EPH Hanks Tower

We then drove to the Grand Wash. It starts with a drive down a gravel road through a wide canyon. Then you walk 4.5 miles through the canyon to the parking lot a the other side. Or, you do like we did and walk as far as you like and turn around to get back to your own car. Our goal was to walk to the Narrows, in the very center of the canyon, where the walls are steep and the canyon narrow. We knew that is was the middle of the day and that the sun would be high but we expected to find some shade in the canyon. Turned out we were wrong. The canyon walk was very neat along the twisting and curving path as the walls came closer. We turned around somewhere near the middle knowing that by the time we got back to the parking lot we would be hot and tired.

We relaxed by driving back to the old homestead site and getting a snack at the farmhouse. We found Henry Weinhardt root beer and were very happy. We sat at a picnic table and just relaxed for a while. But, you know Scott, he can't sit still for very long. So, we were off for another hike. This one would be shorter and our last of the afternoon.

We hiked the Capitol Canyon at the very end of the scenic drive. Again, it starts with a gravel road down a canyon to a parking lot. We hiked on from there through the canyon. This used to be the road through the park used by early settlers. After every rain they would have to clear the rocks moved by the river waters. Sounds like work. But, they left their mark by carving their names in the canyon walls. We found old names in several places along the canyon.

We were tired after all of this hiking in the hot sun. It seemed that no matter when and where we hiked we were in full sun. We were ready to be done. The boys basically crashed once we hit the car. We drove back to the hotel and took showers and did laundry giving us all a chance to relax. Dinner was burgers and shakes at Slackers Burger Joint in town. Then we drove back toward Capitol Reef and stopped at the overlook for Goosenecks and Sunset Point. We walked to the goosenecks first which was jaw dropping. We had no idea that such a deep canyon was just beyond the rocks. Then we hiked Sunset Point and sadly the sun set behind the hills as we were walking. So we missed the perfect photo shoot with the sun lighting up the rocks. It was a great overlook anyway.Read more