June 2, 2022, Thursday. Kodachrome Basin State Park, Capitol Reef National Park

This morning our first adventure is to find breakfast. We go back to the restaurant where we ate dinner last night, they said they open at 7 am. We walk across the street, try to open the door, it is locked. We wait a while for someone to come and open up, it does not happen, so we determine our best bet is to look for another restaurant. We go back to our room, finish putting our bags in the car, and begin to drive. Near the end of the town, there is a sign that says breakfast. We inquired and were directed to a Sinclair station next door that has coffee and has a breakfast menu. We wonder what it is about Sinclair gas stations that they also provide breakfast? We go it and find a limited menu but we find something we can be satisfied with, and soon we are eating.

Next stop is Kodachrome Basin State Park just a few miles down the road. We read that they have some unique formations and it is overall a beautiful spot. The unique formations are called sand pipes. There are also other sandstone formations that make a visit worthwhile. After about an hour and a half we move on.

The drive to Capitol Reef National Park takes about two and a half hours. We take route 12 and stop at the Kiva Koffee House for a coffee and a raspberry pastry. Route 12 has been described to us as scary because of the curves and ups and downs and occasional narrow roads as it crosses a 9.000 foot mountain. So we brace for the worst. In the end, it was not as bad as expected.

The area that is now Capitol Reef was formed by the convergence of two geologic plates, which pushed some parts of the land higher than others, and erosion by water and wind wore away the softer stone and left the harder parts, which is what we see. There are a couple unpaved roads for cars that go deeper into the formations than most roads go, so it was a treat to be able to go in among the rocks, which would normally only happen when hiking.

Again we are awed by the huge rock formations of many different sizes and shapes. When we have seen what we can see without hiking by foot, we leave the park and drive towards our hotel for the night, a drive of two and a half hours.