This morning, we had breakfast at Blondies in Hanksville. The guy taking the orders had a shirt that read "Where the hell is Hanksville?" I LOL'd. Blueberry pancakes for me, and steak & eggs for Stephen. Wow, real food!
While we were having breakfast, we saw numerous vehicles driving by, hauling boats behind them. WTF?! It's kind of a desert-y stretch around here. Also, across the street, there was a lot selling houseboats. We finally asked someone, and he said that Glen Canyon was the nearest lake area, but people brought their boats to Hanksville to work on them, or have someone else repair them. Apparently, it's cheaper to do so in Hanksville. Huh. So, they aren't just optimistic fools chasing after mirages.
After filling up at the Hollow Mountain Gas Station (yes, it's a gimmicky building set inside a big hunk o' rock - I wouldn't call it a mountain per se, but whatever), we hit the road.
We drove from Hanksville to Capitol Reef National Park. And it was such a scenic drive, we decided to do it three times! (Or, more accurately, when we stopped at Capitol Reef's visitor center, Stephen realized he'd forgotten his souvenirs in his motel room. So we had to turn around, go all the way back to Hanksville - where the hell is that? - retrieve his loot, and then turn around and drive all the way back again to Capitol Reef. Oops.)
Anyway, Capitol Reef. It's a very long narrow park, and there's a short scenic drive through part of it - the rest of it is (like Canyonlands) accessible only by hiking or maybe off-road vehicles where allowed. However, what is a bit unusual is that there are fruit orchards in the park, and you can pick and eat whatever fruit you like (although you are supposed to pay for anything you take out of the park). It also has some lovely, well-treed campgrounds (which seems to be a rarity in Utah parks!). We didn't do any hiking here, just drove through the park's scenic drive and stopped at a few points to admire the views.
Every time I see a beautiful new rock range, I think of those poor pioneers. I can't imagine why the Mormons don't drink by default. It'd be just another day in pioneer-land: Finally dragging your overloaded wagons and your oxen and all your supplies to the top of some godawful hill - only to be confronted with the next range of hills barricading the way. "Dammit, another freaking rock. Hand me the whiskey, Silas." Of course, that'd make you even more likely to totter off a cliff, so there you go.
Fortunately for us, there are roads. I am a fan of roads. Makes the travel much easier. ;-) Even so, a lot of the scenic roads in Capitol Reef had flashflood warnings posted. The lower areas are easily flooded out during rainstorms.
So, after a brief stop in Capitol Reef, we were back on the road again. Next thing you know, there's a break in the rocky scenery, and we're driving up into the hills and into Dixie National Forest. Rocks, rocks, rocks - and then, it's like someone flips a switch and there are suddenly trees everywhere.
Another area we passed through was the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Yes, more rocks! Mostly white rock, and the road is climbing up into the hills and teetering along the widest point between drop-offs. Calf Creek Falls is in this area, and it was originally one of our stops - but since we spent many hours trapped in Little Wild Horse Canyon yesterday, it didn't seem urgent that we do another three-hour hike through sand and water. I hear the waterfall there is absolutely beautiful, and I believe it, and maybe if we hadn't spent so much time doing the Triple-Hanksville run today... ;-)
Speaking of Little Wild Horse Canyon, I don't think I'm ever going to get the last of that red sand out of my shoes.
In the afternoon, we stopped in Tropic to find a place to stay. According to the maps and the books, both of which are about 3 years old, Tropic is the last stop before Bryce. However, as we drove into the park, it turns out that a whole new "city" has sprung up even closer to the park. Bryce Canyon City (established 2007). That's a grand tradition of three years of quality, people! Anyway, it's a very touristy setup. There's money in them thar tourists!
Bryce Canyon is amazing - totally unique. It's like a gathering of a million little pink and white hoodoos. It's mostly limestone, which is worn away by the freeze & thaw cycles. It was late afternoon, so we only did a short hike at the Mossy Cave & Creek, and then drove through the park proper for sightseeing at most of the viewpoints.
