The uneventful riverside town of GREEN RIVER , just east of the Hwy-24 junction on I-70, is the largest community on a 200-mile stretch of interstate. One good reason to visit is the John Wesley Powell River History Museum , 885 E Main St (daily: summer 8am-8pm; rest of year 8am-5pm; $2), which features the anything-but-dry personal accounts of the men who first successfully navigated the Colorado River from near its source all the way through the Grand Canyon. In summer, raft trips from the museum - which also doubles as the local visitor center - float downriver to the Crystal Geyser , a 100ft cold-water gusher, and every Memorial Day hundreds of boats set out on weekend-long convoy trips that cruise down the Green River to its confluence with the Colorado, then head upriver to Moab.

Green River holds several bargain-rate motels , including the Book Cliff Lodge , 395 E Main St (tel 435/564-3406 or 1-800/493-4699; $35-50), which also has a handy café .