Another intermediate stop en route to Yosemite, or any where, is Utah’s canyon country. This painting commemorated my first visit here back in 1991. From Fruita Campground I used a mountain bike on Scenic Drive into Pleasant Creek. Capitol Reef is not to be missed. The 100 mile long Waterpocket Fold comprises some of this national park with domes, cliffs, gorges, and spectacular geology! My subsequent stays in the park took me to several districts since, including the Cathedrals, the Tanks, the Notom Bench road along the Strike Valley on the east boundary, Burr Trail up into the Circle Cliffs/ Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the Golden Throne trail, accessed here by Capitol Gorge. The Grand Wash, Hickman Bridge trail, Sulphur Creek goosenecks, Chimney Rock, the Castle and Navajo/ Capitol Domes are reached from the Fruita historic district along UT24, west from Hanksville and Goblin Valley/ San Rafael Swell off I-70 further north. Capitol Reef makes a great stopover to other parks in the region like Bryce, Zion, Lake Powell, Cedar Breaks, Grand Canyon, Great Basin, and Yosemite which is my upcoming project in April-May 2014. I did do the early morning hike here to the Throne’s base in 2012, just two year’s ago, going to Mojave/ Lake Mead. Watercolor.
manativeptwesterner 