“Wagon Trail” (Capitol Gorge in Capitol Reef National Park; Utah)
"Wagon Trail" (Capitol Gorge in Capitol Reef National Park; Utah) [1:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
"Wagon Trail" (Capitol Gorge in Capitol Reef National Park; Utah) [1:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
The Capitol Gorge spur road revealed no more than its next winding turn, one intriguing twist at a time. The vistas were vertical. Rocky skyscrapers of Wingate sandstone towered dramatically, enclosing us in a one-route maze. The pitted gravel road offered few options but “forward” at a measured speed.
Every so often, I slammed into my sensory limit, put the car in park and had the kids watch for non-existent cars out the rear window while I snapped off a couple of pictures.
We parked at the end of the road and set off on foot down a Mormon pioneer trail. In the hush, it wasn’t hard to imagine the distant creaking of wagon wheels.
Evening would soon sheath the canyon area in utter darkness, but we walked the first part of the trail -sadly notingpetroglyphs marred by not-so-ancient vandals.
Further along the trail is a Pioneer Register with the scratched signatures of long ago passers-by. Approaching darkness would have prompted those turn-of-the-century travelers to set up their night’s camp but sent us on a reluctant trek back to our car and a slow winding drive in dimming light.
