Hello from Richfield, UT
Post started: Wednesday morning November 8, 2017 (Sixth post of this travelogue)
Posted to blog Thursday Morning November 9, 2017
Well, the tourist part of this trip is about done. More in a minute.
We are staying at the Holiday Inn in Richfield, UT (Google Map Link)
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We have been here for two nights – mostly as a holding location until we travel to Salt Lake for Pat’s convention. We have traveled through Richfield on our way to California many times, but never stopped. I have always enjoyed to wonderful mix of rock formations and beautiful hay fields. Last night we ate at a local café and just kind of absorbed the small town environment.
Now, let’s catch up on our tourist fun for the last few days. After we left Kanab we traveled to Bryce Canyon and stayed at Ruby’s Inn. We toured the park for about a half day. For the first time on this trip we had to put on our heavy coats. The temperature was not all that bad, but the wind was very cutting. Bryce Canyon is the opposite of Zion in terms of how you view the beauty. In Zion you are on the canyon floor looking up at the incredible sheer rock walls. At Bryce you are on the rim looking down at mind-blowing geological beauty. I have included one photo. But again, it does not begin to do justice to the splendor of rock formations.
Sunday (11/5) we travelled to Torrey, UT which is close to the entrance of Capitol Reef National Park. The route from Bryce to Torrey is via Utah 12 which is a real adventure to drive. Lots of curves, and one part of the road is at the top of a ridge with very steep drop-offs on both sides of the road. I really had to pay attention to driving, but I still got to enjoy the beautiful scenery. This highway is so unique that it has its own website: (link)
Our stay in Torrey was in a fun cabin (see photo). The cabin would have been even more enjoyable, but you had to be prepared with your own provisions (such as coffee). Also we had very little cell phone signal. We had thought about staying two nights, but the minor issues got to be too significant.
We spent Sunday afternoon and Monday morning touring Capitol Reef NP. It is a geological wonder with the layers that were formed over millions of years, displayed in canyon walls that are hundreds of feet high (at one location, 400 feet). I have attached a photo that barely does justice to the grandeur of the area. I pirated these comments from another site:
Like other parks in Utah, Capitol Reef is about geology. It is said that the area got its name because early visitors thought some of the rock formations, especially along the Fremont River, reminded them of the dome atop the U.S. Capitol.
The land inside the park is part of a 100-mile buckling of the Earth's crust, named the Waterpocket Fold by explorer John Wesley Powell because of indentations in the rock that catch rainwater.
I think I will “ring off “ for this post.