Summer Vacation Trip - Day 10

We both were awake by 0700 and ate breakfast in the lobby with our hotel owner, Catarino, who had been a great host for two of our nights in the area.  Both Mollie and I thought his family business story was very inspirational.  By 0800, we left Blanding on US-191 (south).  We had earlier discovered that gas prices on the Reservation were about $0.30 cheaper than in the main towns, so we drove a bit out of our way to fill up and were not disappointed (0835).  Mollie is proving to be very good at squeegeeing the windows!  After we had a full tank, ‘Sherpa’ (our rental car) took us west on UT-95.  The drive through the southern edge of the massive Bears Ears National Monument included some impressive terrain and geological formations.  It wasn’t too long before we reached our first stop of the day, Natural Bridges NM.  The temps were in the low 70s but we knew the heat was coming.  I hoped to squeeze in a hike before the direct sunlight was unbearable and time was short.  In this regard, the NPS Ranger at the Visitor Center was really helpful, suggesting stops (for both views and hikes) on the park road that followed the canyon edge.  He also gave us ideas for a route around Grand Staircase-Escalante NM and pointed out the iconic Bears Ears (two tall buttes to the east that were visible from the building).  Mollie got another NPS Passport stamp and then we made stops to view the Sipapu Bridge and Kachina Bridge from the overlooks.  We also parked for a short hike to the base of Owachomo Bridge.  As it has been for every day of the trip, the sky was clear and crystal blue and the sun angles accentuated the colors of the rocks (cream on the bridges and bright red on the surrounding bluffs).  It was shady and breezy in the canyon and we would happily have stayed there for hours if we hadn’t had more places to visit.  We saw a great view of the “Sleeping Ute."  Glen Canyon wasn’t located too far away but the closure of the ferry at Halls Crossing made the planned drive a bit more complex.  I was very happy that I had my trusty navigator!  We continued towards the northwest so we could visit Glen Canyon.  The drive in was calm and void of almost all vehicles.  Upon arriving at the edge of the NRA, we marveled at the gorgeous red rock canyons that the road followed.  Mollie was able to take pictures out the window and but she was much happier to stop at an overlook that had a great view of Lake Powell.  Nearby, Mollie noticed a canopy tent in a campground that had the West Virginia University logo on it.  Because we were only missing three state license plates from our game (and West Virginia was one of them), Mollie insisted that we turn around to go check the license plate for the car that was parked next to it.  Sadly, though, it was “just” a Utah plate.  We continued on UT-95 until we reached UT-278 and I made the decision to try to get Mollie a NPS Passport stamp at the Bullfrog Visitor Center.  There were usually other options, but the long “detour” was required because the ferry that would normally allow us to easily reach the Bullfrog area of the NRA was closed (because the water levels for Lake Powell were too low).  Undeterred, we then drove to the NRA entrance on 40 mile long road (speed limit was 65 mph) with very little traffic.  Unfortunately, we had to wait a long time for a second gate to open before we could get inside the park.  We then stopped at the Bullfrog Visitor Center (1215) and Mollie ran inside to get her stamps.  When she returned, she described her quick conversation with the ranger about time zones and bamboo cutlery.  It was unbearably hot at this location (over 100 degrees), so we got back on the road and didn't feel bad that we hadn’t spent much time outside.  We ate lunch in car (leftovers, snacks) on the way back to the main road.  Earlier in the day, we’d asked rangers about the best way to get to our next stop (Capitol Reef NP) and learned there was the paved road we were on and a gravel road (alternative) that had even more amazing views.  I really wanted to take the latter route but wasn’t sure about the rental car - in the end, we took the former route instead.  This caused us to have to backtrack on UT-278 for 40 miles.  One consolation was that we actually had internet service temporarily and Mollie was able to get the map application working.  Mollie also called her mother and had a disagreement about the quality and quantity of her photos (???!!!).  Meanwhile, we continued to appreciate Glen Canyon's beauty from within our nicely air conditioned car.  By 1350, we were back on UT-95.  A little later, we reached the town of Hanksville (UT-24) and we began to notice unique canyon features unlike anything else we had ever seen.  Some hills were different colors, and others were different shapes - we thought some looked like watchtowers.  I told Mollie that if the park was anywhere near as interesting as the area surrounding it, we were going to have a great time.  We arrived at the Capitol Reef Visitor Center at around 1500.  Mollie got the NPS Passport stamp and we explored the small museum a bit.  Then we drove around the park to explore, starting with the Ripple Rock Nature Center in the Fruita Historic District.  The woman working there told us which roads to take and broke the news to Mollie that animal sightings were unlikely.  We also learned that we wouldn't actually be able to see the “waterpocket” that made the park spectacular.  I realized that whoever planned the roads in the park must have decided that it would be a great idea to make the road through the “waterpocket” accessible for 4WD vehicles only.  The only other way to see it was to hike several miles out onto a ridge to get a glimpse of the valley.  Unfortunately, it was too hot to hike and we didn’t have a four wheel drive.  After this, we “settled” for driving on some dirt roads that branched off of the park's Scenic Drive.  These took us through beautiful canyons, so the visit wasn't a complete loss.  We located a few interesting trail heads but didn’t venture too far away from the car.  Mollie eventually commented that we’d “run out of things to do in the park”, so I turned back toward the park exit.  On the way, we stopped at the Gifford House to buy some cherries that the woman at the nature center had told us about.  Unfortunately, the store had already run out for the day.  Instead, we were able to enjoy some of their homemade ice cream.  As we passed the nature center again, we saw four mule deer sitting under the trees in the shade - Mollie got a lot of pictures of them.  After leaving Capitol Reef, we stopped at a roadside pullout so Mollie could take photos at Panorama Point.  We found another license plate there and then drove west until we reached Bicknell.  I found an inexpensive place to stay (Sunglow Motel) by 1645.  A bonus was that they had an attached restaurant with free drinks and discounts on meals.  We ate a relaxing dinner there and had a nice talk with the waitress, who told us she had moved to the town from Salt Lake City and loved it.  Mollie told me that she’d really enjoyed the day (“I learned a lot about geology and saw lots of beautiful things").  We were done eating by 1840 and Mollie spent time in the room writing post cards for her friend and posting on Facebook about our day.  Meanwhile, I went walking in the quaint little town after sunset - it was SO pleasant!  I found out they had a small movie theater and discovered that we’d just missed the last movie of the night - too bad... When I got back to the room, I watched TV with Mollie until about 2300, when we went to bed.