Utah Rocks!

  Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, United States
Saturday, June 6, 2009

Day 8 -Arches National Park to Canyonlands National Park to Capitol Reef National Park

Things we did this morning in Arches:
-    Woke up early with the sun shining through the car windows.
-    Went to change in restroom, as there are no showers in Arches.
-    Christen accidentally dropped her bra in the toilet. Second bra attempt was made back at the site in her sleeping bag in the car while Bri stood guard. This was not easy.
-    Due to less wind, decided to go ahead and attempt coffee and breakfast at campsite.
-    Realized that we didn't realize that we never put our new grill together. Thank God for the all-in-one tool from the Iris. It has a screwdriver on it. Still cost us some time...
-    Finally put coffee percolator and pot of water for oatmeal on to boil.
-    Thirty minutes later still had no boiling water or coffee. The wind and cold were too much for the grill flame.
-    Communication broke down again. Decided to re-pack car and give the water a few last-chance minutes.
-    FINALLY had a few small bubbles in the oatmeal pot. Choked down oatmeal that immediately became cold.
-    Poured warm-still-not-boiling coffee percolator water into pot, then poured the water back into percolator over the grounds. Magic! The best coffee we've ever had. Things began to look up. We somehow actually ended up with extra room once we finished repacking the car.
-    Saw a tent in shambles at another campsite on the drive out of the campground. Felt validated in our decision to take down our tent mansion and sleep in the car.

Us in front of Skyline Arch

-    Toured Arches. Loved the Skyview Arch, Double Arches, and Balanced Rock.
-    Didn't get the hoopla over Delicate Arch. We don't think that it should be the most popular kid on the block.

The overrated Delicate Arch

Bri squeezing Delicate Arch

Christen flicking Balanced Rock

Left Arches and drove to nearby Canyonlands National Park.

Things we did in Canyonlands:

The main Canyonlands canyon

-    Saw enormous canyons. This was the exact opposite of Arches. Cool to see the juxtaposition of everything sunken down after seeing everything jutting up. We learned it is all traced back to oceans millions of years ago and the resulting salt beds that move. Who knew?

Us Above Canyonlands

-    Had a great picnic atop a plateau. Our now familiar friend, Wind, had lunch with us. Wind blew so much that our fresh bread went stale from the time we took it out of the bag to the time we got peanut butter and jelly on it. Wind also made Goldfish continually jump ship, forcing Bri to repeatedly go fishing around the picnic site because food is considered trash in the desert since it cannot decompose in desert conditions. This is a fact.

Picnic Spot in Canyonlands

-    Discovered that our favorite arch, Mesa Arch, is ironically in Canyonlands and not Arches. This was also our favorite sight in Canyonlands overall. You can view the canyons through the arch up close.

Mesa Arch in Canyonlands

-    Contemplated why Europeans seem to appreciate our National Parks more than Americans. The ratio of Europeans to Americans today was at least 8:1. (Note: Before you quote this ratio to anyone in the future, be aware that Christen really likes the number 8.)

Things we did on the drive to and through Capitol Reef National Park:
-    Bri mocked Christen for her fear of passing other cars. It really freaks Christen out. Although she continued to make fun of Christen, Bri did respect her wishes.
-    Sang "Neon Moon" very loudly. Christen was very proud of Bri for learning the words, although neither of us understand why we've heard this fifteen year old country song every single day of our trip.
-    Found the Utah State Park campground, "Lonesome Beaver", to be absolutely hilarious.
-    Marveled over Bri's surprising love of the Dixie Chicks.
-    Saw petroglyphs in Capitol Reef. Bri decided that petroglyphs are most likely the vandalism of ancient Native American teenagers.

Petroglyphs in Capitol Reef

-    Got really aggravated that the Fruita Orchards of Capitol Reef were closed. We had been looking forward to Capitol Reef because these orchards have apples, pears, peaches, and cherries, and are open to the public. You can eat as much as you want for free, but you have to pay for any that you take out of the park. We had been anxiously awaiting this fruit buffet all day, and it was CLOSED. And it wasn't the only feature of Capitol Reef that was closed. These closures tainted our whole opinion on this park.

Percy in Capitol Reef

-    Found our privately owned motel, Capitol Reef Inn. Hmmm. What to say here. Definitely a comforter off establishment. Very outdated decorations and furnishings. Outdoor carpet indoors. Doesn't smell so great. Yet for some reason, there is a flat-screen TV and they provide fancy teas. Don't get it.
-    Ate dinner at the Capitol Reef Restaurant, attached. After seeing the room, the food was surprisingly very good. All of it was local and fresh, as advertised. We enjoyed the fact that they offer multiple vegetarian options. We had mushroom lasagna with broccoli and vegetable stirfry with brown rice. Again, it was really quite good.
-    Came back to the room with time to actually read and watch TV before bed.

National Park Awards (thus far):
-    Most Awe-Inspiring = Arches
-    Most Surprisingly Fantastic = Great Sand Dunes
-    Best Arch = Canyonlands
-    Best Tour Guide = Mesa Verde for Ranger Bill
-    Most Martha Stewart Related Terms = Carlsbad Caverns
-    Most Disappointing = Capitol Reef