Capitol Reef Part I

Here are some more pictures from this past summer. David and I took a quick weekend trip to Capitol Reef in southern Utah in August. David went there a lot with his mom and brother as a kid, and it's become one of our favorite places to go as a couple. Since I took more pictures than I could possibly hope to post (and more than you would ever care to see), I'll post some highlights of the trip.

We had some fun on the way down. We saw a half-sunken house...

...a beautiful sunset (although southern Utah is never short on these)...

...and the Manti temple.

Due to a series of unfortunate events involving our Jeep and a two-hour freeway delay for no apparent reason in Provo, we were a little late getting started on our trip. Therefore, by the time we got down to Capitol Reef, it was close to midnight and pitch black outside. So, we spent the first night of our trip in the back of the car, an experience I would not recommend and have no desire to repeat. I was so thankful  when I heard a nearby rooster crow, because it meant that the sun was coming up and I could get up as well.

See how happy I am to be up and awake?

 

We drove into the park after some hot chocolate and scrambled over some rocks for a few hours.

 

We decided to hike Chimney Rock, which was five miles round trip. I had to take pretty frequent breaks and was sore for about a week after, but it was still a lot of fun. Chimney Rock is in the background behind David and I.

While we were on our little hike, we found quite a bit of petrified wood. Here seems to be the remains of a prehistoric campfire:

Here's a close-up (yes, I picked it up, but I put it right back where I found it, don't worry):

 

David and I found the biggest chunk of petrified wood ever! Can you imagine the tree it came from?

David found an old wagon near the visitor's center and decided to give it a try...

 

It was really hot outside, so we decided to roll up our jeans and play in the Fremont River. This pose reminds me of Juno's "I am a craken from the sea!" moment. If you haven't seen that movie, do it. It's hilarious.

 

We found this amazing mud hut on the side of the river while we were there. Actually, no, we didn't. David built it, it's 3" tall.

 

Stay tuned for our more conventional second night of camping, fruit picking, and petroglyphs!