33. Saturday Sept. 13-Capital Reef and on to Arches National Park

If we thought Torrey, Utah was lacking motels, try Moab, Utah in tourist season! More at the bottom...

Out of Torrey early heading through the Capitol Reef National Park, one of the lesser known Canyonlands Park System parks. Not terribly much to see that would differentiate the park other than the very sheer sandstone cliffs that come right up to the edge of the road.

On a short scenic route through a side of the park. Toni spotted more wildlife. These turkeys sure were used to humans.

Alongside the road in the park

Early white settlers tried unsuccessfully to farm the bottom land in the canyon but frequent flash floods routinely wiped out their efforts. There still stands a one room cabin that once housed the Isiah Cutler Bonhuin family of 10. The plaque in front of the structure stated the mother and father slept in the cabin, the girls bunked down in a wagon and the boys slept curled up in the sandstone caves around the area. They lasted 4 years before giving up the effort.

Original cabin "housing" a family of 10

Just down the road from this cabin was the local schoolhouse from the 1870's. Somehow, most of the furniture inside this exhibit was the original furniture from the school! There is a padlock on the door but the view through the windows is special.

Quite a back yard playground

Old school interior

Old school exterior log placement

Further down the road, we came across a series of petroglyphs on the red sandstone cliffs. The Fremont indian tribes lived along these cliffs thousands of years ago and left records in the stone.

Petroglyphs of the Fremont Indians

And now for the hotel situation in Moab, Utah. By count, there must be more than 18 motels in the city of Moab, just south of Arches National Park. We called 6 different motels listed on a map while driving toward the city and got the same answer at 5 of them: "No rooms available". There was one available for an outrageous price and we took it as we believed each of the other 5 hotels that there was not a room to be had in the city. """High Tourism Season""" was the reason.

We ended up in a Queen size bed room at the River Canyon Lodge. Very small room (reminiscent of rooms in London), pets have stayed in this room recently (witness the dog snot on the windows), one chair, but clean. Quiet remains to be determined as a tour bus just pulled up.

On a more positive note (we hope), Jeffery's Steakhouse is literally just across the street.

Anyhoo, tomorrow is Arches National Park and then up to Grand Junction, Colorado. From that point, either jaunt south a bit to a favorite town, Salida, or on to Denver.

Peace.......