Yesterday (Monday) morning we left Moab and headed for Torrey, which was about 2 hours away. We really enjoyed Arches, Canyonland and Dead Horse, but were more than ready to leave our motel there...UGH...it was just awful (but thankfully, no signs of bed bugs!!)! Of course, we weren't sure what was ahead of us...as we were booked in another Days Inn in Torrey and were crossing our fingers that it was not anything like the first one...and thankfully, we were fortunate to find a clean, well managed motel that didn't smell and was MUCH nicer and more modern than the one in Moab...phew!!!
In driving to Torrey, we drove through Capitol Reef NP to get there...so got an idea of what was there before we ventured off to explore. We arrived at the motel early, but our room was ready, so we were able to check in and unload the car before heading out. Our first explorations were pull-outs on the side of the highway (Hwy 24) with some amazing views of the rocks and formations. The afternoon sun was lighting it all very nicely, so it was perfect to photograph at that time. Our only complaint was a couple in a (rented) RV who stopped at EVERY stop we did...and of course, they didn't speak any English...it got to be a joke...and I said we should pull off, get out of the car and as soon as they stopped, get back in and leave...but I'm sure they would have found us...thankfully, by the late afternoon, we lost them...that's probably because we could head down some of the smaller roads than they could in their RV.
We stopped at the visitors center and picked up a trail map and asked for suggestions for some easy to moderate trails and then headed out. We walked a short and longer trail yesterday and enjoyed exploring through the canyons and seeing these cliffs that were STRAIGHT up...it's amazing to see the different layers of rock and wonder what happened to have the different types from layer to layer. We also saw some petroglyphs and a pioneer register which was where pioneers who who traveled through there carved or wrote on the wall...their name and year they came through...pretty amazing to see dates like 1888!! We shot some at sunset, but it wasn't what we had hoped for ...not a lot of color and just a couple wispy clouds...nothing spectacular!
This morning we headed out for a hike up to a natural bridge, Hickman Bridge, which was really neat...and fun to hike up to, around and through...it's truly amazing to image these are all natural formations...and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to see such beautiful creations of nature! We explored some of the area around and saw some more petroglyphs as well as picked some apples in an orchard at the base of a cliff...all under perfectly clear skies...and about 90 degrees!!! We took the afternoon off and rested up a bit (and Terri worked on photos!!)...and then went out for dinner and had an AMAZING meal - the food, service and presentation was spectacular! We didn't bring our cameras (other than the point and shoot) as we figured it would be like every other sunset...and can you see where we are going with this...as we left and started back to the motel...the sky to the west was amazing...and the sun was red...incredible...we turned around and I shot what I could with the little camera...couldn't miss the colors...and it just figures we'd get the colors like this when we didn't have our other cameras....oh well, we still enjoyed it!
Tomorrow we are headed to Bryce and will have about a day and a half...probably not enough to explore it all, but we will do what we can...and at some point we'll share some photos from there! For now...here are some pictures from Capitol Reef and some from this evening...hope you enjoy!
Good news...we have checked the reviews for our next motel...and they are great...phew, no need to wait and worry what is ahead for the next couple of nights...so we can sleep soundly and not worry about where we will be sleeping the next couple of nights!
In driving to Torrey, we drove through Capitol Reef NP to get there...so got an idea of what was there before we ventured off to explore. We arrived at the motel early, but our room was ready, so we were able to check in and unload the car before heading out. Our first explorations were pull-outs on the side of the highway (Hwy 24) with some amazing views of the rocks and formations. The afternoon sun was lighting it all very nicely, so it was perfect to photograph at that time. Our only complaint was a couple in a (rented) RV who stopped at EVERY stop we did...and of course, they didn't speak any English...it got to be a joke...and I said we should pull off, get out of the car and as soon as they stopped, get back in and leave...but I'm sure they would have found us...thankfully, by the late afternoon, we lost them...that's probably because we could head down some of the smaller roads than they could in their RV.
We stopped at the visitors center and picked up a trail map and asked for suggestions for some easy to moderate trails and then headed out. We walked a short and longer trail yesterday and enjoyed exploring through the canyons and seeing these cliffs that were STRAIGHT up...it's amazing to see the different layers of rock and wonder what happened to have the different types from layer to layer. We also saw some petroglyphs and a pioneer register which was where pioneers who who traveled through there carved or wrote on the wall...their name and year they came through...pretty amazing to see dates like 1888!! We shot some at sunset, but it wasn't what we had hoped for ...not a lot of color and just a couple wispy clouds...nothing spectacular!
This morning we headed out for a hike up to a natural bridge, Hickman Bridge, which was really neat...and fun to hike up to, around and through...it's truly amazing to image these are all natural formations...and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to see such beautiful creations of nature! We explored some of the area around and saw some more petroglyphs as well as picked some apples in an orchard at the base of a cliff...all under perfectly clear skies...and about 90 degrees!!! We took the afternoon off and rested up a bit (and Terri worked on photos!!)...and then went out for dinner and had an AMAZING meal - the food, service and presentation was spectacular! We didn't bring our cameras (other than the point and shoot) as we figured it would be like every other sunset...and can you see where we are going with this...as we left and started back to the motel...the sky to the west was amazing...and the sun was red...incredible...we turned around and I shot what I could with the little camera...couldn't miss the colors...and it just figures we'd get the colors like this when we didn't have our other cameras....oh well, we still enjoyed it!
Tomorrow we are headed to Bryce and will have about a day and a half...probably not enough to explore it all, but we will do what we can...and at some point we'll share some photos from there! For now...here are some pictures from Capitol Reef and some from this evening...hope you enjoy!
The Castle (rock formations) in Capitol Reef NP
Pioneer Register along Capitol Gorge Trail
Yeah...we made it to down the Capitol Gorge Trail....now to walk back to the car...we're half way there!
Sunset from Goosenecks Viewing, Capitol Reef NP
Hickman (natural) Bridge
Petroglyphs
Historic Fruita School
Our entrees...yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm................................
Sunset...the best we've seen and of course, big cameras were in the motel...oh well!
Good news...we have checked the reviews for our next motel...and they are great...phew, no need to wait and worry what is ahead for the next couple of nights...so we can sleep soundly and not worry about where we will be sleeping the next couple of nights!
2 comments:
It was an amazing sunset, unfortunately caused by a big fire to the west.
The food is instantly recognizable as Cafe Diablo!
Bob Palin
Torrey, Utah
Bob,
Yes, we have since learned about the fire...and the reason why the color was great...hopefully, it's under control by now! And, Cafe Diablo...amazing presentation and food...truly a highlight of our visit there! By the way...how did you find this blog?
Terri
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