t forget the little guys.  This bee was very busy in this Thistle flower.  That 18-70 Nikon lens is a dandy.  This shot was hand held …………..

Farther on along.  I went just .67 miles according to the GPS, but that’s “crow flies” distance.  Distance on the ground was prob’ly more like a mile.  Remember what I said about a mile at Slaughter Tree Wash ??  It’s a loooong way.  Try walking a measured mile one time.  Many people just don’t realize…………..

 

The whole way was like a flower garden alongside the road.  Yellow, red, orange, purple, blue………….very nice…………….

How ’bout a car for a size perspective ??………………..

 

I left Capitol Gorge at around 1:30 PM and headed west on Hwy 24 back to Torrey, UT, then turned south on Hwy 12, heading for Bryce Canyon.  Planned on being in Bryce this afternoon and “doing” it in the morning.  Well ! ! !  The best laid plans……….! ! !  Hwy 12 educated me good.  It climbs steeply at over 8% grade and soon huge panoramas start opening up to the east.  Trouble is, you gotta stop.  Not enuf good pullouts.  Thanks, Utah.  I got educated a bit, too.  A friend in Idaho lost a Dodge diesel truck similar to mine - Hans’ truck was the inspiration for buying mine - when the handbrake cable snapped while he was parked on a hill.  It went into a canyon and was totaled.  I took the lesson and blocked the wheels on this steep grade……………..

This is a 3 shot panorama and all of it may not show on your monitor.  If not, scroll it across, back and forth.  Capitol Reef is narrow but tall.  Wonderful place, but very remote and isolated and hard to get to……………….

Now, I ran into a problem.  Diesel Dodge and camper and boat and all weighs over 6 tons and that hill was steep.  The edge of the road was fairly soft and did I ever have a helluva time getting that truck moving again.  Put it in granny gear and gave ‘er snoose and slipped the clutch and gritted my teeth - a new clutch is about $1400.00, installed.   There were more dandy panoramas while going higher, but I won’t bore you with ‘em……..and I was very wary of where I stopped after that.  We climbed to the 9300 foot summit of the pass, high into Aspen country………….

……….and started down the other side………..and that’s a whole ‘nuther story.  What a ride.  What a day.  I’m camped tonight in Escalante, UT and will head for Bryce Canyon in the morning………only about 40 miles.  The story of the south side of the pass will make a great story of its’ own.  What a ride ! ! !                   Lar.
–
Larry Bourne
Santa Fe, NM
www.gogittum.com
www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: July 28th, 2009 under 09 Vacation, 09-6-28 Capitol Reef.
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