Dino Space

Dinosaur National Monument is more than just prehistoric creatures. We only visited the Utah side of the monument, but it was a full afternoon. In our short time there, we saw a range of things from natural rock formations, rivers, petroglyphs, homestead buildings, a box canyon, and of course the fossil bones.

The Green River flows through the heart of the monument. We saw where it demonstrated its power by cutting a path through a mountain, leaving large arching overhangs in its wake. They even named it Split Mountain because of it. The river nourishes the trees along the banks and the alfalfa field of the neighboring ranch, which is one of the few places I saw a mass of green in the valley.

We stopped in several places along the way and saw an array of petroglyphs. It is amazing that they have endured all these centuries for us to still see them today. I do not understand all the images, but I find myself imagining the stories to go with them.

Josie Morris is a powerful example from us to learn from. Upon visiting her homestead, I learned of how in the early 1900’s at the age of 40, she came to this valley and established a homestead. With her independent spirit, she lived and worked on this land the rest of her long life. I guess they are right in saying that hard work does a body good. Her cabin was simple, but enough. The box canyon behind her buildings was a natural pen area for livestock, but today I only see the beauty of the sculpted rock walls and the canopy of trees giving shade for a hike up the canyon.

I took a little time to see the dinosaur bones too. They have a fantastic building showing the fossils in their original state, only partially excavated so that you can see them. There are so many bones in varied layers, it was great to witness as if you were on the archeological dig yourself.

To round out the day Tom suggested driving up Blue Mountain to find out where the road goes. What we experienced was a riprap road, that bounced us out of our seats, several camping areas, and some incredible views once we reached the top. Tom was even daring enough to drive out onto a ledge to see the land drop away right in front of us. The truck’s navigation insisted we take an impossible route down the mountain, nagging us constantly to make a u-turn when we retreated to the way we came up.

We treated ourselves to some Thai takeout from a food truck in Vernal. It was delicious and just the right amount of spicy. The dogs crashed shortly after getting back, and while we would have like to as well, we had pictures to handle, writing to do, and Betty to entertain as she was overly rested from our absence.

We didn’t have solid plans for today, but ventured out shortly before noon. Two days in a row of exploring has me feeling invigorated by what we have seen, but also exhausted from all the running. Things have been neglected at the motorhome and between Tom and me. Tomorrow will be spent here working on things, catching up on pictures and writing. I am thankful for the natural beauty that is around me all everywhere we go, and that is something I need to work on...being more appreciative.

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