Capitol Reef

Our campsite last week had this view of the Henry Mountains to the east.
To the west lay the terrain of Capitol Reef National Park - so called because of the white, rock domes seen in the area. Our ride into Capitol Reef started at a remote hikers' trailhead on the eastern side of the park, not far from Sandy Ranch. The sign shown below was unnecessary. No way any vehicle was going past this point. The terrain was just too rough.
The trail was poorly marked at first, and not marked at all after a few hundred yards. We ended up going up and down canyons, some steep and rocky, along and through a creek, finally reaching the Waterpocket Fold, the backbone of Capitol Reef.
Here it is up close and personal. That's snow you see in the crevices on the shady side of the canyon.
A surprise and highlight of the trip was this cave (Steve is standing in the entryway):

This one was even larger than Cowboy Cave. Although an archeology site sign was present, we found no other direct information, either there or online later. The Park Service site mentions that people of the Fremont culture lived in the area from 900 AD to about 1500 AD. Presumably, this cave (maybe we should call it an overhang, since it's only about 40 feet deep) was inhabited then.

This rock found under the overhang shelter shows signs of having been used as a grinding stone. The smaller dark pieces are potshards.

Tiny corncobs (the glove is there to show size) were scattered about in the cave:

A corncob and another grinding rock:
These strange petroglyphs might represent a snake. Or perhaps the peckings are a map of the river?

On the ride out, we saw this section of fossilized tree.

The cliffs provided the perfect frame for the Henry Mountains.

Back at the trailer, we watched the sunset, slept the sleep of the innocent (mostly) and in the morning enjoyed another fine view of the first rays of sun hitting the peaks of Capitol Reef.