(Day 1)Have you ever been to the Sunglow Cafe in Bicknell, UT? Did you know if you stop in for lunch you can get a piece of Sweet Pickle or Pinto Bean pie from a busty Wayne County waitress named Wanda? (Sorry, I didn't get a shot of Wanda ... or the pie.) This last week Marco and I escaped to Capitol Reef. I have to say that Marco and I have a Wayne County romance. Ever since our honeymoon here, we try to get down to the park once or twice a year. (Here's an interesting factoid: In almost seven years of marriage, we have only spent 24 days alone with out kids. Katie and Liz were 16 and 14 when we got married and Xan came along 15 months later. Thirty six hours alone is a definite novelty. It only happened with very special help from Auntie Kimmy. Hey Kim, how did Xanny get the black eye? So sorry you didn't get any sleep.)
I have to say if I could travel in time, my first stop in Utah would be the day the dam broke during the deposition of Lake Bonneville creating the Onieda Narrows. But my SECOND stop would be to see how life was lived in Fruita, Utah around 1910. This was a tiny Mormon colony, right in the middle of Capitol Reef, that luckily missed being sent to dreary Hanksville just 23 miles down the river. It had the perfect combination of geology, soil, water and climate to keep them isolated but perfectly self-sufficient. The park still maintains the orchards around the barn shown below. One of the trails is marked "Cohab Canyon". Any one have a guess as to how it got it's name? I will make a Sweet Pickle pie to who ever has the right answer.
Lower down past the park the Cottonwoods are still golden yellow. Capitol Reef is surprisingly high in elevation. Loa is just about 7,000 feet , about the same as Park City. In comparison ... our house in Orem is about 4,200 ft in elevation and Utah Lake is right at 4,000 ft. Spring City is 5,200 ft up. (Don't ask me why I know this -- I really like topo maps. Actually I have a thing for just about any type of map.) The sky was so blue next to the red cliffs and yellow stripe of trees. November is a beautiful time of year for southern Utah.Thanks, Marco.
12 comments:
'cause that's where those lucky men, with their harems, were hiding from the law. just guessing.
i mean "harried" men, not "lucky" men. after watching a couple episodes of big love...gotta feel bad for the henpecked.
oh, i'm so happy for you! ethan and i will have 4 days without the kids at home at the end of the month... we will make it to the 10 year mark...
i feel crazy lucky.
I forgot about that. Xan had a little run-in with a parked shopping cart in the frozen food isle. I think he forgot that he wasn't the real superman because he ran as fast as he could from one end of the isle to the other end of the isle without looking up once and that lead to a big disaster. Some dear old lady feels horrible that her shopping cart has a big dent in it from a sweet little boy. She had her back to him and never saw what happened. She was just as confused as Xan was, where did this kid come from and Xan was thinking where did this shopping cart come from. And I was on the other end of the isle shocked because there is no telling a speeding Xan to stop once he has left the start line. A Xan in motion tends to stay in motion and a shopping cart at rest tends to stay at rest. Sorry. Hope his eye feels better.
Great pics! I feel like I've had a virtual vacation. Pack me in your trunk next time--I guess that might take some of the fun out of it for you, but have pity on someone who needs to get out more!
thanks for the lovely pics of one of my favorite places, and hooray for the sunglows crazy/delicious pies! as for green paint, the color really is called alfalfa, I'm not sure what company it was from, but it is delicious!
Dang, somebody beat me to the sweet pickle pie.
Now you've put me in the mood for a hideaway. But with just one man and one woman.
Raquel - You are the winner of polyg-pickle-pie!! Also, I think the real reason they did away with the practice was because of multiple mother in laws.
Mirjam - 4 days? Wow, just think of all the home repairs you two can get done. We would definitely start with the garage.
Kim - Don't sweat it. A black eye is a good look for Xanny.
Zina - Alfalfa?? Oh the stress of picking the perfect green. I might have to come by and see it in person. I could hang my kids on your wall and see how they look from across the room.
Geo - Ironically, I think it was just for the men-folk. They say it was the hide out when they had to RUNOFT and hide in a cave. They had supplies for up to 4 days if and when the Feds would come a-lookin' for the poor fellers with multiple mothers-in-law.
those pictures are so incredibly gorgeous! you solidified me and dave's wishy-washy plans for a road trip over the christmas break. we're staying in capitol reef and/or zion before hitting the valley.
Beautiful photos!!! Lonnie and I also spent our honeymoon in Capitol Reef. We loved the little B&B we stayed at in Torrey.
Lonnie really appreciated your mention of the Lake Bonneville flood as well as your interest in maps. He hopes that our children will one day be as conversant in geology as you are. Your dad must have trained you well.
Brian and I also spent our honeymoon right outside Capital Reef (in the real Happy Valley). And I had some pickle pie this summer and loved it. We are part of Pie of the Month International, and Wayne County has been declared a pie haven, receiving several prestigious Golden Pie Fork awards. Sadly, the Sunglow is for sale again and the pie may be in danger! We have the recipes though, for the pickle, pinto bean, and the Sunglow apple lemon. Andi, you would love the pie club. Check it out at pieofthemonth.org. Let us know if you need any recipes.
Brooklyn - Skip the Valley and stay in Capital Reef. I have a couple of B&Bs I could recommend for Torrey.
Rusted Sun - How thoughtful of Lonnie to notice that little aside. I lay awake at night trying to picture the deposition of Lake Bonne. as well as the rebound of the Bonneville shore line. Imagine the whole mountain range lifting up several feet after loosing all that water.
Annie - This reminds me, I need get my sister, Marcia to write up something about her famous pie crust recipe. Sistah ... what say you?
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