USon8wheels – a travel blog

Capitol Reef National Park

April 15-18

Capitol Reef was a quieter and more simple park. There were some pretty desert flowers here too! The kids and Matt listened to a geology talk by a ranger and learned about a few of the 19 different rock layers displayed at this park. They also learned that black volcanic rocks were transported from nearby mountains by glaciers.

Numerous orchards – of apples, pears, plums, cherries, walnuts, almonds, apricots, peaches – were planted along the river. During harvest season, visitors can pick the fruit. We, of course, are a couple months too early, but Erin enjoyed a nice afternoon in one of the orchards reading a book! Erin missed the scheduled orchard walk, but a volunteer sat down and chatted with her about the fruit trees.

We also visited an old homestead in the park and ate some homemade ice cream! Matt pointed out that after being at Arches, the rocks and arches here weren’t quite as impressive. Compared to what we’re used to in the Midwest, they were stunning.

As expected, we enjoyed a handful of hikes, but are becoming aware of the ways our flatlander legs need more training. Abe and Erin attempted a bit more strenuous hike, and they sure felt it!