Capitol Reef

For a few months, we had been planning a trip to Capitol Reef for fall break.  With the amazing elected "officials" in Washington DC shutting everything down we assumed we'd have to cancel.  Thankfully the Governor of Utah received permission to reopen Utah's National Parks, so at the last minute, we threw things in the car and headed down for a couple of days.

The weather couldn't have been better for us.  The leaves were changing and the scenery was amazing! There is even a working orchard in the middle of the park.  We enjoyed eating the pie made fresh daily! Pie is one of my favorite desserts so we made sure to go there more than once. They even had strawberry sorbet Jonas could eat!

Apparently we are not the only creatures to enjoy the fruit...

While we may not be your most aggressive hikers, we managed to find a few hikes that suited our needs.  They were beautiful and at the bottom of huge stone canyons.  Our first day we hiked Capitol Gorge.  This time we took our reliable Phil and Teds stroller.   It managed but wasn't easy to navigate on certain rocky parts.

The next day we hiked along the Grand Wash.  This time we put Jonas in the pack and figured Nell could walk or ride on my shoulders.  You would think this was our first time traveling with children because we made such a rookie mistake!  We didn't bring an extra diaper.  After about 1.5 miles in we stopped to admire the rocks and let the kids play around.  I climbed up a rock with Devin and we were looking across the trail at Jonas and Nell who were playing happily in the red sand when I noticed a very familiar look come across Nell's face.  Any parent knows what I'm talking about.  I knew immediately she was pooping.  This was no minor poop either (naturally, as those only come when diapers are close at hand).  By this time she was tired of walking, it was the end of the day but I was not about to let her sit on my shoulders with that thing!  So, I carried her in the pack and had to endure the smell all the way back while Devin had to carry Jonas back.  Ah, the life!

A quick guide to hiking with the Osterhouts:

1. Starting the hike

2. Early on in the hike

3. Resting on the hike.  Lots of these with lots of pictures.

4. Pooping commences.  There is always a poop story with us.  Characters change but subject remains.  Can you tell what's going on here?

5. Hike over.  Getting child in backpack as carefully as possible.

6. I carry the stinker back to the car.  Smiling all the way! :)

Enough about poop!  If you know me well, you know I spend as much time researching places to eat as place to see.  (Great transition, huh?) It is all part of the experience in my opinion!  I heard about this amazing restaurant, Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder, Utah.  It did not disappoint!  In fact, I'd consider a trip back to eat there again.

Before heading to Hell's Backbone Grill, we took a drive on the Burr Trail.  At the bottom of a canyon we saw this brilliant yellow tree.  It was enough to draw us in and we pulled the car over to notice a small slot canyon behind the tree.  We were there early in the morning and had the place to ourselves for a while.  The beauty was breathtaking and the lighting was perfect.  This was my favorite part of the trip!

We drove on and enjoyed more views like this:

Jonas and I enjoying the view together.

Before heading back home, we were able to hike to Sunset Point and enjoyed watching the autumn sun set on Capitol Reef.  Another unforgettable moment.

How could a weekend with fresh fruit pie, an amazing restaurant and scenery like this get any better? Pretty sure it couldn't.  (Well, not having a really poopy diaper with no clean diaper on a hike could have helped a bit I guess.)