Capital Reef National Park

Driving in from the southeast we get a feel for the 100 mile long "waterpocket fold" that lifted up the land 5,000-7,000 feet about 65 million years ago.  The sun was hazy and cloudy so no good pics that day.  We camped in Fruita campground near visitors center fortunate to have arrived before noon and nabbed the last campsite in park.  whew.  Enjoyed the area and sat outside to eat our dinner that evening as the wind whipped up building up some fun weather.  next day found us with some sprinkles and drizzle which began to bring out the color. 

Me photographing Eaton's Penstemon (photo by Sraddha iphone)

I am sitting in an internet cafe in Torrey, UT,  typing as fast as I can because Sraddha headed out before dawn to drive the west side of the park and ended up 30 miles away at Anazazi Ruins state park in boulder, Utah where I am headed when I finish this blog post.  

Alive and well in south central UTAH (not LA,,hehe). Just departing Capital Reef National Park en route to Bryce Canyon NP. what a gem is Capital Reef and very secluded. The weather has turned cool and rainy with snow in high country. for a photographer, this has been a blessing as the colors of everything no longer washed out in the hot sun. here are some samples. This rainbow showed up in our back window and we immediately stopped to shoot the pic.

Rainbow looking south

Grand Castle

Golden Throne

No need for caption.  View says it all

Wildflowers just beginning to bloom in Capital Reef NP. Apparently there are some rare species in area. Not sure we saw any but we were fortunate to get a few photos. 2 different penstemons.

Eaton's Penstemon

Utah Penstemon