Capitol Reef

One of the worst moments in family reunion history happened several years ago. Renee's sister, in a charitable moment, bid on the use of a houseboat at Bullfrog Marina of Lake Powell. To make a long story short the houseboat and the reunion was pretty much a disaster but good came out of the trip. On the drive to Bullfrog we drove through a place I had heard of but never really had much desire to visit, CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK. After driving through the waterpocket fold, I was so impressed that I have had the desire to return and finally was able to with Renee and Niah.

Our first day we made an epic journey to Cathedral Valley. Please read about this and look at the photos in the Cathedral Valley posting. After spending most of the day in Cathedral Valley we drove the scenic 7 mile road into Capitol Valley and arrived at Capitol Gorge.

Capitol Gorge was a neat canyon with petroglyphs, and pioneer names that had been carved into the canyon walls decades ago.
Unfortunately it seems that hundreds of other people had the same desire since, and have also carved their names, or fake petroglyphs onto the walls. In fact I have never seen such desecration of a national park as I did at Capitol Reef and it is very unfortunate since it is such an amazing National Park.
The next day we, after a miserable windy night, we hiked to a very scenic natural bridge called Hickman Bridge. The hike was ranked as moderate and only 2 miles round trip. I would suggest it to everyone who goes to Capitol Reef. Not only is there a beautiful and photogenic bridge but also an ancient Fremont Granary, the remnants of a pit house and very colorful and uniquely weathered rock formations.

We picked a truly magnificent time to visit this national park. The leaves of the Cottonwood tree's were changing and we were all left in awe from the natural beauty.

One of my favorite things that we were able to see at Capitol Reef were the HUGE, ancient cottonwood trees that had been planted by Mormon Pioneers. These trees were by far the largest cottonwoods I had ever seen. They were awesome. I think I said in another posting that I like tree's and maybe that is why I was so impressed by these trees.

By far the best thing for me was to see 5 month old Niah totally acting like me! She would stare out the window of the car as we drove through Capitol Reef. It was hilarious! Even though she is only five months she was obsessed with cranking her head so she could see the high colorful cliffs and the bright fall colors.

Valley of Fire

VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK

Disclaimer: Sorry about the photo quality, I was messing with my settings on my camera a couple weeks ago and never reset them!

When I was a young buck my scout troop went camping at a place called Valley of Fire State Park (VOFSP) in Nevada. This was one of my favorite camping trips of all time. We played night games and during the day played the best game of steal the flag in history. While I had an enjoyable time as a teen, I did not enjoy the park for the same reasons as I do as an adult. VOFSP is an oddity. As you drive in the middle of the Mojave Desert one must wonder what amazing geological thing can exist out here, but quickly the rather bland desert turns into a whimsical red/white/yellow slickrock playground. Often the colors change dramatically from red to white, or sometimes the change is more gradual with a mixture of colors. Perhaps the most unique thing about VOFSP is not the colors, but rather the shapes of the rocks. The weathering of the sandstone is amazing leaving holes, caves, arches, and eery looking faces in perhaps a greater concentration than any other place I have ever visited. Anyone with an imagination will enjoy spotting rocks that "look like..."

Danica, Kylee, and Rachel making a funny face under arch rock.

Danica was the most timid of the Reeses children when it came to exploring and climbing the slickrock. So I was shocked when she wanted to go exploring with me. The picture below was an odd thing found. It was a small cavern with lots of openings and natural bridges or... something

Marie holding Emma (above)

Cory taking a typical Cory shot! At least this time he wasnt lying down in the middle of the road. Fortunetely he has not yet been struck by a speeding car.

One of the most impressive vistas was the Fire Canyon Overlook. It was amazing how the red and white color change was so abrupt.

Marjory Kay really wanted to go on a hike so we hike the White Dome loop. This was a fun/easy trail that had a little bit of fun for everyone. There was scrambling, slot canyons and arches to explore and photograph all in a 1 1/2 mile hike.

One of my favorite parts of VOFSP is rock art record left by ancient inhabitants. Even in such a desolate, out of the way place, ancient civilizations found the place to be sacred as proven by the record of petroglyphs. The first picture is of the famous atlatl rock. I have a better pic of the atlatl that I will find later, but if you look at the very top you can barely see the atlatl.

Perhaps the most fun hike that the Reese children did was the hike to Mouses Tank. Mouse was a renegade Paiute who plagued the early settlers. He would hide in this canyon when the early white settlers searched for him. The reason the kids liked the canyon so much was the amount of lizards they found and unsuccessfully attempted to catch. I think Jackson counted over 20. I enjoyed the hike because in half a mile hundreds of rock art was easily found. My favorite one was a panel that included a desert tortoise.

Even pregnant, Renee is still HOT!!

A petroglyph of a desert tortoise (below, middle of picture)

Cave Valley Pictograph's

What may have been ancient vandalism, or tagging to me is something more spiritual. Today I set out with Renee, Cory, and Jackson to find the pictographs of Cave Valley in Zion National Park. To arrive at Cave Valley turn up the Kolob Reservoir road in Virgin, Utah. Drive roughly 1/2 hour up the road. You will enter Zion National Park (you can tell because the road is red) eventually you will stop ascending the mountain and it will level off in one of the most beautiful areas of the park. To find the cave art, park your car after the cattle guard, and simply walk towards Zion's red cliffs following the footprints in the sand. The cave is not hard to find, but isn't easy either. Once you arrive at the cliffs go towards the side facing across the valley.

Finding the petroglyphs and pictographs is half the fun and it is a true treat finding these former sacred places from civilizations of the past. When I do encounter paintings I always wonder, what were they trying to say? Was there some sacred meaning, or was it simply a way to record what they were doing there? Needless to say the experience is one everyone should experience. We also used the experience to teach young Jackson about the importance of treating such finds with respect so others can enjoy them for years to come.

After finding the ruins I sent Renee, Cory and Jackson to another cave, while I hiked up the slickrock exploring the back country away from any trail and possibly away from where any other person had been in years.

Like many things in this world, what is difficult and dangerous to find is often worth it and the views of Zion National Park and what I believe to be West Temple definately were. I could have stayed up here all day but due to the late hour I, and the setting sun, decided to climb back down the slickrock mountain.

"I had some terrific experiences in the wilderness-overpowering, overwhelming. But then I am always being overwhelmed. I require it to sustain life."-Everett Ruess