The Pioneer Trail into the Middle of Nowhere - Capital Reef National Park - Fruita, UT

Mother's Day in Moab, UT was a bit ironic ... to escape the major snowstorm hitting Colorado and Utah, we holed up at Canyonlands RV Park and we did what mothers do everyday around the world ... we cleaned, did laundry, bought groceries and cooked food ... all to take "advantage" of a cold, rainy day.   We did visit briefly with Wendy Lee, owner of Chile Pepper Bike Shop in Moab,UT, to share Hillary's greetings with her.  We spoke earlier in the day with Hillary and she said that one of her competitive mountain bike racing colleagues owned a bike shop in Moab, so we went to visit.  Wendy seemed  both a bit surprised and pleased ... and wondered what it would take to get Hillary and Sander out to Moab for some "biking" ... although I get the distinct sense that her use of the word "biking" differs significantly from out use of the word.

We headed out of Moab on Monday leaving the comforts of Canyonlands RV Park behind and headed out for what we hoped would be warmer (and snow free) climes ... Capital Reef National Park in Fruita, UT.  

The drive was uneventful but we were quite struck that the pioneers coming this way must have been quite awestruck by the intricate maze of canyons covered by dry scrublands ... all seeming to be uninhabitable without the benefit of water ... water defines everything in this terrain.

The Fruita Campground in Capital Reef National Park is a treat ... the campground is placed in the midst of the historic fruit orchards of the Mormon settlers in Fruita and the intersection of Sulphur Creek and the Fremont River.  The orchards remain and are tended by the U.S. Park Service (and the fruit is free for the picking in season).  

And, as always, we (I) must visit the Visitor's Center and watch the video (quite good) ... and examined the exhibit on the Waterpocket Fold (named by John Wesley Powell) for one of the longest monocline folds in the world that basically folded over itself under pressure and the eroded the folded layers creating an other worldly geologic environment.

Enough for one day ... and we hunkered down for a cold (freezing) night, snug in Bambi (thanks to a gas furnace).