Driving West of Hanksville on Utah Hwy 24 I was riding by the Fremont River on Mostly BLM land. About forty miles West of Hanksville I entered Capitol Reef National Park, where my pics started. Up high in the Fremont River Canyon the Mormons established the settlement of Fruita (in 1880) where the conditions were right for their fruit orchards. I made a stop at the Fruita Schoolhouse built around 1896, and renovated with a new roof around 1912. To get my pics inside the school I held my camera lens directly against the glass windows.
Nearby were the fruit orchards (apples, peaches, pears, etc) planted by the Mormons. In contrast to the very strict rules by the National Park Service about taking anything (even a rock or pine cone), they usually keep one marked orchard open to the public. They supply very large expensive ladders and long handled fruit grabbers for picking fruit. The Park gives you free all the ripe fruit you can eat on site, and only charges you for the fruit you carry off site. (Yumm!) This year I did not see an open orchard.
of the Fremont River at the top of a large hill with a great view. There is much more to see there including hiking and off road vehicle trails; but I needed to press on to my next camp.
