57 (D-74) [Day 8] State Route 24 / Capitol Reef National Park

57 (D-74) After spending the night in Moab, we'll hit the road again the next morning, the 8th day of our trip. We still have three more of Utah's National Parks to visit.

Capitol Reef National Park is next on the list. We'll just be driving through it on the scenic State Route 24. It became a national park in 1971. It was called "Wayne's Wonderland" in the 1920s. (Wayne is the name of the county. In 1871, the popular press called Yellowstone "Wonderland"....making reference to the book Alice in Wonderland.) Its wall-like cliffs are nearly 1,000 feet high (300 meters), and they run like an ocean reef for a distance of 90 miles (145 kilometers). The tops of these cliffs are white sandstone. Imagine Capitol Reef's beautiful colors at sunset: the red sandstone cliffs against the blue evening sky. So many beautiful colors! This explains why the Navajo called it "The land of the sleeping rainbow."

But, why is it called "Capitol Reef?"

Capitol Reef National Park has the largest historic orchards in the National Park System, with approximately 2,600 fruit and nut trees. You can pick fruit in quantity in orchards that are officially open for public harvest for a modest charge.

Jane
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VOCABULARY:
--hit the road = leave (slang)
--orchards = where fruit trees are grown
--a modest charge = you don't pay very much; inexpensive