In June we drove to Caineville for the Peterson reunion and realized we were there at the wrong time. So instead we jumped into plan B and explored some of the great parks in Southern Utah.
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| Jared suggested we visit the Caineville cemetery before we left. |
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| The kids geared up for the drive. The mesa is behind them in the window. :) |
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| Jared found us a great hotel for the night ...the closest one on the way out of Capitol Reef. Here is the view outside our door! |
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| Our twilight swim in these surroundings was kind of exhilarating. |
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| The next morning we left Torrey ready to explore along the Scenic Byway of Highway 12. |
The quaint guard station with biscuits cooked on the wood burning stove warmed us up first thing and gave us some maps and information. The kids got a bag of Smokey the Bear activities and goodies from the volunteer Ranger couple. We loved the narrow road along Hell's Backbone and the aspen forests around Boulder mountain. We found some places to stop along the way with great views for picnics and exploring.
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| Michael using the binoculars and bird book from Grandma and Grandpa |
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| This stop showed an ancient granary used by the native Americans in the area. |
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| and of course finding special rocks |
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| This area was close to Bryce near the end of the highway. |
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| Before heading home we visited some rock shops and had ice cream. |
We all agreed the unplanned family trip turned out great!
