The Road Less Traveled

When the day starts with a clear sky, warm sun and no wind, it must be a great day to go for a ride. We left Price and headed south through Emery and to the I-70 Junction then on to Loa, Hanksville and Capitol Reef. This is the second ride we have made to Capitol Reef in two weeks. The first run was made under some cloud cover and we ended up chasing a storm (or was the storm chasing us?) all the way. We had to stop in Loa and pull on our rain gear then we fought the wind, rain and even hail the rest of the way home. We had also forgotten to bring our binoculars and the camera! So it just makes sense, then, to call "overs" and make the trip a second time!

During our first drive through Capitol Reef, Keith and I both realized that we had never been there before. Kinda crazy that we have spent so much time in Southeastern Utah, but never enjoyed the scenery around Hanksville and Torrey. The red rock formations are quite different from those around Moab and with all the rain, the hills were green and lush. Spectacular views all around! We followed part of the Fremont River and saw deer, hawks, geese and ducks. The road was a little less crooked than this tree but in good condition (except for the every present Tar Snakes).

We took a break by the entrance to Capitol Reef and watched Fence Lizards poke in and out of the scrub brush. I walked down the path with some tourists from Canada when a giant 4 foot orange headed lizard monster (OK, so it was as big as my forearm and only 14 inches long) wandered out on the path. I'm not a really big fan of the whole "Jurassic Park" thing, so, when this Big Boy stood on the path, I proceeded to climb over the Canadian tourist. Apparently, he didn't like lizards either because he started yelling "Gila Monster, Eh!!!" and ran for his car! Of course, Keith isn't convinced of the existence of the giant because, believe it or not, we couldn't locate the lizard again, no matter how many sticks we used to beat the bushes! We did, however find the miniature versions of the lizard, so at least my story was plausible.

We stopped at Ray's in Green River for a stretch and dinner. We were pleased to see our friends, Jim and Starla walk in. They told us about the great time they had in Panguich while watching the Hot Air Balloons. Yes, we have added the event to our "To Do" list for next year! Got to plan ahead, you know?!?

Another great day cruising the back roads. We rolled into Price a little later than we had planned, but all in all, the day was most enjoyable and the scenery most memorable! This is certainly a ride we will want to do again!