Capitol Reef Resort and National Park

 After two quick days in Moab, Utah, we were off to see the next of the Mighty Five--Capitol Reef National Park. Compared to the other five National Parks, Capitol Reef is the most expansive and least crowded. Travel bloggers explained that many visitors bypass Capitol Reef because of its remote location; however, those who made the trip LOVED it.

The feature near the park that sealed the deal for me was Capitol Reef Resort, which offered teepees and Conestoga Wagons for sleeping accommodations. To book a teepee, I would need to schedule a minimum three-night stay; for the wagon, the minimum was two nights. Before making the decision, I had a family meeting. "Which one guys? There are enough beds in the wagon, but for the teepee, Lewie will need to sleep on a cot," I remarked. The decision was unanimous; everyone wanted to sleep in the teepee!

Our trip from Moab to Torrey took two hours, mostly through dry, flat land. I knew when we reached the actual park because huge dome and castle-like structures towered over us on the right side of the highway. We stopped to take pictures. The resort, which was even more beautiful in person, was a ten-minute drive from the park entrance. When we checked in, they handed us a key for the bathroom and a tiny key for a lock, which was used to keep the teepee zipper in place. (It was a little nerve-wracking to know that anyone could simply cut through the canvas of the teepee to get inside, but once we met everyone at our campsite, primarily families with children, my anxiety disappeared.)

When we first stepped into the teepee in the ninety-degree heat, we felt like we entered a sauna. A mobile air conditioning unit was roaring on its highest setting, but there was no cool relief in the slightest. Knowing how much my two boys hate to be hot, I panicked. What if the teepee never cooled down, and they had to sleep in these conditions? I would never hear the end of it! 

Lucky for me, while the days were hot, the nights were cold--almost too cold--a brisk 40 degrees. So, when the sun set, we were trading the air conditioning for heavy blankets. (There was a trunk inside the teepee that had even more blankets, but we didn't notice it until the day we left!) Getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom was tough. While the bathroom facility was clean and warm, getting out of the warm bed, unzipping the teepee, walking through the whipping wind, and then zipping and locking the teepee back up was not pleasant. After learning from my first midnight bathroom run, each night thereafter, I stopped drinking a few hours before bedtime, so I could sleep through the night.  

The Conestoga Wagons--so cute!!

Lewie by the hot tub and swimming pool. The pool had a solar cover, but it was cold!

Capitol Reef National Park was astounding. We used the first full day to explore the park by driving, taking a short hike, and going to a geology talk. The next day we had our first canyoneering experience (which I will write about in my next post). Some significant features of the park (besides the towering domes and red rock) are the Waterpocket Fold; the orchards of Fruita, which go back to its first settlement in the 1880s; and the International Dark Sky.

Our hike and canyoneering experience gave us a first-hand glimpse of the cliffs and canyons inside the Waterpocket Fold; however, the geology talk, provided by the National Park Service (NPS), really enlightened me about how OLD the Earth, our home, really is in comparison to our own short existence. For instance, the layer cake of sedimentary rock reveals nearly 200 million years of geologic history. Our NPS Ranger explained that some of the layers were from periods when the area was covered by the ocean, then turned into fertile river valleys and swamps, and then covered over by the ocean again, etc. The fossils in the layers show precisely the types of animals (sea or land) that inhabited this area during a specific time period. He even explained what some of these now-extinct creatures used to look like. My takeaway was that even though the human race believes we are the most important and intelligent beings to roam the Earth, our time here is only a "blip" on this 200-million-year timeline. Will we become the next dinosaurs? 

The geology talk with the different types of rocks on display.

The Waterpocket Fold at Capitol Reef, according to the National Park Service (NPS), is a 100-mile-long wrinkle in the Earth's Crust. The "Fold" formed between 50 and 70 million years ago (long before us) when tectonic plates in the ground shifted, creating mountains and uplifting the floor. At Capitol Reef, the west side shifted upwards (about 7,000 feet higher) than the layers on the east side. As the NPS explains, the name 'Waterpocket Fold' reflects the ongoing erosion of the folded rock layers, for "water pockets are small depressions that form in many of the sandstone layers as they are eroded by water."  The erosion of the tilted or 'folded' rock plays a key role today--it is the reason why Capitol Reef has so many "colorful cliffs, massive domes, soaring spires, twisting canyons, and graceful arches."

Our second half of the day was spent roaming the fruit orchards, which used to be part of a small town called Fruita. If you're not a history buff, you can skip this next paragraph, but it's interesting. Capitol Reef became a National Park in 1955 when the National Park Service (NPS) purchased the land from Fruita.   The town of Fruita's origins can be traced back to the 1880s when pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled there and planted trees (orchards) for food and income. They grew apples, cherries, apricots, pears, peaches, and plums--all trees that are preserved today. In fact, the NPS still uses the same flood irrigation ditches that were dug in the 1880s as well as the same pruning, pest management, planting, mapping, and grafting practices. Some small historic structures from the 1880s, such as the Gifford Homestead and a schoolhouse, still stand today. While the fruit picking season did not begin while we were there--most fruit trees are not ready until July, August, and the fall--I could purchase some yummy apple pies right from the Gifford Homestead. My boys and I enjoyed the treat while we relaxed at Capitol Reef Resort.  

