At our boondocking site we had neighbors next to us. Three women with five or six young girls all in the eight to eleven age range camped next to us. They set up one tent plus a row of six sleeping pads, pillows, and sleeping bags with plans to sleep under the stars. Without morning dew and no mosquitos sleeping under the stars in this part of the country is a great option. Anyway, around 11 PM it starts to rain as we think of our neighbors and their outdoor shower. We hardly hear anything from the group and we are awestruck that the young girls remained silent. The showers only last a short while yet in the morning we find three tents up with nobody outside. They impressed us on how efficient they worked. The three women are up shortly after sunrise and start off hiding Easter Eggs. Once the kids are up they start their morning with an Easter Egg Hunt.
We break down our camp 5 miles outside the small town of Boulder, Utah and continue on Utah Route 25 that winds up and down through canyons, over mountains, and in valleys. The rock formations and views are simply amazing. The road climbs to 9,600 feet above sea level and the ground is covered with snow, yet the highway is clear and dry.
After photographing a bit along our route we stop at the Wayne County Visitor Center to gather information helping to plan our day. It’s a helpful stop and we realize there is way more to do in the area than time we have budgeted. We’re back in the truck heading into Capitol Reef National Park. This National Park has not been on our radar as a place we must see yet the landscapes are incredible. It’s the least visited of the 5 National Parks in Utah. The others are Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, and Arches. Capitol Reef is a sweet gem. The park’s name comes from a rock formation that resembles the Capitol Building in Washington and from a reeflike formation that is a hundred miles long. It’s also called a water fold.
The park campground is full so we stop at the visitor center for more information on the park and if there is a place we can leave our camper for part of the day. The amphitheater parking is our spot. Leaving the trailer we head south on the Park’s 20 mile Scenic Drive that ends in a wash with high cliffs on either side. We take a hike in the wash and see where pioneers wrote their names and dates on the canyon walls. Many of the names were written in 1888 and a group of names on the canyon wall which could only done hanging from a rope from the cliff top. Those were from 1911.
After finishing our hike and completing the scenic drive we pick up our trailer and continue east out of the park. Our next stop is a beat-up purple store that says Café and Cheese on the outside. It’s open but normally we would not stop at what appears to be a dive. The man back at the Wayne County Visitor Center told us about this place. It’s a fifty acre organic farm and Randy, the owner, makes outstanding goat cheeses. We stop and check the place out. Randy is there along with a woman who is running the store. We are asking about the goat cheeses and Randy does not engage in conversation. Rather he difers to the woman. We then ask her about the feelings and thoughts on the US President’s executive orders to reduce Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument by huge amounts Randy engages in the discussion. Bears Ears is sacred grounds for the five Native American Tribes in the area. Both places have rock formations that sometimes indicate oil and uranium deposits so the reduction of protected land is an attempt to create wealth for a few people and corporations and destroy the fragile ecosystems. We learn lots.
We head back to the truck as a Ranger comes in and chats with Randy. Next the Ranger approaches us and asks us about our camper. He’s looking to purchase a small Airstream and has many questions so we ask if he wants a tour of our camper. He accepts and we have a great conversation. He grew up on the East Coast but moved out west for college. He loves the West and does what he can to protect the lands. He’s a Ranger for the Bureau of Land Management. We ask about recommendations for dispersed camping for tonight and he recommends a place called Turkey Knob about 35 miles ahead.
We find Turkey Knob and are camped about half a mile off the highway and it is beautiful. Take a look at some of the photos posted below.
Seeing North America 