See if you can locate the baby elephant among the goblins. Given enough time, you begin to see faces and animals at every turn, and if temperatures were not so extreme, we could have easily spent the entire afternoon here.

The 105-degree temperature does not dissuade me from descending into the valley in search of great photo opportunities.

This park could easily pass for the surface of Mars and one could spend hours walking among the thousands of goblins created by the forces of water and wind.

Our next destination is the Goblin Valley State Park whose entrance is guarded by the Three Kings.

Prospectors and other travelers passing through the Capitol Gorge in the late 1800s left their names on a wall of rock that came to be known as the Pioneer Register. This is but one of several dozens of inscriptions that appear on the very distinctive wall.

After taking the scenic drive, the girls and I set out on a short hike into Capitol Gorge. Maya seeks refuge from the sun in a waterpocket that seems perfectly sized for her.

This little gal was walking right down the middle of a dirt road we were on and eventually pulled over to let us pass. Jeanine says it is a quail.

Our home away from home is serving us well. It is large enough that everyone has adequate space and small enough that it is not a chore to drive. It is equipped with air conditioning and furnace, an electrical generator, bathroom and shower, table with booth seating, a kitchen with sink, range, microwave and refrigerator and sleeping areas for five. It served as a great mobile base of operations and we rarely spent the night in the same place twice.

The one-room schoolhouse, constructed by residents in 1896, also served as a community center. The desks were movable and the community enjoyed dances and socials in the little building. Nico and Kyle, not great fans of historical sights, remained in the RV playing chess while Maya, Jeanine and I met up with a park ranger inside who shared details about the history of the building and community.

The Mormon settled town of Fruita at the junction of the Freemont River and Sulpher Creek is our first stop. Regretably, we are a few days late to sample peaches direct from the orchards which sustain this small enclave nestled at one end of the Waterpocket Fold which defines Capitol Reef National Park. A nearly 100-mile long warp in the Earth’s crust, the Waterpocket Fold is a classic monocline: a regional fold with one very steep side in an area of otherwise nearly horizontal layers. A monocline is a “step-up” in the rock layers.

Today’s travel begins in Capitol Reef National Park which is known for having the most intensely colored sandstone.

Each morning, Jeanine takes time to have some hot tea and write in her journal. I must remember to inquire what she wrote about on our vacation.

While en route to our campground in Torrey, UT we stop for a short climb to get a close look at ancient pictographs know as the Hundred Handprints. If you click on the image for a higher resolution view you will see the handprints about 50 feet above where Kyle is sitting which is a good 30 feet above the base of this cliff wall. One has to wonder how the creators of this montage were able to reach such heights.

I believe this area should be renamed from the Devil’s Garden to the Devil’s Playground. If not for the need to begin travelling to our next campground the kids would have been happy to spend the entire day here. Some rather brief but intense rain made us happy we had completed our slot canyon hike earlier in the day.