How many different ways can you say “AMAZING” exclaims Kristin, my fellow adventurer and co-pilot, as we navigate our way through Capitol Reef National Park.
National Scenic Byway 12, the road we took through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, leads you right to Hwy 24, which wanders its way through Capitol Reef National Park. So we hit this park after 124 miles of overwhelming beauty. By this time, Kristin and I had about as much “amazing” as a person can stand and were barely able to take any more in.
We stopped at the visitor’s center and watched the movie and scored some great merchandise, but both were eager to get to Green River and set up camp. I have to admit we did not do justice to this park.
One cool thing we did manage to do was stop at the park’s orchard and enjoy some fresh picked apples.
What I learned about the park:
Defining this park is the “waterfold”, a nearly 100 mile long warp in the earth’s crust that creates pockets in the land that hold water long into the summer months. This helps make the park an oasis in the middle of the high plains desert. After all of the rocks, cliffs and sand we experienced, it was a pleasant surprise to find such a lush (relatively speaking) fertile valley.
What I learned about myself:
Believe it or not, there may be such a thing as too much AMAZING. This trip reminded me to notice not only the obvious beauty (in Southern Utah you could not escape it if you wanted) but also to remember to recognize beauty in the ordinary things too.
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Some thoughts for you:
There is beauty of all kinds in the people and land around us. Beauty comes in all shapes, colors and sizes and is available everywhere. I encourage you to discover beauty in surprising places.
Remember — Get out there!!!
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Grandma Rocks the Park (GRP) 