Richfield, Utah
I had a month between visitors and needed to be close the Salt Lake City airport so I picked Richfield to stay for a couple of weeks before heading up to Provo and flying back to Sacramento for 10 days.
Looking for campsites in the summer is a real pain! I’ve read how full-time RVers hate the weekends and summer because it is difficult to find open campsites and indeed this was the case in Utah. The only place I could find was the KOA in Richfield. It was much more expensive, (as KOAs always are), than I usually pay, ($47/night at the weekly rate), but I didn’t have much choice. It turned out to be a nice campsite, large level site, big concreate patio with log fencing, and a pool. Richfield isn’t much of a town, but it did have a Walmart. Yes I get excited when these small towns have a Walmart! From Richfield I was able to visit Capital Reef National Park and Fremont Indian State Park. I also had time to check some things off my “To Do” list. It was bloody hot; hovering near 100 the entire time, so the pool came in very handy.
I met several of the workcampers working at the campground through RVillage, a social networking site for RVers. It was nice to have friends, however temporary, to hang out with by the pool and talk to when I felt the need for socializing. We all saw the Richfield fireworks on July 4th. All we have to do was take a chair and walk outside the side gate of the campground to watch the fireworks. They were quite good for such a small town.
Capital Reef National Park is in Utah’s south-central desert. It surrounds a long wrinkle in the earth known as the Waterpocket Fold, with layers of golden sandstone, canyons and striking rock formations. Among the park’s sights are the Chimney Rock pillar, the Hickman Bridge arch, and Capitol Reef, known for its white sandstone domes. In the north are the towering monoliths of Cathedral Valley.
The Fremont Indians inhabited the area around 1,000 AD. In the 1880’s Mormons settled the area now called Fruita. They planted orchards that are still producing today. I’m still eating the peach jam I bought in Fruita from the trees planted by the Mormons. They also sell delicious pies made from the fruit of those trees.
I took the scenic drive through the Capital Gorge canyon. I used my Go-Pro wannabe, SJ4000 action cam for the first time. I’m learning to shoot video to add to my blog. Here’s my first try.
Capital Reef does not have the crowds that other national parks do in the summer. It was about an hour and a half drive from Richfield through scenic mountains. It is well worth a visit.
Fremont Indian State Park is right outside Richfield and is definitely worth a visit. It has the archaeological remains of the Fremont culture. The site was discovered during construction of Interstate 70, and thousands of artifacts have been excavated from the ancient village and put on permanent display at the museum. The Fremont Indians were agriculturalists who lived from about 400 to 1300 in north and central Utah and adjacent parts of Colorado, Idaho and Nevada. The Fremont are thought to have come from hunter-gatherers who previously lived in this location and were influenced by the Ancient Pueblo Peoples who introduced corn and pottery, making year-round settlements possible.
Provo, Uath
I chose Provo because I needed to be close to an airport to fly to Sacramento for 10 days to attend Jane’s Lobster Feed and take care of a couple health appointments. Provo is 40 miles from the Salt Lake City airport and home to Brigham Young University. It also had an Elks Lodge where I could stay and store my RV while in Sacramento.
The Provo Elk’s Lodge is a fairly new (five years) lodge with a large parking area. It has room for five electric/water sites and three dry camping sites. There was only a couple RVs parked at any one time. When in Provo, I’d certainly stay there again.
Before leaving for Sacramento, I took the short trip (8 miles) to Provo Canyon for a hike to Bridal Veil Falls and then continued to the Sundance Resort.
The Sundance Resort is nothing like I imagined. It is very rustic and low key. According to Wiki, “Sundance Mountain Resort is a ski resort located 13 miles northeast of Provo, Utah. It spans over 5,000 acres on the slopes of Mount Timpanogos in Utah’s Wasatch Range. Alpine skiing began on the site in 1944. Actor Robert Redford acquired the area in 1968, and established a year-round resort which would later spawn the independent Sundance Film Festival and the non-profit Sundance Institute. Sundance is committed to the balance of art, nature and community.” I checked into tickets for the film festival. You need to buy your tickets the minute they are released a year in advance in order to get a ticket. Maybe someday… I walked around and had lunch before heading back to the RV.
Sacramento, CA
The purpose of my trip to Sacramento was to attend Jane’s Bridge School fundraiser lobster feed at her home in St. Helena. This is always a fun event and gave me a chance to see a few people I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was also my birthday. It was unusually hot in St Helena the day of the event and the dinner was outdoors. We did our best to stay cool by drinking a lot of cold beer! Everyone had a wonderful time and the food was fantastic. After a few days at Jane’s house, I went to Sacramento and stayed with Ralph (and of course, Freddy the Freeloader). I do miss my guys! I went to the eye appointment, the dentist and got my hair done. A very productive week indeed!
Note: Click on photo to see caption.
I returned to Provo with a bookie in tow (my book club friend, Reine). Mary Ann and Gerard Capra joined us in their RV and we all headed to the Grand Tetons. Reine traveled with us for 10 days and then flew back to Sacramento from Jackson Hole, Wy. Having girlfriends join me for segments of my travels has been a wonderful time for me. It’s been great to spend extended one-on-one time with these wonderful women. I am blessed in so many ways!
Park City, Utah
We drove up to Park City to check it out and to meet a friend, Sue Robinson. Sue has lived in Park City for 15+ years. Park City is known for it’s wonderful skiing in the winter and recreational activities in the summer. It is an upscale town with restaurants, galleries and small shops. We met Sue for dinner and spent most of the time talking telecom and walking down memory lane. We had a great time and all commented, “We will be back, Park City!”
Next stop the Tetons and Yellowstone.
O-Solo-Meo.blog 
Beautiful place!:)
LikeLike