Torrey, Utah

I hit the road yesterday morning and headed west to Capitol Reef National Park. I had been there once before in on DaveTour 2003 but hadn't been able to do any significant hiking.

I wanted to see about hiking in the park and I was hoping to revisit Cafe Diablo, a restaurant I had enjoyed immensely on that visit six years ago.

Capitol Reef in an amazing area and worth seeing.

I got rained on twice yesterday, once on each of my hikes — something I certainly didn't expect before I started DaveTour 2009. It turns out this is a strikingly cool and wet year for this part of the country. All of the talk on the TV news (Salt Lake City) last night was about the wet weather (and the flooding).

The first hike was up a rather steep draw for about a mile — and back out quickly as I decided rain might be coming. I had rain gear so when it started raining I was fine but I was very happy I was off the trail when the "gully washer" hit.

My second hike was more strenuous but more scenic (and not so wet). I hiked the Chimney Rocks Loop trail in the western part of the park. The trailhead guide had warned me that the first part of the trail was steep and it was. The views were great. The guide also said the trail was three and a half miles but the markers on the trail totaled to 6+ miles so I'm not sure what the distance was. It rained during the last part of the hike and I was very happy I had my walking stick with me on the slippery rocks back down into the valley.

I spent the night in Torrey and was able to get dinner at Cafe Diablo as planned. This morning I plan to head south to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. I have a hotel reservation in St. George, Utah, for tonight.