Puffer Lake

 We trailered our 4wheeler about 20 miles southeast of where we are staying.  We wanted to check out a mountain lake that we had heard about.  We unloaded the 4wheeler on the side of the road where the pavement ends.  We then proceeded up the mountain road.  It is a county road but there are warnings about avalanches occurring along the route during winter.  The road was fairly washboardy and is full of switchbacks going up so we were happy to be using the 4wheeler and not our truck.  When we got to the top I took a picture of how high we had come.  We started from down at the bottom where you can see the small patch of bright green grass.  

We got to the lake and it was a little disappointing with the water low.  I'm sure its beautiful when the water is higher and there is still some snow on the mountain tops surrounding it.  There are 500 acres for sale at the lake with water rights which is very important in this part of the country.   We didn't bother to check out the price but the good thing is if you come up the mountain from the city of Beaver side the road is paved.  We went back down the mountain the same way we came up toward the town of Junction.  It was a nice ride but a little scary when a logging truck loaded with logs came barreling up behind us.   We scooted out of his way and prayed we didn't meet another one on one of the switchbacks.  Luckily, we didn't have any more scares.  Every ride seems to have some little adventure to it.  

We are leaving this week and heading to Mesquite, Nevada for a few days and then into Arizona.  Its time to start heading south!

More Capitol Reef National Park

 A few more pictures of the park.  The geology here is what made it a national park.  They call it a wrinkle in the earth's crust that formed a waterpocket fold.  Over millions of years geologic forces shaped, lifted and folded the earth creating this area.  There are lots of different colors in the rock including reds, whites and pinks that make it really stand out when the sun hits it right.  The scenic drive would be best driven with afternoon sun but it is beautiful regardless of the time of day. Just south of the visitor center is a picnic area and fruit trees.  The "Fruita" region of the park is known for its fruit trees and you are allowed to sample some when ripe.  We didn't see any fruit on the trees when we drove by  them.  

The drive between the towns of Torrey and Hanksville is also pretty.  There are pullouts along the way with some hikes and you can get close up look at the creek.   There is a hike to a natural bridge which is about a mile long.  We wanted to do it but it was too hot the day we were there.  The town of Torrey has a choice of places to eat.  There were a few campgrounds that looked ok and several large hotels that cater to the national park crowd.  It was surprising to see the hotels since it is not a well known park.  I guess Utah is doing a good job advertising what they have to show off to the world.

Capitol Reef National Park

 We took a drive over to Capital Reef National Park.  Its about 120 miles from where we are camped so we just did a day trip there and back.  We didn't drive every mile of it but we managed to see most of it.  The visitor center was open but they limited the number of people that could go in at one time.  It was a small visitor center so it was understandable.  They were selling interesting jars of preserves.  They had squash pickles, apple salsa and sweet potato butter to name a few of the offerings.  

We did the 20 mile round trip scenic drive.  The road is paved but narrow.  There were some gravel roads you can also drive but they looked very dusty and nothing over 27 ft was allowed.  Our truck is very long so we avoid tight places.  It is a beautiful drive and it is hard to pick out two pictures from the drive.  I will do another post with more pictures next time.

Pink Mountains Majesty

 We like to go riding early in the morning.  The mountains that catch the sunrise turn a beautiful pink.  We also see a lot of wildlife when we are out early.  We have seen so many turkeys.  I will try to get a picture of the big toms -- they are bigggg.  We see lots of mule deer like the picture.  They look funny when they run because they kind of look like they are jumping more than running.  We have seen lots of white tail deer also.  The strange birds we have seen trying to cross the busy highway are chukars.  They are game birds like grouse but they have quail like markings on their face.  

It finally rained here and cooled off a little.  It might rain some more tomorrow and clear the haze out of the air from the fires.  There were a lot of fires going in Utah but they seem to be getting most of them put out finally.  The rain should help finish the job.  We are planning to get out and pan for gold in a nearby creek.  We found a tiny speck in the creek the last time we tried so we have some hope that we might find a few flakes.  

Sevier River

 We try to walk the bike and hike trail at least three or for times a week.  We are up to five miles roundtrip but it is still not enough to keep us slim and trim.  I guess its time to eat less also.  The trail follows the Sevier River.  This river is fed by all the meltwater from the snow in the mountains and numerous springs in the area.  This part of the river is below the dam and they keep it at a steady flow rate.  This makes it perfect for the rafters that use it.  There are several rafting companies that offer two hour raft trips.  The river flows pretty fast which makes it fun but not really scary.  The only drawback to the raft trip is the river follows the highway the whole way so you are close to the traffic noise.  

There is no snow left on the mountains by us.  A little farther south of us there are some mountains that are higher and they still have some snow but not much.  The locals are very concerned because their water source is drying up and the monsoons that usually happen in August haven't started yet.  Also, the temperatures are reaching into the high 90's which they tell us is unusual for this time in August.  We weren't expecting this kind of heat here and now we are worried about leaving here in a few weeks and heading farther south where it might still be way to hot!

SSSSSnakes

 We have been walking the paved biking/hiking trail by Big Rock Candy Mountain.  We like it because the trail is a fairly easy walk.  There are mile markers so we can mark our progress.  We are up to 4 miles round trip and plan to go farther.  The trail goes along the river so there are always birds, rabbits and of course snakes.  We are getting used to coming upon snakes and just leave them be and do their thing.  They seem to like the warm pavement.  

We don't know if these are rattlesnakes because the tails were so small it was hard to see if they had rattles plus who wants to really get close enough to check.   I cant seem to turn off the underline on this stupid thing.  Sorry   Anyway we don't want to kill snakes bull snakes actually eat rattlesnakes and all snakes eat lots of rodents.  

Big Rock Candy Mountain

Just down the road from the RV park we are staying at in Marysvale, Utah is the resort called Big Rock Candy Mountain.  It is a busy place along the Sevier river.  There is an RV park with nice shady spots down by the river.  There is a motel by the restaurant which is open and has great food.  The main attraction are the train cars that can be rented as motel units.  They are very popular and seem to be all booked up on weekends.  The mountain above the resort shows off its pretty yellow rock.   There is also a rafting company here so you can enjoy the rapids on this part of the river.  

We like to go down to this area and walk the paved biking/hiking trail that was made from an old railroad bed.  If you went the whole length you would go over 22 miles.  We like the first few miles starting at the resort because it has the prettiest views and the most shade.