Sketchbook drawings of Capitol Reef National Park

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2006
The rest of the families rolled into camp and we set up in the beautiful group camping area for fun and games. The grandkids loved the deer roaming through camp. In the morning I took my travel sketchbook and hiked up the Fremont River Trail. I stopped along the way to enjoy the view as the narrow trail wound higher and higher up the cliffs. Resting in the shade, I did this sketchbook drawing of the valley below. The Fremont River meanders peacefully between the awesome cliffs and towers creating an unbelievable scene.

FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 09, 2006

We enjoyed a wonderful cool night with the rain pelting our tent for several hours. It broke up just long enough about 3:00 in the morning for us to go out and see the full moon peeking out from behind the clouds. As morning broke I took a few photos and did some sketchbook drawings of the old pioneer buildings at the Gifford farm, then took the road toward Panorama Point and made some sketchbook studies of the old twisted Cedar trees and the strange tumbled rock towers that abound everywhere you look.
The sky was filled with huge gathering thunderclouds and made a perfect backdrop for the spectacular scenery. As expected, it wasn't long til the sky opened up and the desert became a glistening lake. I took cover up under some huge boulders and kept right on sketching. This old cedar tree was a perfect model as I studied its twisted branches. It makes me wonder at the raw power nature uses to bend and shape both living things and stone in the desert.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2006

It rained all the way over to Capitol Reef National Park and let up just long enough for us to set up our tent and settle in. Already dark from the clouds, nightfall began to set in quickly. I grabbed my travel sketchbook and tried to capture some quick pencil sketches of the mule deer who had wandered into the orchard where we were camped. They have learned to stand on their hind legs and reach high to get the juicy apples, and usually bed down in the tall cool grass under the trees.