It was another beautiful day to continue our exploration of Capitol Reef National Park. We started with the geology talk again at 10:00 a.m. Ranger Anne covered the same program as before with some new information. I think hearing it again always makes it a little easier to understand and remember, although, I still seem to have forgotten most of it.
The Rangers do a phenomenal job trying to educate us.
The imposing formation towering behind Ranger Anne is Castle Rock.
Cross Section of the Waterpocket Fold created during the Laramide Orogeny (a period of mountain building about 45-75 million years ago). Mesozoic sedimentary rocks (which includes Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous) draped over an ancient fault that was reactivated during this event. Later, erosion exposed the tilted rocks of the fold which is generally considered to be a monocline.
Capitol Reef has very few roads unless you include the unpaved roads that are recommended for four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicles only. Their main road, called Scenic Drive, passed through historic Fruita, which included several orchards. One orchard was in the campground between loops B and C. We wanted to check out the campground, so we walked through the orchard as well. There were more than a dozen mule deer wandering the orchard nibbling apples on the ground nearly oblivious to people.
The mule deer are allowed to eat all they want, as long as they agree to fertilize the orchards.
Only the apples and pears remain to be picked for this growing season. Each orchard has a pile of pole pickers and an honor system weigh station. You are encouraged to eat all you want while in the orchard and then, to take some home, just stuff some cash ($1.25 per lb.) in the box.
Over the week, we ended up with 8 lbs. of apples and pears.
Scenic Drive was pretty amazing, although the drive up the Burr Trail switchbacks set the bar pretty high. When the pavement ended, gravel road continued into the canyon.
At times, the canyon road was pretty narrow. Fortunately, there was not a lot of traffic and the only time we passed anyone the road was a bit wider.
Hwy 24 actually passed through this canyon and was the only east-west passage (without driving a hundred miles north or south) until they built a new paved Hwy 24 along the Fremont River corridor in 1962. I guess rock falls finally made it a hiking only path.
There were boulders that had fallen from the canyon walls everywhere. Many times it was obvious exactly where the pieces fit up above, like a giant 3-D puzzle. I was just happy none of the rock chose our visit as the time to fall!
The softer layers are eventually the mountains demise.
Heading back north on Scenic Drive, it was easy to see how the road got its name with the expansive colorful vistas in every direction.
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