Day 28 (Life's a peach)

Day 28
July 19, 2006
Bryce Canyon NP, UT to Capitol Reef NP, UT (127 miles)

In spite of having to fold up the trailer wet, we were on the road by 9:30 AM. The drive from Bryce to Capitol Reef via Utah Route 12 was absolutely spectacular. In one stretch of approximately 70 miles, there are 3 National Park Service properties, three Utah State Parks and a National Forest. To be honest, the whole distance could be a national park—it is that beautiful. As you depart on Route 12 from Bryce Canyon, which is actually a plateau with a notable edge, not a canyon, you immediately descend several thousand feet to a valley floor where Tropic, UT, population 460, quietly exists. From there the road climbs up, over and through several more plateaus, mountains and valleys, each topping the previous with vistas and rock features straight out of a Road Runner cartoon. At one point the road is routed along a ridge top that is no wider than the road itself with significant drop-offs on both sides. It was sort of like driving up to Angel’s Landing! One segment of Route 12 had a 12% grade that we pulled in first gear (4,000 RPM) at a maximum speed of 21 MPH.

Slowly. impossibly dry air gave way to higher and more lush terrain as we began a LONG and steep climb into the Boulder Mountains. The Boulders were covered with pine and aspen groves that reminded us of the Colorado Rockies near Silverton. Just past the 9,300 foot summit we suddenly drove into a tremendous thunderstorm with cloud-to-ground lightning and pea-sized hail. We got to see firsthand flash flooding in the wash that paralleled the road during our descent. As we have experienced so many times on this trip, the storm’s edge was definite, and within a tenth of a mile we transitioned from hard rain to dry pavement and sunshine. The only sign of the storm was the black clouds in our rear-view mirrors and muddy water rushing down the mountain beside us. Very strange for us!

Dad and Mom checked into the Torrey Schoolhouse Bed and Breakfast and we set up camp at Thousand Lakes Campground, about a mile down the road from them, in Torrey. We then drove to the park and viewed an orientation slide show at the visitor center. Before returning to the campground to cook dinner, we visited an historic 1-room schoolhouse (not the one where mom and dad were staying) in what was once the town of Fruita, which is now contained within Capitol Reef National Park. Fruita was settled by Mormons in the 1800s and became known for numerous fruit orchards (peach, apple and pear) that the Mormons planted there. The orchards survive to this day, managed by the park service.

It just so happened that the Johnson Orchard was coming into season tomorrow, beginning at 9 AM, so we made plans to be there at that hour. The rangers at the visitor center told us that the peaches will be picked clean in only five hours, so if we want some we had better get there early.

The air was cool and breezy in Torrey this evening. Enough so that we zipped up the trailer all the way before bunking down for the night, with visions of fresh fruit dancing in our heads.