3500 Miles Later!..

Well, we simultaneously hit the 3500 mile mark today AND we experienced our highest outdoor temp of the trip so far-- 107!  All in the incredible and very intriguing Dinosaur National Park! 

We left around 7:30 from our hotel in Vernal, UT and made it to Dinosaur National Park in hopes of beating the crowd!.. And it worked!  Being there before 8:30 meant we could drive our own car in.   

Not have to take a bus.  We were the only people besides the Ranger at the Dinosaur Quarry building which protects a massive wall of exposed fossils -- over 1500 individual specimens, all dating from the Jurassic period (about 150 million years ago). 

Shockingly, this wall represents only 20% of what was originally discovered by Earl Douglass in 1909.  This site is world famous for producing some of the most complete dinosaurs in the world.  Over 500 nearly complete skeletons were taken away thanks to Andrew Carnegie's funding.  They can be seen in museums from Pittsburgh, to the Smithsonian, London, and even Berlin!  Some of the best preserved dinosaur heads are from this park -- they are rare because of their fragility.  Here is a photo of me coming face to face with one of the Jurassic's primary carnivores-- Allosaurus!

The rock layer that these fossils are found in is known as the Morrison Formation -- primarily associated with riverbeds.  These dinosaurs wound up in this tangled mess because of a major river that flowed through this valley a 150 million years ago.  When the river dried up, many dinosaurs died along its banks.  Then when floods came, their carcasses were washed downstream and buried in sediment, leaving the pristine fossils for us to see today!

Dinosaur National Park is also a beautiful place to hike and drive... the terrain feels like something out of this world!  We took a hike and got to see some incredible rock formations!  The area is even known for having many ancient petroglyphs chiseled into the rock by the Fremont tribes over a thousand years ago.

Also on the hike, we were fortunate to see exposed dinosaur bones, most likely belonging to a Diplodocus, or some other type of Sauropod (large long-necked herbivores).  I did the 1.5 mile loop trail while my Mom stopped at the dino bones.  It was intense in the midday sun and heat!

Later, though, I thoroughly enjoyed getting a chance to wade into the beautiful Green River that cuts through the mountains of Dinosaur National Park.  It's because of the river that the dinosaur bones got exposed.  The water was warm, and the view down the river of the purple rock (Morrison Formation) cliffs was stunning!  Had to share a picture of it!

Well... Time for sleep!  We have to wake up early tomorrow morning and make it to Arches National Park by mid afternoon (we want to make sure we get there in time for sunset!).  We really enjoyed this glimpse into the Earth's past.  And I guess my Northeastern class about the history of Dinosaurs actually came in handy!!!  Nice!  Money not wasted!

Until next time!

-JW