Capital Reef and Moab

Up and out early – thank heavens – because our room was on the ground floor right next to the stairs and boy – was it noisy in the morning! Huge tour – well – probably a couple of them – and the luggage was being wheeled out the door by our room, the people were shouting – I kid you not – shouting “good morning” to each other. Mind you it’s not even 7:00am yet! It’s even crazier in the breakfast room. Ay yi yi! We manage to forage for something edible and make it outside to a lovely little table by the pool – all alone and out of the hubbub inside. Ack – as Tony Bourdain says “don’t get on that bus!”

Well, we’re not – and we’re outta there! Another fairly long drive today, but we’re pit stopping in Capital Reef. Not on our original itinerary, but it’s right on the way to Moab – and looks pretty cool. There is an orchard there where you can pick whatever fruit is in season – for free. As long as you eat it on the property. You have to pay a nominal fee if you pick anything and take it out of park. Sounds great!

We meander our way through the vast nothingness of Southern Utah. Nothing but tumbleweeds and the occasional trailer. It’s just astonishing the sheer magnitude of land mass out here – without a single thing around. We make Capital Reef a little before noon. Stop for a stretch at Chimney rock then off to the visitor’s center for our stamp and to find the picnic area. We picnic in Fruita – where the orchard is – but don’t pick any fruit. It’s early in the season anyway, so we don’t know what’s available – and the visitor’s center was too much of a zoo to ask (the people! Argh – the summer season has begun!).

Capital Reef is named for a rock formation that resembles the Capital in DC. It was formed by a “waterpocket fold”, which is a buckled stretch of rock (over 100 miles lone) that was created by water that forced it’s way up through the earth’s crust. The Reef name is because a lot of the buckling left rocks that looks like the reef you’d find off shore.

After stretching our legs a bit and trying to decipher the map, we decide to jettison the rest of the scenic drive and the Capital Reef rock to head straight for the trail head at the Great Wash. We can hike into the slot canyon from the road to Moab and get a sense of just how a slot canyon looks and feels as the walls start to get closer and closer together. Grand Wash is one of two deep and twisting water-carved canyons, with sheer walls of white rock on either side. It’s really, really, really hot – so we use our cool neckbands for the first time and make our way into the canyon.

Wild! Walking through the canyon, knowing that water carved this massive “wash” and if it rains, flash floods will fill the canyon again. Fortunately, even though Ed keeps talking about rain, there isn’t really a threat of any wet stuff, so we’re safe for the moment. All told, we hike for about an hour marveling at the size and sheer height of the canyon walls. Check out the pix here, they don’t really do it much justice, but you can sort of grasp the perspective when we are in the photos.

Back in the car – ahhhh A/C! On the road again – and heading to Moab. This will be our stop for 2 nights – so we can do Canyonlands and Arches. We pull in around 3ish, and check into the Red Stone Inn. What a great hotel! Little rooms that look like the inside of a log cabin, complete with kitchenettes. It’s too fun. We organize then hit the City Market (Kroger by another name! Yay!). Stock up the picnic and snack supplies (great trail mix, fruit and deli stuff), then meander back to get ready for dinner.

Tonight we are going to the Moab Brewery. It’s right up the street, we’re walking, even though it’s about 100 degrees. It’s packed when we get there, so we sit at the bar for a drink – and – how bizarre is this? You can only get beer at the bar! They have wine and I guess mixed drinks, but you can’t get it at the bar, only at the tables! What’s up with that? So, I drink water, Ed has beer and we hang until our table is ready.

Food is great – Sweet and Hot Thai Calamari (in a brew pub in Moab, go figure!); Mixed Sausage Grill for Ed (way big portion, we brought it home!) and smoked BBQ tri-trip for me. It was too good. We roll back to the hotel for an early night and Canyonlands in the morning!