June 26 Tues. Day 19

when you are on your bike for 12 hrs. a day you have lots of time to think about things you want to write to your friends about...unfortunately, by the time you get to somewhere you can write you have either forgotten it all or you are too tired to write it. We arrived last night, about 9pm, in Torrey. Ate at the worst diner yet. We have decided we will not eat at any place that says "family dining". We let the boys sleep in late and got a late start out to Capital Reef National Park. I had never heard of Capital Reef before. It is sooooooo stunning. We were just amazed. It is almost 1am and I've been up since 5am yesterday (I might as well be at work, catching babies) so I can't remember all the names of the towns that were our destinations but Matt will fill in those details tomorrow. The main thing I wanted to say about this day was that this Natl. Park is just beautiful. Just riding through was breathtaking. Just as we were passing the Petroglyphs (1am, remember?)this minivan slows down alongside us and our friends Jackie and Jonathan Ferris yell out the window "Hey Lady, you got any water". It was such a trip and soooooo great to unexpectedly see friends from the Bay Area,out in Utah. They were with their kids, Lila and Reuben, on their way to Colorado to visit family. We made a quick plan to meet at the this great waterfall we had heard about, and which they knew the exact location of..being regulars at this unknown national treasure. So we all met up at the waterfall. They brought us a pie from the famous Gifford House in Fruita (just a mile from the visitor center) where the Mormon's had settled on their way West and planted huge fruit orchards. Everyday it is a different fruit that they pick and sell. This day they brough us a pie with cherries, blackberries, and strawberries. It was almost as good as Analiessa's (sorry...1:30am now)pies. Solomon had to be dragged, two hours later, from the water where he was swimming with the fish that were inexplicably trying to jump up the waterfall, so that we could get back on the road and get to....I forget where...somewhere. Anyhow, we got there without incident and camped out under a 3/4 moon and stars a' plenty, did laundry, got the boys milkshakes as promised. Yonah said "we should try to get as many religious denominations as possible to pray for us, just to cover all the bases".
I have perfected the art of swallowing and drinking in the desert. No matter how recently you took a drink of water, within seconds your throat will be so parched that you can't swallow without permanently sealing the upper and lower parts of your throat together. Unless, you employ my new technique! Before you swallow, you have to let a little bit of water sort of dribble down your throat, all the while keeping it relaxed so you don't inadvertantly trigger the swallow reflex prematurely. Once your throat is moist you can then swallow and drink ad lib. You shouldn't try this on the hills, just on the flats.