Overlooked and under appreciated, Capitol Reef is a miraculous place. History thrives within the park, petroglyphs from early natives and an established town built from nothing by fleeing mormons. Fruita, the town, still has the standing original blacksmith building and school house. The park service continues to farm the range of produce that brings the red desert canyon to life. However the early 1900 Mormon irrigation system is still working in full effect. This park is a combination of the giant red sandstone cliffs of Zion and the pastel color gravel mounds of Death Valley. It also has the peaceful “lack of people” essence like Voyageurs. It feels as if you’ve stumbled on a hidden gem. Although in between Bryce National Park and Canyonlands/Arches, this park gets very few visitors.
Zack and I were hoping for some fresh homemade pies that are made by people who still live on the land but they were closed for the season. We brought De’Von on a few dirt roads, just so we could see a bit of the park most people don’t. The petroglyphs are probably the most remarkable thing about this park. The ancient drawings look like alien people, you can’t help but wonder.
After exploring around we decided to head to Goblin State Park, named for the small weathered rock that are funky shapes. We hiked around, found some slot canyons, and photographed the ever changing sunset sky.
We were planning on sleeping there but with Moab on our minds we decided to go for it. We could see the lights of Moab from hundreds of miles away just tempting us. We were excited to get a real dinner in the city after eating all the food in our cabinet over the last few days. After Zion and the addition 2 people on board with us, we cleared out most of our rations. The night in Capitol Reef we ate graham crackers and 3 clementines each so safe to say we needed a massive dinner.
Living for a Living 
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