Utah Road Trip - Capital Reef & Hog River Picnic Area

Tuesday, March 25
As much as we enjoyed Goblin Valley and our own private camping spot, we knew it was time to go. We had other places that we needed to explore. It took an long time to repack the van. We knew that it would all fit, but as it was all laid out on the ground it sure looked like it would not. We covered a lot of miles on this day. We stopped to use the bathroom and found that we needed to explore a bit at the Hog River rest stop. It did not look like much from the road, but it was a nicely diversion. The thin, shallow river was fun to walk in. Ellie had been hoping to get to play in the water so she was thrilled. In her mind she thought vacation meant that you could go swimming outside. It did not occur to her how cold it would actually be. Some spots in the river were even a bit warm as the sand held the warmth from when the sun had been there just a few hours earlier. We followed the river a bit and found a small trail that led to an interesting feature in the rock face. It looked like a natural amphitheater. When we got there the rest of the family had fun climbing on the rock piles. Larr found more petroglyphs. It would be a great place for a concert. Next we admired Glen Canyon and the north eastern tip of Lake Powell. At the viewing point there were two ravens who were enjoying playing in the breeze. They would sit on the very edge of the cliff, tossing their head in the light breeze, ruffling their neck feathers. Then they would leap into the air, gliding and hovering a bit before setting down on another part of the cliff’s edge. One would call to the other and they would begin again. Standing on that viewing point it felt like you could see for 100 miles in several directions. The winding tip of the lake below was a lovely green. The shoreline was dotted with new foliage. We also stopped and toured parts of the Natural Bridges State park. They had lovely spots for camping in the pygmy forest. The driving loop allowed viewing of the three bridges. The bridges were carved out of the stone by the river. In one case the river had changed course and abandoned the bridge it created. The third bridge is relatively young and is still actively forming when flash floods come through. The second bridge was spectacular. We might return another time and do the hike down to that bridge. It was already past five o’clock and the strenuous hike would require more time than we had. Larr and Ellie did the moderate hike down to the youngest bridge. Ethan and I chatted. Ethan had his fill of natural wonders for the day and did not feel like walking down for a closer look. Next up was section of road called the Moki Dugway. It is a gravel road of hairpin curves that opens up to a section where you can see nearly forever. It must have felt to earlier peoples like you could see to the ends of the earth. We happen to be there just as the sun was beginning to set. It was the perfect time to be there. The mounds and Knowles in the distance were set aglowing by the setting sun. The groups of rock formations were stunning. One set was the color of peanut butter. The one behind it was red and the one behind that seemed to take on a nearly blue shade. By nightfall we pulled into Bluff and checked into our motel. We were looking forward to having a nice shower and being clean again. We had a nice dinner at the Twin Rocks Restaurant. We tried real fried bread. It tasted a lot like a large sopapia. I double that it was authentic, but it was tasty.