Capitol Reef National Park

If speculating about the location of Capitol Reef National Park in a trivia game, I might have guessed one coastline or another. In fact, it's in south-central Utah. Apparently early prospectors who had sailed the oceans and were wary of reefs reacted strongly to the nearly 100-mile impenetrable sandstone barricade called the "Waterpocket Fold" jutting out of the earth. Native Americans lived along the Fremont River and Mormons settled in the 1800s, planting thousands of fruit trees which are still there. 

Hannah and I did the few dog-friendly hikes allowed and it was too hot to leave her in the car so, again, I found myself weighing the pros and cons of traveling with a canine. The app "Bring Fido" is helpful and I can understand the National Park policy of "paws on the pavement," but it's limiting. 

The campground was full so I took advantage of BLM's dispersed camping at a beautiful spot along a creek. There was no one else around which, we understood after getting out of the van.  Even with bug spray on, swarms of big bottleneck or horse flies attacked mercilessly. I slapped and waved them away frantically, spraying myself and them directly with bug spray but they weren't fazed. Hannah and I both sprinted back to the van where we enjoyed the view through the screened windows.

Petroglyphs from about 500 AD Mormon settlers Elijah and Tabitha Behunin lived here in 1882 with their 13 children! Apparently the boys slept in a nearby cave and the girls in the back of a wagon.

The next morning, the bugs were gone and the view was wonderful ...