May 18 - Capital Reef

 Mon, May 18– I hadn't slept very well. The van was parked on uneven ground and I was tossing and turning all night. Tyne heated up some water and washed herself and I had a very strong cup of coffee. We discussed the goals for the day, go to town (if Torrey was big enough) and get internet, groceries, water and advice on what to see down the road. Coming to the junction, we were happy to see Torrey was large enough to support more than one gas station and hotel.

Noticing a Days Inn advertising an excellent breakfast, we pulled in. I walked into the lobby and saw a big breakfast set up with barely anyone eating. I put some waffle batter on the iron and went back out to tell Tyne to come in. Pretending we were guests, we sat down to a superb breakfast of waffles, bagels, yogurt, coffee and juice. We also grabbed some nutria-grain bars and condiments for the road.

Another half mile into town, we turned in at a sign for free Wi-Fi. Tyne was using the internet for some necessary correspondence, so I went into the hotel we were parked in front of and used the bathroom. I went up to the front desk and asked advice on which route I should take to Moab, even though I knew which way would be better. Then I went into the breakfast room and grabbed a box of Frosted Flake and a couple little bags of Granola.

The grocery store was a disappointment, with a tiny produce section and prices still near double, we just pressed on. We stopped at the gas station and topped off at $2.33. Tyne went into a visitor Information office to get maps and advice, and after a few minutes waved me and Dazey inside so the ranger could give her a treat. He was really nice, made some great suggestions and even let us fill up our water in the delicious and cold water faucet outside.

We were only a dozen or so mile from Capital Reef National Park, but we stopped for a little hike and geocache. There were three to find on the edge of a cliff, which we later learned was the waterpocket that makes the reef in the park. The first one was easy, 500 feet from the car. We hiked up the cliff along herd trails. We stopped at a tree covered with amber and got some of the biggest pieces yet. Continuing up the hill, we lost the trail and continued towards the cache.

After a while of hiking, we came to a 3 foot log of petrified wood that was balanced on a rock. It was nearly too heavy to even lift, and we think it had naturally been left like that. A few more paces and we came to a field of mica. The white stone shimmered at us as we trudged on up the hill.

Finally, we came to a cliff that was 30 feet high. There wasn't really any way up, so we continued along the edge trying to find a good route. We couldn't find anything and the cliff was only getting higher. Discouraged, we gave up on the cache.

Starting to climb down, I looked up and suddenly a route opened up to me. We were soon up on the edge of the cliff, (Dazey included) and were only a few hundred feet from the cache. After another find and rest in the shade of a rock overhang, we walked a little further to a supposed petrified wood field.

Sure enough, there was a lot of petrified wood on the ground. We collected a few pieces and decided not to go up to the third cache, which was still a long ways up. It was just too hot! We started back to the car and realized we didn't know how to get back down. After walking a ways, we finally found a way down, but not before crossing the ridge line of huge piles of gravel. The sandy rock was several difference colors, and it felt like we were running across the rainbow as the shaded changed below us.

Driving into the park, the cliff to our left that we had climbed on grew and grew. We stopped to see the panoramic view (decent) and the "Gooseneck" (Very cool – top view of a very windy creek deep in a canyon.) We drove into the historic Fruita district, which in the early 1900's was a Mormon village and orchards. Being at the intersection of two perennial rivers, the town site has been inhabited by Indians long ago, and then more recently by these Mormons. The blacksmith, schoolhouse and several farmhouses are still standing.

We drove down the scenic road south along the "Reef." At every turn, the view was breathtaking. We passed Fern's Nipple (obvious shaped mountain point) and The Egpytian temple, (side of cliff that looked like an ancient temple) and to the end of the pavement. Continuing down a dirt road into a canyon, we drove several more miles enjoying the views, got to the end, looked at each other and turned around with a shrug.

On the way back up to Fruita, we were going to stop and do a short hike in a large canyon called Grand Wash. However, the clouds were beginning to get dark and we could hear rumbles of thunder in the distance. The road turning into Grand Wash had a sign warning that the road turns to a raging river during rain, and if storms were threatening to not drive down it. We stopped and waited for a few minutes. Dazey found and ate a soft pretzel.

One last stop before we left the stop, a short walk along a cliff on a boardwalk. They weren't pointed out, but along the boardwalk were lots of pictographs. We slowly walked the trail, spotting ancient art and speculating what each of them signified.

We wanted to go on a two mile hike out to an arch, but it was getting late and we wanted to find a good campsite along and river and take a bath. We drove out of the park, took a right onto BLM land, and started looking. Being a little selective this time, we finally found a nice sandy spot along a creek. I walked down to the water planning on building a dam to take a bath in, and to my surprise one was already built. Instead of 4 inches of running water, I had a pool a foot deep.

An hour later, I had deepened the pool to two feet and I was cooled off and refresh. Tyne came into the water as well, and the two of us diverted the stream from one channel to another upstream, just playing in the water more or less.

As the sun dropped, it got cooler and we got hungry. We made some white rice and Vienna sausages, then poured in some maple syrup, oriental ramen spices, and hot sauce for a Asian sweet and spicy flavor. As bad as it sounds, it was amazing! It started getting really windy after we ate and the clouds weren't going away, but I decided to sleep outside anyways. I lay a blanket down in the sandy rut in front of the van, then got in my sleeping bag on top of it. It was very comfortable and I passed out in minutes.

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