I had no trouble waking up early this morning for one very good reason. Pie. Capitol Reef is also a working orchard, and the historic Gifford House sells fresh mini fruit pies, cinnamon rolls, and bread each morning starting at 8:00 am. You better believe I was there waiting for the doors to open at 8:00 am on the dot.
I picked out a Strawberry-Rhubarb pie, a Mixed Berry pie, and two cinnamon rolls. They were still warm. I love the sweet breakfast treats, but I also like the walk along the creek from the Gifford House to the campground. With pies in hand, we enjoyed the walk back to our home away from home and then quickly dug into one of the pies and one of the cinnamon rolls.
The previous day's rain cooled off the area, so after enjoying our sugary breakfast I decided to set off to take the hike Kevin took the previous day before it got too warm. The one mile trail starts with an easy stroll alongside the Fremont River, but then rapidly begins a 500 foot ascent to the top of one of the bluffs. I HATE hiking hills, but Kevin assured me that the view was worth it, so I forced myself up the trail. I didn't see a single other soul during my journey, but I did see some breathtaking views along the way. Literally. Breathtaking. I was out of breath from my climb.
After enjoying the view from the top and catching my breath, I made my way back down the trail towards our campsite. When I left, we were undecided about whether we were going to stay another day or move on to someplace else, but when I returned to camp Kevin had packed up and was ready to go in search of a new adventure. Although we love Capitol Reef, it is still a National Park which means dogs are very limited about where they can go so they were getting a bit restless. So...we set out to find someplace they could play a bit while we relaxed. And...it would take us to another state--Colorado!
Along the way, we drove through Fruta, Colorado. The homestead in Capitol Reef that was originally settled by Mormons is known as Fruta, so we thought it would be neat to be in two Frutas in one day. After three weeks on the road we were both craving pizza, so we decided to pick up a pizza as we drove through the town. Once I had service, I used trusty Yelp to select the restaurant--a solar powered pizza place called Hot Tomato Cafe. When I looked at the map to find its precise location I made a surprising discovery--Suds Brothers Brewery II was located directly across the street! What are the odds of accidentally stumbling across the two brewery locations in two random towns in two different states in just two days? So...we took it as a sign and went in to have a drink while we waited for our pizza to cook.
After enjoying our brews, we picked up our pizza and climbed into the car to eat and put in some more miles. Tonight's destination--Vega State Park.
It was only about an hour drive from Fruta, and so in no time we found a campsite right on the lake nestled high in the mountains. We had only two neighbors all night, but we did see that every single campsite was reserved for the following night through the Fourth of July holiday! We were glad we were at least able to find a site for the night!
Once again Scout wore himself out in the water. Kevin spent a little time fishing with no success. I finished up another book (The Forgotten Girls). Then, we all enjoyed a campfire once we thoroughly lathered up in bug spray! The Mosquitos were out in full force at the lake! Before long, we noticed lightning on the horizon. We sat and watched the storm as it slowly rolled in. It seemed to take forever, but then all of a sudden the wind picked up and the rain began. Kevin and I quickly put everything away and jumped into the Scamp as the storm began to unleash its forces on the campground.
It was sooooo windy up on that mountaintop! We played a little Hive and then climbed into bed as the wind howled and the rain fell upon the roof. My favorite way to sleep in the Scamp!!!!
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