Day 19: Temple of the Sun and Moon in Capitol Reef and a Quick Visit to Bryce Canyon NP

 Friday, May 31

We got up at 3:45 AM and drove the short mile to the Wayne County Information Center where we met our guide Jason Willard from the Waterpocket Adventure Co. for a 4x4 tour of the Cathedral Valley loop of Capitol Reef national park. This part of the park is a 71-mile dirt and sandy road that is partly in the park and partly on BLM land. It is HIGHLY recommended to have a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle so you don't get stuck. At one point, there is also a water crossing. So we hired Jason to do the driving for us in his Ford Expedition. A four-hour tour cost us $390 total. We left the information center at 4:30 AM and headed toward the famous Cathedral of the Sun and Moon, two behemoth rock formations that are emblematic of the park. When we arrived, there was a group of five Asian photographers in a Toyota4Runner blocking the road, but they quickly left and we had the hilltop view to ourselves about 10 min before sunrise. We watched the mood change as the blue light of predawn with pink dabbles of light in the clouds changed into the brilliant orange of the sun on the sides of the rock formations. Absolutely picture perfect! 

Unfortunately, I was not feeling well at all. I was very car sick and light-headed. I had mistakenly taken a lisinopril (old BP med) on top of my usual BP meds thinking it was a Dramamine and my BP plummeted. I asked if he had any salty snacks and he offered me a Gatorade and then showed me a plant in the desert that was edible which literally tasted like salt (I think it was called saltgrass but I am unsure). This stabilized me a little. Jessica really liked the nearby Glass Mountain made of gypsum. Then we swung around to the other side of the Temple of the Moon for a different vantage point. 

After driving back to Rt 24 the way we came, we then entered the Cathedral Valley dirt road from the second side of the loop, crossing a small stream in the 4x4. This road was much more bumpy and sandy and we never could have made it ourselves in the van. Here, we stopped at the Bentonite Hills on BLM land and so I was allowed to fly the drone again. Then our tour was over and he returned us to Torrey, where I tipped him for the extra time and the help with my low BP. 

After getting a few groceries for breakfast and lunch at the very expensive ChuckWagon in Torrey, we drove two hours southwest to Bryce Canyon national park, where we rested and had a nice picnic lunch. Then we did some of the first few overlooks--short walks from the parking lot because my BP was still low at 100/67. These photos are from Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, and Bryce Point. This wasn't our first rodeo in Bryce, so we kept it short and sweet. 

Just a few miles outside the entrance to Bryce Canyon NP is the famous Ruby's, which has a hotel, campground, groceries, gas, etc. We got some more groceries here and tanked up on $4/gal gas. Then we drove back toward the park entrance. Only one mile before the entrance, there are plenty of lovely free dispersed camping sites in the Dixie national forest, where we set up camp and had dinner before hitting the bed early!