Capitol Reef Nationl Park, UT

We were a little concerned about driving Scenic Hwy 12 from Kodachrome to Capital Reef National Park, since we read some things about being sure your rig had good brakes and could climb steep ascents to 14% grades. To be safe, we unhooked the car after the little town of Escalante, since the road was winding and steep in places. Jim drove the rig and I followed in the car. I was much happier driving the car, rather than nagging Jim about his driving, and he was much happier to get rid of 3000+ pounds of me and the car. The route was a lovely drive, and turned out not to be a problem at all.

This is our 3rd national park in as many weeks, and it is as nice as Zion and Bryce. The campground is set in an orchard, which is very lush and green, and offers a pretty contrast to the red rock surrounding it. In season, you can pick fruit (apples, peaches, cherries, pears and apricots), but we are a little too early for that. There is a little store in the old Gifford House in the park, and they sell homemade pies, bread, jams, etc. We got an apple pie and a loaf of whole wheat molasses bread, and they were both excellent.

These are a few pictures we took last night from a hike along the Freemont River and then a steep climb up to an overlook. We will try to publish these posts if we find Wi-Fi when we go to the laundromat in Torrey today. There is no cell service here, so we are still off the grid. Not sure if we will stay here all week or head to Arches or Moab, so we may be out of touch for a while longer.