Day 24: Capital Reef National Park ( part 1 )

Driving through the Southern Utah is like being constantly in the one big Natural Park. It is hard to find a road that does not dazzle you with the unforgettable scenery. Your eyes do not have time to rest ! And obviously it happened to us this morning as well. As soon as we stepped out of our hotel room at Best Western, Torrey we could admire the sensational views of the red cliffs of Henry Mountains just in front of our eyes. Then, after a good American breakfast at Red Cliffs Restaurant, we were ready to hit the Park. When you approach the Capital Reef from the East you drive through a deep gorge along the Freemont river. But when you come to the Park from the Western side ( as we did that morning ) you can fully appreciate and be impressed by its sheer rocky mass and glory of this 160 kilometers long wall of rock that runs through the desert north-south. I fell in love with the Park in an instant. But before we entered the main part of the Park we made a stop at the historic Barn and orchards in Mormon pioneer town of Fruita at the entrance of the Capital Reef National Park ( pictured above ). Here you can climb the ladder yourself, pick up the pears or apples and then leave 5 dollars at the special box. A self-service without the counter or salesman. This is the beauty of the "small town America". Maciek.