Imagine working and going to school every day near these massive rock formations!

The old irrigation ditches for the orchard trees.

I wish I knew the age of this tree.

Can you imagine going to school in this little house?

The inside of the little schoolhouse.

Some comic relief.

That night, we had a chance to go star gazing using a company called Sleeping Rainbow Adventures. We met them at the Red Rock Inn, and in caravan style, we all drove to their secret stargazing spot inside the park. (We had to follow them there because 1) there were no street lights, and 2) there was limited internet service.)  We were told to dress warm (coats, gloves, and scarves), but they also provided warm blankets and set up a coffee and hot chocolate station for us. Our guide knew a LOT about the stars, the planets, the Milky Way, and the other galaxies within the universe. He knew so much; there was no way I could digest it all. What I did remember, however, was the magnificence of the dark sky above me--the metallic clouds, constellations, and star clusters that I could have never dreamed of seeing in Connecticut. He set up a telescope where we could see even more heavenly star and cloud formations from beyond our galaxy! 

With Capitol Reef being an International Dark Sky Park, I knew we had to make stargazing one of our activities. Living in Connecticut, we have too much ambient light--or light pollution--from nearby cities, buildings, and even street lights. The International Dark Sky Association "advocates for natural areas that protect true darkness," not only so we can see the "true night sky" (the one our ancestors used to be able to see each night) but also to protect nocturnal plants and animals that get confused by artificial illumination. Both Lewie and I fell asleep in our lounge chairs as the peaceful, starry night and our guide's voice lulled us to dreamland, but we made it through the first full hour of stargazing, which was nothing short of amazing. For Lewie, this was his favorite part of the trip, and that meant a lot since he LOVED almost everything in Utah.

We spent our last day at Capitol Reef canyoneering, but I will save that adventure for my next post. In all, our visit to Capitol Reef was unforgettable between the hiking, the orchards, the International Dark Sky, and our stay at the Capitol Reef Resort. Even though I initially complained about having to leave the teepee to make those bathroom trips out in the cold, the experience of sleeping in an actual teepee was like no other. All night long, a gentle, steady breeze soothed us to sleep as we heard it softly whip the canvas walls. We'd wake up in the morning exclaiming how we got the best sleep of our lives! Oh, and can I mention one last favorite memory? Capitol Reef is where my son discovered a passion for the ukulele. Hubby had initially snuck it in his luggage to play on the trip (since he couldn't bring his guitar), but magically, Little Lewie picked it up, and it became his best friend--even more than his phone. It was one of those fun trip memories that makes me wonder, if we didn't go on this vacation, would he have ever picked it up? (It's been nine months since that fateful moment, and he still plays every day.)

Moab and The Delicate Arch

Last summer, we had an amazing 10-day trip to see the Mighty Five National Parks in Utah. Since the parks are spread out quite a bit, we ended up staying at four different places, but the drive, the scenery, and the adventure itself made "living out of our car for the week" so worth it; we had a chance feel like real-life nomads--except, with excellent accommodations.

At 7 a.m. on June 15th, our plane departed Bradley International Airport; after a layover in Denver, our final destination would be the small, homey St. George Regional Airport. When I first purchased the tickets, we were supposed to arrive in St. George at 1 p.m., but three-time changes later, the arrival was moved to 4 p.m. It meant more time waiting for our layover in the airport, but even more, it meant we would be traveling through the evening and into the night to reach our first hotel in Moab, Utah.

When we arrived at the St. George Airport, we conveniently picked up our Hertz rental car, which was just steps away from the baggage claim. (I don't even remember there being a line.)  The gentleman at the desk gave us our key and said the car was right outside the door. It was the most convenient airport ever!  

Then, we programmed Moab Springs Ranch resort into the GPS and off we went! It would be a five-hour car trip (the longest of our trips) to cut clear across the state of Utah from West to East. The idea is that we would begin our Mighty Five adventure in Moab and then drive our way right back down to St. George again--covering all five of the National Parks in the process.

I downed a Five-Hour Energy drink (terrible, I know), and then took the wheel. We only stopped to get off the highway once--to have a yummy Mexican meal and use the bathroom. The rest of the time, we drove, letting our hotel know we would be arriving late (probably around 10:30 or 11 p.m.) to pick up our room key.

As I drove on Utah's I-15 N and I-70 E, I noticed three stark differences between the highways here in Utah and back home. First, on these highways, I could drive 80 MPH, and as it turns out, people do drive this fast. Often, I'd catch myself going a leisurely 65 MPH while irritated cars and trucks whipped by me in the left lane. Several times, my back-seat-driver son would tell me, "Mom, catch up!"  

