1140 September 21, 2024 Dinosaur National Monument
Overnight, I heard a chorus of coyotes serenading. This morning, I walked a little more than a mile down Little Hole Road, a country lane. The air was crisp and cool.
We left Dutch John and traveled toward Flaming Gorge Reservoir Dam.
We stopped at the recreation area.
We drove through the forest. The golden aspen trees are lovely.
We came to a section of road that was 8-10% grade over 9 miles with 10 switchbacks. I didn’t get a picture until we were around the first switchback!
All along the ride, there were these tan and green signs. They indicated what kind of rock was present and if there were fossils. There were even signs saying that stegosaurus roamed here or raptors hunted here. It was a reminder of all that had come before us. We could picture dinosaurs roaming in this part of the world.
We arrived at Fossil Valley RV Park in Vernal, Utah at around 10:30. We settled and packed lunch. We took the Jeep to Dinosaur National Monument.
We went into the Visitor Center and got information about Blue Mountain Road, a 4WD dirt and gravel road. The rangers strongly discouraged us from taking this road. This only intrigued Tim more!
We took the shuttle to the Quarry or the “Wall of Bones.” In 1909, Earl Douglass, a paleontologist, found dinosaur bones sticking out of a rock wall. Over 10 species of dinosaurs and thousands of bones were unearthed. These bones were buried in an ancient river 149 million years ago. It was the wish of this scientist that some of the findings be left in the quarry wall and displayed for people to view. This exhibit totally wowed me! To stand in the same place where these dinosaurs lived, walked, and ultimately perished was jaw dropping. I was also able to put my hand on a bone where it has existed for millions of years, embedded in that stone wall. I truly hope that someday, my grandsons are able to see this.
This camarasaurus femur was a big as Tim.
This allosaurus skull was found almost completely intact. The fragile nature of the skull bones often results in lots of fragments.
We took Cub Creek Road, an 11-mile scenic drive through the park.
We walked to the petroglyphs at the Swelter Shelter. Stone tools used by indigenous peoples were found here. The tools dated up to 10,000 years ago. The existing petroglyphs and pictographs are about 1,000 years old.
We drove to the Split Mountain Picnic Area. The scenery was gorgeous!
Turtle Rock.
We traveled to the Josie Morris Ranch. This pioneer woman came to live here in 1914. She was a single woman who built her own cabin, raised her own fruit and vegetables and raised and butchered her own meat. She liked living here in isolation and beauty. She stayed well into her 80’s. She slipped on ice and broke her hip. She crawled back to the cabin where friends found her several days later. She was never able to return to the ranch. She was one tough lady!
It occurred to me as we explored this park that we were traveling through time. We began with the dinosaurs and then we viewed the shelter and art of the Native American People who made this their home. We visited the homestead. We think that we own this world that we live in but our time here is so very short.
We took Blue Mountain Road. The road climbed straight up the side of the mountain. The view from the summit was spectacular.
We drove across the road to see the view from the other side of the ridge.
A doe.
We made our way back down.
As we approached Vernal, we could see storm cells ahead. It is very difficult to judge distance here…the sky is so big and open. The rain seemed to be hovering over the distant mountains.
Tim spoke to the campground owner, a native of Vernal, this evening. Now we have lots of ideas for more adventure in this area.