A few days ago we visited Capitol Reef National Park. Capitol Reef may not be as popular or as spectacular say Bryce Canyon or Arches but perhaps that's why I liked it.
We went on one of the less popular walks in Capitol Reef, starting at orchards where we picked apricots from trees - the original orchards were planted by Mormon settlers many decades ago and along a small river ending on a rocky outcrop with spectacular views.
This walk had everything I could want in a walk - there were no other people, there was no litter on the trail, and striking scenery including a couple of deer or maybe the same deer on separate occasions. When we got to the top, we sat under a ledge and ate an orange - bliss.
Deer are the kangaroo of America - they are everywhere, and although they have cute big eyed heads, they often end up as roadkill and the redneck community spends time shooting them.
In Arches National Park, there were a lot more people - it is an extremely popular park. Walking the trails we encountered the underprepared - many people doing long hot walks without suitable footwear, hats, water or even shirts; and the unappreciative - a man complained to me that as his wife was mobility impaired he couldn't understand why there wasn't a road leading directly to one of the rock arches (perhaps so that the arch could be viewed in drive-by fashion like so much else here - fast food, banks and shootings).
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