I'm getting behind a bit again because both of the last few days have been long on the road, so I'll keep this brief and let the photos do the talking today. As far as the ride itself goes, this was one of the easier days of the tour - other than the Spur out through Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef, it is mostly gradually downhill. Our luck with the weather continues to be phenomenal, and today was sunny, mild, and not significantly windy.
We got an early start but didn't arrive at our motel in Hanksville until 5: on the road for 8 hours, with a fifteen minute roadside picnic stop and another 20 minute stop for a delicious fresh mixed berry pie at a shop near the parkvisitor center.
So why did we average about 8 mph for the day? Because for most of the day we couldn't go more than a quarter mile without stopping to gape in amazement at some new geologic formation. For about forty miles today we were witness to an unbroken parade of marvels of astonishing color and diversity. I don't remember another day quite like this one.
By mid afternoon we finally made it out of the most dramatic formations and into the broad very austere wasteland west of Hanksville. Sensing that Rachael was reaching the end of her patience with the constant photo-stops, so we buckled down and kept a steady pace for the final fifteen miles. It's just as well - these final miles are completely exposed, and our long day in the full sun was starting to wear on us. We were happy to make it off the road, and even happier an hour later when we sat down in the Slickrock Grill to a delicious trout dinner with a fine, full-strength Uinta Detour Doublle IPA to accompany it.
I'm embarrassed to say that I came here with very little preconception of Capitol Reef. I didn't read up on it really at all, and was mostly just aware that it was on the itinerary. I viewed the side road out the Scenic Drive as an option on the day, depending on how energetic we were feeling. At day's end though, it feels like the highlight of an already wonderful tour, and the spot I'd be the most interested in revisiting. It feels like we just scratched the surface.
Elevation gain: today, 1,400'; for the tour, 31,400
Our first close up look at Capitol Reef. The park is defined by the Waterpocket Fold, an immense, 100 mile long monocline. We're looking here at the northern extreme of the reef. Our ride today, mostly on Highway 24, will traverse the northern section. We'll just be scratching the surface.
I'd like to know what this showy flower is. We encountered a small cluster of them along the Scenic Drive, and nowhere else. An update, courtesy of William Shaneyfelt's input from the guestbook: he identifies this as a yellow evening primrose.
Looking north on Scenic Drive. This is an astonishingly colorful park. Progress was very slow passing through it - every bend in the road revealed some new wonder that demanded attention.
Petroglyphs left behind by the Fremont peoples, who lived here between 600 and 1390 AD. These are carved into the base of an towering sandstone cliff about a mile east of the information center. Even though they're well signed, it took us a long time to finally spot them.
This is the cliff face that contains the petroglyphs shown above. They're located just to the right of the fractured, bare area at the base of the cliff.
Transitioning away from the red cliffs, we entered an area marked by huge white sandstone monoliths. The park gets its name from one of these, for its resemblance to the US Capitol building.
We're outside of the park boundary now, following the Fremont River eastward. The geology continues to be fascinating all the way to Hanksville. This area, I think, is the Bentonite Hills.
