On our way to Torrey, Utah, we stopped at the Anasazi Indian Village where 87 rooms were uncovered. Anasazi is a Navajo word meaning “Ancient Ones” and is used to describe the basketmaker-Pueblo culture that existed in the Four Corners area from AD 1 to 1,300. The people who lived here disappeared suddenly around AD 1200. All that remains are their writings and dwellings.
The drive was just as before, spectacular! 
What a beautiful view from our campground in Torrey, Utah. 
While in Torrey, we visited the Capitol Reef National Park. The park contains about a quarter of a million acres of towering cliffs and eroded landscape, known to the early Native Americans as “Land of the Sleeping Rainbow.” A giant, wrinkle in the Earth’s crust stretches for 100 miles across south-central Utah. This impressive buckling of rock, created 65 million years ago by the same tremendous forces that later uplifted the Colorado Plateau, is called the Waterpocket Fold. This waterpocket fold country is the free-flowing Fremont River and the big desert sky.
While in Torrey, we visited the Capitol Reef National Park. The park contains about a quarter of a million acres of towering cliffs and eroded landscape, known to the early Native Americans as “Land of the Sleeping Rainbow.” A giant, wrinkle in the Earth’s crust stretches for 100 miles across south-central Utah. This impressive buckling of rock, created 65 million years ago by the same tremendous forces that later uplifted the Colorado Plateau, is called the Waterpocket Fold. This waterpocket fold country is the free-flowing Fremont River and the big desert sky.
We hiked through Capitol Gorge to see the “tanks,” which is basically a hole in the rock where water would pocket in heavy rains or snow runoff. It was so interesting to see the petroglyphs and the pioneer register (writings of pioneers on the rocks dated as far back as the 1800s).
We stopped at the Gifford house, where we met a woman who was born & raised on the other side of the gorge that we hiked. It was so interesting to talk to her and her the stories of her childhood and the stories from her mother and grandmother. When the Giffords lived at the house, they had one girl and 2 or three boys. The parents and daughter slept in the 2 bedrooms in the house and the boys slept upstairs. To get upstairs, they had to go outside, around back, up a ladder and through the window.
Calvin Pendleton (who may be of the Pendleton wool family) arrived in Fruita in the 19th century and built a barn before World War I. He sold the land to Jorgenson in 1919 and the barn was changed over the years. The last owner, G. Dewey Gifford used the barn for over 40 years and rolled loose, cut hay from a wagon into the barn using an “A” rope with team or tractor.
We then visited the Fruita one room school house which was opened in 1896. Eight grades were taught in one room with 8 to 26 students. In the early years class was only held in the winter months so that the children could help with the farming during the spring, summer and fall. The building also served as Sunday School, a meeting place and Saturday night social center. The school closed in 1941 due to declining enrollment.
Then it was off to the orchard to pick apples, pears and peaches. The orchards were started by the mormons but is now run by the government. It’s pick your own on the honor system. 
On our way home, we stopped at an overlook. Here on the Colorado Plateau has the best visibility in the lower 48 states. At the Capitol Reef National Park, the average summer visual range is 145 miles!!!
On our way home, we stopped at an overlook. Here on the Colorado Plateau has the best visibility in the lower 48 states. At the Capitol Reef National Park, the average summer visual range is 145 miles!!!
The following day, it was on to Gobblin Valley, Utah. The drive was so different. The colors went from the rich red and white sandstone hoodoos to grey and black hills. We felt like we were in the middle of a mining operation. 
Along the way, we stopped at the Wolverton Mill which was built by Edwin Thatcher Wolverton, who came from Maine to look for gold. He built a mill to crush gold ore in 1921 didn’t discover very much gold. In 2003, a wildfire raged through the area of Straight Creek, where the Wolverton Mill originally stood, so it was relocated by the government to its present location in Richfield, Utah.
We finally reached the road we had to turn off to the state park where we were to camp for the night in Gobblin Valley State Park. All I could say was OMG! It was about 15 miles from the main road, on dirt, pavement, dirt and pavement.
We parked away from the group, due to lack of campsites, which was fine for use since we were all dry camping, we were able to run our generator 24 hours a day. We had a great view! As we were parking our rv, an antelope ran by us in the field. 
Before 10 p.m. (generator turn off time at the campground) we were joined by 2 other rigs who wanted air conditioning since the evening was a little muggy.
We had a ranger led gobblin, urchin walk at 7:30 that evening. It was great! The ranger explained how the area was on the edge of a shallow inland sea. Tidal deposits of sand, silt and clay sediments were left. Over millions of years, these distinct layers hardened to become the sandstone, siltstone and shale layers of these formations. 145 to 170 million years ago, during the middle to latter part of the Jurassic Period these environments dominated the landscape.
We had a ranger led gobblin, urchin walk at 7:30 that evening. It was great! The ranger explained how the area was on the edge of a shallow inland sea. Tidal deposits of sand, silt and clay sediments were left. Over millions of years, these distinct layers hardened to become the sandstone, siltstone and shale layers of these formations. 145 to 170 million years ago, during the middle to latter part of the Jurassic Period these environments dominated the landscape.
As we walked through, they looked like goblins and the full moon, which made it really cool.