"I know," I'd mumble, exasperated. It took energy to go 80 MPH--not just gas energy but human energy. I was already exhausted from our nine-hour plane adventure.

The second difference was the vast expansion of the highways. You see, cars and trucks only passed me out when they were around. For most of the trip, we felt alone on the highway--just us and the winding roads, desert, and mountains. I could understand why we were allowed to drive so fast--the roads were long, wide, and empty.  

The third and final jaw-dropping difference was the mountains. Yes, we did have to drive snake-like as the highway cut through them, particularly when we were getting closer to Moab, but the mountains turned into these ginormous medieval castles right before my eyes. I had to wake up my sleeping passengers to ensure I wasn't hallucinating. At this point, the sun had set in the horizon, so the "castles" took on a shadowy, dark mystery against the navy blue sky. They were impressive!

When we arrived at Moab Springs Ranch, an envelope with directions to our bungalow was waiting for us. I attempted to find the bungalow using the directions on my own but quickly discovered I needed everyone's help. It was hard finding the right road in the dark, and we seemed to be either driving in circles or backing out of dead ends. Only God knows how we eventually found it.

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We rested in the morning, ordering a yummy eat-in breakfast and then going for a dip in the resort's pool. In Moab, two of the Mighty Five National Parks are minutes away (Canyonlands is about 30 minutes, and Arches is less than five.)  The goal was to see Canyonlands on Day 1 in Utah, but the bus tours were sold out, and we were still pretty tired. Instead, we toured downtown Moab (which had an artsy, cool, hippy vibe), and big and Little Lew took an ATV tour, which brought them in the direction of Canyonlands. (I was fine passing over that ATV tour as we would be going on another one outside of Zion National Park at the end of our vacation.)  While the boys played in the sand, I went souvenir shopping--buying shirts and stickers of Delicate Arch before even seeing it in real life!

On our second and last full day in Moab, we woke up super early to drive to Arches. Since I couldn't get "timed entry tickets" into the park, our only choice was to enter before the National Park Rangers took their posts. (Arches does not "lock up" at night, so we could drive on through before the park officially opened at 7 a.m.)

My one and only goal was to see the Delicate Arch. I had read the actual hike to the arch (and not just the viewpoint) was a three-mile hike roundtrip, but it wasn't easy. For one, the hike is oppressive during the summer when the sun is up. Second," it contains a significant climb up a steep slickrock slope."  I read about this ahead of time, of course, but I have to say that this description didn't fully sink in until we attempted the actual hike. Starting around 6 a.m., we were able to beat the mid-morning and mid-afternoon sun, but the slope was STEEP and CONTINUOUS. We would climb until our legs felt weak, stop, take a few minute break, and then climb some more, then repeat, and repeat, and repeat. My husband, with his bad knee, had a tough time with this part, and I started immediately regretting the decision to do this type of strenuous hike right at the beginning of our vacation. He asked me a few times how much longer it would be, and in fact, all I could say was, "It has to be close. It's only supposed to be 1.5 miles away."

By the grace of God, we made it up the final part of the slickrock and then climbed upward some more to a narrow path that went higher and higher. (What? I thought in my head. Nobody said anything about this!)  The final part of getting to the arch meant we had to climb up this steep slope and spiral around a narrow mountain ledge. The view was gorgeous but scary, and the narrow ledge meant that it was very difficult to have two lanes of foot traffic--one for people getting there and one for people leaving. I held my breath and practically slithered against the rock wall, too scared to be near the edge, looking down. The higher we climbed, the more the wind kicked up, so now I felt like I was losing my center of gravity, too. What else could go wrong?

As we made it around the corner, there stood the awesome wonder before our eyes--the 46-foot high, 32-foot wide freestanding Delicate Arch--the symbol of Utah--the most recognized geological feature in the world! To touch the arch, all we needed to do was climb over a slight wall and walk out on a wide ledge--simple, right? I wanted to do it, but the wind kept on whipping, my knees started knocking, and my head started feeling light-headed and dizzy (half because of the wind and half because of my fear of heights). To my surprise, my dare-devil husband didn't walk out to it either. The three of us were perfectly content to get some photos with the arch in the distance, and those photos did not disappoint. It was one of the most beautiful and breathtaking landscapes I had ever set my eyes on!

In some ways, the 1.5-mile walk back was easier, but the downhill climb was still tough on my husband's knees. When we arrived back to our car, we celebrated with hoots, hollers, and high-fives! "We made it back alive," we chanted, "without any injuries!"  During our hike, we saw plenty of people give up--young, old, parents with babies and young children. Still, we--our middle-aged, non-athletic selves with cracking bones and failing knees-- made it. It was an accomplishment for the ages, and it made us stoked for the rest of our trip!