A week ago

Before we landed in WY for the summer, we went to 3 national parks. I've posted pictures of two of them, but never got around to posting pictures from Capital Reef, which is in Torrey, UT. It's a beautiful place, filled with colors similar to those of Bryce and Zion, yet the formations are different and mesmerizing too. Here are a few of my favorites. Right now I wish I was there, as it's still snowing and cold in WY, but it was warm and sunny there. We'll get some sun here, someday, I hope!

The desert varnish leaves streaks and strips, sometimes they are straight like this, other times they are less regular. This was a stunning example of straight stripes. We called it "Tiger Rock."

This was taken from the ridge. If you look way down, you see an amazing canyon and the meandering river that cut it.

This is the Dome that gives the National Park it's name. It looks like the dome of a Capital.

Not a good place to get lost. Even the trees are lonely.

Yet, it's springtime, so a few flowers were blooming in the red, hot soil.

The end of the road. There are 3 dirt roads in the park, as well as one paved road. Naturally we ventured down all of them. The track indicates there is some traffic behind the gate, but we did not see any. One more piece of evidence that says CRNP has not been discovered.

I call this picture "The Scream" because it reminds me of Munch's painting of the same name. We drove to the end of a dirt track then went for a little walk. There, looking at me, was this face in the rocks. It's huge by the way...well over 8 feet tall. I can hear it scream...can you?

Capital Reef is a beautiful place to visit. The last time we were there was 35 years ago (and we're not even that old). The nice thing about National Parks is their lasting beauty. Once a place gets into the system, it gets saved from the forces of development and "modern living." It's a good thing for the soul to have these natural places.