For now, back to our cute little log cabins in Tropic. :-)
While we were having breakfast, we saw numerous vehicles driving by, hauling boats behind them. WTF?! It's kind of a desert-y stretch around here. Also, across the street, there was a lot selling houseboats. We finally asked someone, and he said that Glen Canyon was the nearest lake area, but people brought their boats to Hanksville to work on them, or have someone else repair them. Apparently, it's cheaper to do so in Hanksville. Huh. So, they aren't just optimistic fools chasing after mirages.
After filling up at the Hollow Mountain Gas Station (yes, it's a gimmicky building set inside a big hunk o' rock - I wouldn't call it a mountain per se, but whatever), we hit the road.
We drove from Hanksville to Capitol Reef National Park. And it was such a scenic drive, we decided to do it three times! (Or, more accurately, when we stopped at Capitol Reef's visitor center, Stephen realized he'd forgotten his souvenirs in his motel room. So we had to turn around, go all the way back to Hanksville - where the hell is that? - retrieve his loot, and then turn around and drive all the way back again to Capitol Reef. Oops.)
Anyway, Capitol Reef. It's a very long narrow park, and there's a short scenic drive through part of it - the rest of it is (like Canyonlands) accessible only by hiking or maybe off-road vehicles where allowed. However, what is a bit unusual is that there are fruit orchards in the park, and you can pick and eat whatever fruit you like (although you are supposed to pay for anything you take out of the park). It also has some lovely, well-treed campgrounds (which seems to be a rarity in Utah parks!). We didn't do any hiking here, just drove through the park's scenic drive and stopped at a few points to admire the views.
Every time I see a beautiful new rock range, I think of those poor pioneers. I can't imagine why the Mormons don't drink by default. It'd be just another day in pioneer-land: Finally dragging your overloaded wagons and your oxen and all your supplies to the top of some godawful hill - only to be confronted with the next range of hills barricading the way. "Dammit, another freaking rock. Hand me the whiskey, Silas." Of course, that'd make you even more likely to totter off a cliff, so there you go.
Fortunately for us, there are roads. I am a fan of roads. Makes the travel much easier. ;-) Even so, a lot of the scenic roads in Capitol Reef had flashflood warnings posted. The lower areas are easily flooded out during rainstorms.
So, after a brief stop in Capitol Reef, we were back on the road again. Next thing you know, there's a break in the rocky scenery, and we're driving up into the hills and into Dixie National Forest. Rocks, rocks, rocks - and then, it's like someone flips a switch and there are suddenly trees everywhere.
Another area we passed through was the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Yes, more rocks! Mostly white rock, and the road is climbing up into the hills and teetering along the widest point between drop-offs. Calf Creek Falls is in this area, and it was originally one of our stops - but since we spent many hours trapped in Little Wild Horse Canyon yesterday, it didn't seem urgent that we do another three-hour hike through sand and water. I hear the waterfall there is absolutely beautiful, and I believe it, and maybe if we hadn't spent so much time doing the Triple-Hanksville run today... ;-)
Speaking of Little Wild Horse Canyon, I don't think I'm ever going to get the last of that red sand out of my shoes.
In the afternoon, we stopped in Tropic to find a place to stay. According to the maps and the books, both of which are about 3 years old, Tropic is the last stop before Bryce. However, as we drove into the park, it turns out that a whole new "city" has sprung up even closer to the park. Bryce Canyon City (established 2007). That's a grand tradition of three years of quality, people! Anyway, it's a very touristy setup. There's money in them thar tourists!
Bryce Canyon is amazing - totally unique. It's like a gathering of a million little pink and white hoodoos. It's mostly limestone, which is worn away by the freeze & thaw cycles. It was late afternoon, so we only did a short hike at the Mossy Cave & Creek, and then drove through the park proper for sightseeing at most of the viewpoints.
For now, back to our cute little log cabins in Tropic. :-)
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