Capital Reef camping trip

Last November we went on our last camping trip of the season to Capital Reef.  The campground was practically empty, and we enjoyed watching the wild turkey and many deer walk through the camp.  I went on many lovely walks next to the river in camp, and enjoyed the peace and quiet.  We also went on a day long off roading adventure though a scenic backcountry road.  We had to drive though a stream as well as drive over land that resembled another planet.  What an adventure it was! 

Our view from our camper.  This grove was full of deer almost anytime of the day. 

The campground had fun trees to climb next to the river. 

 

The river that ran next to the campsite. 

Cute little boy covered in dirt.  Is there anything better? 

Fun discoveries on one of our many hikes -

My boys LOVED this wide slot canyon.  It was full of rocks to jump on, holes to hide in, and walls to climb on.  I've noticed that my boys do much better on long hikes when they have things to explore, and objects to jump on.  My boys that normally complain when I take their picture, were begging me to take numerous pictures of them every time they found a new crevice to explore. 

Every evening the sunlight reflected off these red hills and created the most beautiful glowing background for our campground. 

Along the campground trail I discovered this dreamy path covered by Autumn leaves and surrounded by wise old trees.  It reminded me of a scene straight from an old country movie.  

One day we decided to explore the backcountry trails of Cathedral Valley.  This is a trip that takes most of the day and requires a 4x4 vehicle as the road is unpaved. We only saw a couple cars during our 6-8 hour journey. We had to drive through a small portion of the river which was a fun experience.  We spotted real cowboys trying to heard cattle, and came across some interesting sights. 

Driving through the river. 

Wesley found a real arrowhead on one of our hikes.  Due to the fact that we were in a national park, we told him he could not keep the arrowhead.  As sad as it was to leave it behind, I'm hoping to teach our children about protecting our planet, and respecting the laws of national parks. 

Glass Mountain (Selenite crystals) 

Temple of the sun and the moon