Mesa Arch offers a beautiful window into the canyon below and is embelished by the beauty in front.

It is easy to understand why the Anasazis favored this location, which offers naturally carved enclaves in the side of the butte. The temperature within is moderated, and the views are spectacular.

Our next stop is the Canyonlands National Park where we climb the Aztec Butte to explore the Anasazis built granaries located around the perimeter just below the mesa top.

After spending the night in Moab, we make an early morning trek to Dead Horse Point State Park, which offers a spectacular overlook of the Colorado River.

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.