Today we did a nice scenic drive in Capital Reef National Park. Why is it called Capital Reef when it is in the middle of Utah? Early explorers who were also often mariners saw the rock formations in the area like they saw reefs at see. As barriers that were difficult to get across. The capital part of the name comes from the domed sandstone formations that looked like the US capital dome.

Today was not an ideal day for touring as the intermittent showers - sometimes heavy - kept us mostly in the car. This picture pretty well illustrates the beauty (and the frustration of the showers)

We were told multiple times not to hike routes by a wash if there was even a chance of rain. We did one small hike anyway to see the registry. A place where early explorers carved their names in to the wall of the canyon, often standing on top of their wagons to ensure the names would not be washed away by the floods.

Right now we are at the Green River state park in Green River Utah. Just off of I-70 a few miles. It’s a nice quiet area.

The plan had been to drive to the Great Sand Dunes tomorrow. Unfortunately the forecast is for snow and freezing rain starting late tomorrow afternoon and going through the night. We decided to forgo the Dunes as well as the side trip through Oklahoma and Kansas (just so we could check those states off the list) and head over the mountains to Ogalala Nebraska. We’ll stay at a KOA there and then head on to Wisconsin in a long day on Wednesday. It’s been a great drive home, but we both know that once we start getting close we get anxious to get there.