I've been spending a lot of time in Utah this spring. I'm not sure if that's because the weather has been unseasonably great or because I realized that I needed to check my desire to spend every exploring minute in Death Valley, but whatever the reason, it's been amazing.
And so, when Ben @m3bassman put out a feeler to the crew for a spring trip to Capitol Reef for a few days, I was in! Actually, I was mostly in - my home life meant that I'd be a couple days late - but I was super excited to finally spend a bit of time in a place we'd only rushed through almost a decade ago as part of the soaking experience that we'd dub F.U.Rain.
As always, we'd have a great time. Starting off - at least, for me - in the heart of Capitol Reef, we'd work our way through the Waterpocket Fold and up the switchbacks of the Burr Trail. We'd explore arches, overlooks and canyons of horses. We'd push our way down closed roads, only to find that our trucks ate up the terrain without any hesitation. We'd wonder at the temples in Cathedral Valley, and eventually we'd find ourselves overlooking the entirety of the San Rafael Swell.
In the process, we'd meet new friends, share some of our favorite foods, repair a couple of trucks, and spend more time around the campfire than ever before as we were Roaming Around the Reef.
Two Days Late - I was two days late - at least according to Ben @m3bassman - when I rolled into the camp site they'd found just outside Capitol Reef National Park. As usual, the first order of business was a round of hellos with Mike @Digiratus and Zane @Speedytech7, followed by some good-natured ribbing. It was Zane, as I recall, that predicted my arrival time most correctly - at least according to The Price is Right rules that we all seemed to disagree on - and it was Mike who grinned a big I told you so, when I moved my truck into…
Horse Canyon - We awoke amongst the Pinyon Pine to the barking of pups, ready for breakfast. Given that we were nearly outnumbered by the furry beasts, this wasn't surprising; in fact, they would be our alarm clock every day. Monte @Blackdawg quickly climbed down from his tent - letting them out for a bathroom break and a quick meal - before loading them back up and heading back to bed for another hour. Apparently this is their routine at home, as well! It was closer to 8:15am when the smell of coffee permeated camp, an indicator that Mike @Digiratus was up and…
Reef-ing on Cam Bolts - The pitter patter of rain continued on and off throughout the night as we slept along the edge of a mesa overlooking Capitol Reef and the Henry Mountains. We'd found this spot - a wide area that was once an old mining road clinging to the rocky slopes - the previous afternoon, but after a long day of driving, we hadn't investigated the road at all. Perched on the eastern edge of the site - as opposed to being nestled into the trees - sun hit my tent as soon as it crested the horizon. Knowing that I'd still have…
Cathedral Valley - Even with a big breakfast to make, no one was up early to get started on their contribution to the group breakfast. I'm not complaining at all - I hadn't brought anything to contribute except my growling stomach - simply noting the anomaly. Perhaps on this trip - one where we spent more time in camp than ever before - it was to be expected that we would get a slow start on our last morning together. Whatever the reason, I took a few minutes to backup the photos I'd take so far onto my laptop, and snap a few…
A Swell Ending - Racing east at speeds that'd rival those we'd hit on the highway, Monte @Blackdawg and I left Capitol Reef in our rear-view mirrors as we set our sights on the San Rafael Swell. We were pretty sure that by now - nearly an hour after we'd heard that Ben @m3bassman had a flat on the van - there wouldn't be any need for our help, but we kept our eyes peeled for the big silver beast as we covered the wide-open ground. Cedar Mountain filled our view as we wound our way through the badlands. Climbing out of a wash,…