Everyday Life in Torrey

Even aside from the park, Torrey was an unexpected gem. We were truly our in the middle of nowhere, and it was amazing! 

All I needed was a little internet access and cell service, and the rest of the week was work heaven for me, with desert views just beyond my computer screen. 

Just down the street from our house, there was an awesome little trail on Forest Service land, and we took full advantage of it in the evenings after work!

When I was enjoying the views from my home office, Rachel and Nathan went for not one but TWO trail rides.

We took beautiful walks at sunrise in the morning and at sunset.

We even had a campfire one evening!

The one downside was that this town (which is a pretty grandiose term for Torrey) truly does roll up the carpet at about 6 pm - at least during the shoulder season. We celebrated Rachel's birthday here on October 28 (happy birthday, Rae!), and all she wanted to was a take-out meal from a local restaurant. Sadly, that wasn't in the card, and, short of real food, we ate s'mores for dinner instead.

When Friday came, we were sad to leave, but it was time to head east. Ever eastward!

Capitol Reef: Trails, Bandits, and Pie

Capitol Reef is an interesting National Park, in that it really blends into its surroundings. At Lassen, you pass through the gate and get floored by the amazing vistas; drive into Yellowstone, and you're suddenly dodging bison, elk, and bubbling mud pits; in Grand Tetons, it's impossible not to be overwhelmed by the uniquely massive and craggy mountains. Capitol Reef is amazing ... but everything around it is amazing too. Entering the park doesn't transport you to another world like so many others do. In a way, that's a little disappointing because we've come to expect a big jolt of amazement from our National Parks. That said, we're fortunate to have landed in a place where the unimaginable beauty doesn't stop at the park gate.

Saturday, we took both the high road and the low road. First, we took a pleasant, flat-ish walk into one of the many gorges in the Park.

This trail was particularly fascinating because it was once part of the pass through the imposing cliffs strewn about this area. And, like any human beings at any other time in history, travelers just couldn't help stopping to leave their mark. 

We saw "graffiti" and signatures dating back from pre-historic times, to the early 1800s, to (sadly) about a week ago.  

At trail's end, we climbed up a small hill out of the gorge and got a great view of the "domes" that gave the park its name.

Later that day, after a picnic lunch and drive around some pretty hairy dirt back roads, we made our way back to the Cassidy Arch trail. Local legend has it that this spot was a favorite hideout of the legendary bandit Butch Cassidy due to its remoteness and single point of access (great for ambushes!). But, even more exciting than the cool back-story was the hike itself, which was marked by unbelievable views, and, at the top, a vertigo-inducing 1,000-foot vertical drop. A good place to watch your step!

We saved our goofing around for solid ground!

Sunday, we hit the road early ... because today we had a deadline ... pie! Turns out that there was a small Mormon settlement named Fruita in the heart of the valley. The name comes from the abundant fruit orchards that the original settlers tended back in the 1800s, when this was a small, but thriving, community. Never one to let a cool opportunity slip by, the National Park Service has maintained a number of the historic buildings - as well as the orchards themselves. If you come at the right time of year, you can actually get yourself a basket from the visitor center and go fruit-picking in the National Park orchards. Imagine that! Sadly, we were here in the wrong season to pick fruit, BUT, they've converted one of the historic homes into a small store selling homemade pies. And, these pies are apparently pretty famous; they sell out by about 9 am every morning - hence, our rush out the door. Fortunately, the early bird got the worm, and we walked away with pies and fresh cinnamon buns.

Fortified with sweets, we headed out on the days' adventures, which included a morning scenic drive and an afternoon hike. Unlike our pie quest, we were less successful on the adventure front. Or, at least things ended up different from what we'd planned.

The drive part went just fine. We cruised about 20 miles of bumpy dirt road, which mean we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

When we eventually made it back to the paved road, the fun didn't stop. We climbed for what felt like a lifetime until this was our view!

Nate had also been jonesing for a little off-trail play time, so we found ourselves a nice little spot where we could have some desert free play. We threw rocks, climbed cliffs, and had a great time.

 After that was when the plan went off the rails. As we were heading to our hiking spot, it started to snow. Yep, snow. Mind you this a place is a desert that gets a small handful of snow days each year ... and we caught one of them! It was fairly warm, so there was some rain mixed in with the big fluffy flakes, and this is also a place where they give you healthy fear of flash floods. So, we hightailed it far from anywhere that might be flood-prone, and enjoyed a nice ride through the countryside instead of a hike.

That was a LONG day, and it felt nice to get back to our warm, cozy cottage.

  

   

Nathan's Stuff: The Horsey Adventure

 Yesterday I took a horse ride around Capitol Reef National Park, in Torrey, Utah. My mother and I rode through plains and trees and even a river. My Mom's horse was named Ben Franklin and mine was named Danny.  It was great. You should try it sometime!

Next, we are going to go to Montrose, Colorado and while we are there we will visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. I'm excited about celebrating my birthday in Colorado.  I'm really hoping that it will snow while we are there.  

Heading South (Mile 2,426, Trail Mile 77.95)

 The last couple of stops on our journey have been interesting, in that none of us had ever spent any time in the north west. I'm not even sure what to call it. Northwest doesn't sound right because that calls to mind the great Pacific Northwest - temperate rain forests and giant pine trees. But, it is the northern part of the western states: Idaho, Wyoming, Montana. 

We spent our last few days in Jackson enjoying this new and fascinating part of the country. For Nate and Rachel, that means lots of time strolling around town, enjoying the local vibe, and avoiding the unmasked hordes. 

For me, it means enjoying the view from my "home office." And, I certainly can't complain about my office in Jackson. It was the lap of luxury. I even had my own fireplace!

Jackson was also a great place for post-work family walks in the evening. There were a few amazing playgrounds just a few blocks away (though it was almost too cold to enjoy them). Rachel and Nathan also found the oddest thing just a short walk from our condo: a cemetery on the side of a ski slope. It had graves dating back to the late 1800s, so it clearly predated the hill's time as a ski resort. And, it was one of the strangest graveyards I'd ever seen: plots laid out almost randomly, some well-maintained, some fading off into the forest edge. Many were built into peculiar platforms, presumably because this was a steep hillside. It really ramped up the Halloween-y mood.

As much we enjoyed our time in Jackson, by Friday it was time to turn the family adventure-mobile south to more familiar territory: Utah, specifically Capitol Reef National Park. As it turned out, I had a brief discussion to lead during a work conference call on Friday morning. No problem, I thought. We'll be on major roads the whole way. What could go wrong? Rachel took over driving so that I could focus on my call, but fifteen minutes out, we were still completely without cell service! Resourceful as ever, Rachel pulled the car over on a dirt road on the highest hill we could find, and there we sat while I took my call. 

After that, it was smooth sailing for the rest of this LONG day in the car. We drove south through Park City and Provo, which were, of course, beautiful in their fall foliage.

We finally arrived at our quaint little cottage on a dirt road. What a view!

We sat out for a bit and enjoyed the view. We also took a stroll around the 5-acre property.

Then it was time to settle in with a good book on the couch.

Here's what our map looks like now.