Orchards in the Desert

The Castle, Capitol Reef NP

Moab, Utah

Apparently, each night while we're asleep, someone breaks into the car and litters it with brochures, napkins, seeds, mud, receipts, and other debris. Mice may even be living in it! If these vandals don't clean it up, I guess we'll have to do it...eventually.

We toured Capitol Reef NP today. It got its name from early Mormon settlers who were reminded by the immense cliffs and mesas of  reefs that hinder the passage of ships. 

The cliffs and mesas we've seen defy my ability to describe. The scenery is simply amazing. The best I can do is say it reminds me of those old epic cowboy movies that used to be so popular. The parks we visited in 2010 tended to be very large, with numerous attractions that were relatively easy to describe. Yellowstone, for instance, has Old Faithful, the mud pots, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, buffalo herds, etc., each a distinct feature. Utah's canyon parks, on the other hand, are pretty much about one thing: their unusual geologic formations, e.g., Bryce's hoodoos. 

Nevertheless, Capitol Reef does have one additional attraction. Because the Sulfur and Freemont Rivers meet there and allow irrigation, early settlers developed orchards in a town now called Fruita. Serry and I picked apples. In the desert!

After the park, we drove on UT 24 toward Moab. UT 24 is designated as a Scenic Byway, and it certainly lives up to its name. Endless vistas of mountains, mesas, plateaus, canyons. As Serry noted, just when you think you've seen the most amazing scenery possibe, you go around a curve and it gets better.

Tonight and tomorrow night we're spending in Moab, a hip, trendy town in the middle of the desert. It gives easy access to both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, so it's a destination for tourists. Lots of restaurants, touristy clothing stores, etc.

Tomorrow Canyonlands NP.