Capitol Reef National Park

by Ross

Like Butch Cassidy on the run from the authorities, we've been on the run from the freezing temperatures. And it seems we're surrounded but not yet ready to give up. We love our morning stretching and exercise ritual usually performed on a tarp or yoga mat just outside the trailer. Waking up to sub-freezing temperatures makes that difficult to impossible. So lately we've gone directly to green smoothies and sightseeing.

We've seen some beautiful places over the years. Capitol Reef National Park is among the most beautiful places we've ever been. The red rock canyon walls are magnificent and varied in colors, shadows, and textures as we drove along the scenic paved road and up into the washes via gravel road. Get bored with one section? No problem, just drive on a mile and everything changes. We even came across the slot canyon where Butch Cassidy had his hideout. Robin commented how tough these people had to be to live through winters in these canyons. We were cold just hiking around and retreated to the heated seats of the pickup truck.

Are you ready for more pie reviews? Within the national park is the Gifford House where they sell fresh pies and cinnamon rolls. We picked up four (4) single-serve pies: two (2) strawberry-rhubarb, peach, and cherry. Yesterday, we dug into the strawberry-rhubarb pies and that was some of the best pie either of us have eaten: buttery, flaky crust with a chunky, delicious filling. Rating: 5 stars.

This morning we're on the road to Moab, UT where we initially planned to stay a week so that I could mountain bike; however, due to cold weather we're going to stay for two days then head to Arizona's warmer forecast.

By the way, we pulled out the National Parks Trivia Pursuit game and played a few cards. We'll play a few cards every time we hit the road for a new destination. There a 100 cards for a total of 600 questions. Just so you know: not everything's a competition (but I'm winning 3-2).