Looping -the -Fold

We visited Capitol Reef NP yesterday. It's the top step in the Grand Staircase. The bottom step is the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The park name was originated from a large dome rock which to somebody resembled the dome of the Capitol in DC. That's a stretch. The dominant feature of the park is the 100 mile long Waterpocket Fold, a stair-step fold known to geologists as a monocline. Nearly 10,000 feet of geologic strata representing 250 million years of earth history lie exposed along the fold. It became a national park in Oct ,1996, amongst great controversy. Some believed Clinton rushed it through to take Arizona in the Nov. election. The dedication ceremony was held in Arizona even though the site is in Utah, and the Utah state government was only given two days notice and no input on the decision. Most of the preserved land is in a very conservative range and mineral extraction area and they haven't gotten over it yet.
Loop-the-Fold is a 127 mile ride down the eastern flank of the Waterfold and requires a full day. We left the Visitor's Center a little after 11:00 am and completed the jouney at about 5:30 pm. The park will tell you a high two -wheel drive vehicle is adequate for the trip, but I would advise high and four -wheel drive. Rains ten days ago carried sand and gravel down into the low creek areas where flash flooding must have occurred. The dip into the bottom of the road crossings were steep and the sand was soft. I was in four-wheel on all unpaved sections, about 30 of the miles. It was a big, blue sky day and the vistas were spectacular. Bob Breckenridge had told me that he thought this was about as pretty and magestic as it gets and I can't disagree with him. Also, after having travelled Zion and Bryce, it was nice to have a place to ourselves.
Today we move to Moab to finish Arches and see Canyonland.