Capitol Reef National Park

Seven Weeks Across America

Capitol Reef State Park was such a refreshing experience after being so hot and dry for the last few weeks.  The Fruita enclave, an historic Mormon settlement along the Freemont River, serves as the central area of the park, featuring a Vistor's Center, campground, nature center, and several orchards.  

In fact, the orchards are adjacent to the campground, meaning we spent the evening and following morning picking apricots and eating them right off the tree.

Wyle makes some new friends.

The deer were everywhere, obviously enjoying the fruit as much as we were.

Another highlight (THE highlight, depending on who you ask), was the little store that sold freshly baked fruit pies.  In the morning we hightailed it the store and everybody bought a pie.  Then we sat at the nearby picnic table and had pie for breakfast!

And just in case you think Capitol Reef is all about pie, here are some photos of the beautiful landscape.  We very much enjoyed the scenic drive, particularly the off-road portion that winds through the gorge, the walls of which tower above you.

Goblin Valley

Seven Weeks Across America

Goblin Valley State Park in Utah was one of the most unexpected delights of our trip so far.  It was a scheduled stop, but no photos I had seen of it prepared me for how delightful it would be.  From a parking lot and picnic area, you can look down on the rock formations, or 'goblins.'  I had no idea you could walk among them.  You descend to the valley by a short walk, and suddenly you are immersed in a labyrinth of rocks, many as tall as you.  I dallied behind my husband, daughter, and father-in-law, to shoot these photos from above.  I imagined I would catch up to them after a little hustle, but once I descended, they were nowhere to be seen.  I wandered for an hour looking for them among the rocks, but never did find them.  You might think you'd get lost, but really, the parking lot on the hill above is an excellent landmark and easy to see so you can orient yourself simply by looking up.  In that way, it was a very safe but totally immersive sort of wander, through what felt like an alien landscape.  It was more fun than I can describe. 

Newspaper Rock

Seven Weeks Across America

In this part of the country there are a lot of petroglyph sites, but we accidently happened upon the best one we had yet to see.  Newspaper Rock is just off the side of the road, on the way to the Needles portion of Canyonlands National Park.  At all the other sites we had seen, there were just one or a couple of images, but here you can see what an abundance of petroglyphs there are in one place.  It was quite an unexpected highlight from our trip.

Arches National Park

Seven Weeks Across America

It was hot, hot, hot during our time at Arches National Park.  Those temps were breaking 100 degrees, so we kept our hiking to the mornings.  We did two hikes - the one to Delicate Arch being the most well-known.  I was very proud of our peanut for making it.  It was not an easy hike, and even in the morning it was still hot.  But it was so worth it.  It was magnificent to see in person, particularly because it was surrounded by a huge natural amphitheater.  Despite the dozens of people who were sharing the space, there was plenty of room to take a seat and soak it all in.  

Our other hike took us to Landscape, Navajo, and Double O arches.  I would highly recommend this hike - it was truly fun to scramble over boulders, walk on top of fin rock formations and clamber up and through some arches.

There are so many arches to see, you sort of have to pick and choose what you spend your time visiting.  I particularly enjoyed Double Arch.  You really have to walk down the path to appreciate how very cool it is.

Camping at Cayton

Seven Weeks Across America

After camping in the dry heat at Mesa Verde, we were ready for a change of scenery, so we drove up into the mountains, without much of a plan.

We lucked out to get a spot at Cayton Campground in the San Juan Mountains.  It was refreshingly lush, with a stream running just behind our campsite, perfect for splashing around in.

This usually busy site was very quiet since it had just recently reopened after forest fires.  

Cactus Flower

Seven Weeks Across America

A cactus flower on the trail to the Great Sand Dunes overlook.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Seven Weeks Across America

Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado was our first National Park stop.  I was really excited to see this place in person and it did not disappoint.  It's truly awe-inspiring to see these mountains of sand rising up in front of you as you drive in.  But the fun really begins once you start climbing and exploring.  

It's like a giant playground, bringing out pure joy from those sliding down the hills, whether it be on your backside or with special slides and sandboards.

People lined up on a small ridge, getting ready to slide down.

You can have as much or as little adventure as you choose.  I wanted to get to the ridgetop, but that was no easy feat.  It takes longer than you might think, because the sand you are trudging through is so soft that it slips beneath your feet.  The last 100 feet of my climb were quite steep, and I was literally using my hands and feet, trying not to look down.  I flopped over the top of the ridge when I finally made it, laying there not looking very cool, while I recovered.  Luckily there was no one around to see me!  I spent the next several hours walking along the ridge toward High Dune, the second highest point in the dunes.  Bri made it to Star Dune, the highest dune, but that was quite a bit more strenuous.  As it was, this was my view from High Dune:

That was my reward for the exhausting climb.  That and my first sunburn of the trip :0  Pro tip - If you go, wear long sleeves!