June 16, 2004 - Capitol Reef - Part 6

Our last day here we decided to hike up to see the Hickman Bridge, a two-mile round trip "moderate" trail.  I carry some water in each side of my fanny pack, and we got a kick out of the brand.  Utah has a large Mormon population as you probably know, and their religion prohibits them from drinking alcohol.  That white rock is the Capitol Dome where the park gets its name.  The "Reef" part of the name was given to it by the early miners who were mostly seafaring men.  To them, any barrier to their progress was a "reef," and there were plenty of barriers to travel in this place, and the name stuck.

This was perhaps the most difficult of all the hikes we made.  Perhaps because of the late hour, lots of heat, no shade, and constant uphill climb to get here.  I took plenty of pictures of it because of the effort, though this natural rock bridge was quite impressive.  Was glad to see that river and the Jeep again, you betcha.

Finally managed to capture this Chukar.  Barb had been seeing them all over the place where we're parked, and we could hear their distinctive call, but shooting one was another story.  Wary birds, and quick to run away.  About the size of a small hen with distinctive orange legs and bill and striped wings.

Remember way back there and I showed the thermometer at 115 degrees outside and mentioned that Barb was under a tree near a sprinkler?

Well, I didn't mention that the little gnats (tiny black bugs that buzz in your ear canals and get between your eyes and your glasses) were all over the place today.  She found a solution to the nuisance.  Cute, eh?  She bought this head net who knows how many years ago, and today it came in handy!  (She knew it would.)