We left the campground, headed back across the Flaming Gorge Mountains to Vernal, UT via U.S. Highway 191 south and saw more fantastic scenery. This is the view of the valley as we came out of the mountains toward Vernal, UT.
This is the view from the road on the way to Dinosaur National Monument.
We arrive at the visitor center and was greeted by this dinosaur.
We checked out the visitor center then took the tram to Quarry Exhibit Hall. This is a view along the way.
What a great view from the Quarry Exhibit Hall of the tram and the Green River in the distance.
The dinosaur quarry is in a rock layer, the Morrison Formation, whose fossils were deposited in so many environments that scientists can reconstruct how the area looked 150 million years ago. This is the only national park area set up to protect a historic dinosaur quarry. There are so many fossils in this wall it almost looks likes a killing field of dinosaurs to me.
Here is an Allosaurus Skull intact and in shape. This is one of the best preserved skulls ever discovered. Although made of thin and delicate bones, this skull is uncrushed. Buried for millions of years, the skull is only minimally distorted.
A team from the University of Utah discovered this skull here at the Carnegie Quarry in 1924.
After seeing dinosaur bones at the Quarry Exhibit Hall we took the auto road to view the scenery and other sights. Our first stop was at one of the monument's oldest known sites of human occupation. Stone tools found at 'Swelter Shelter' (named by the researchers who excavated it in the blazing heat of the summer), are up to 7,000 years old. These ancient people are referred to as the Desert Archaic culture.
The pictographs (paintings) and petroglyphs (scratched of carved designs) on the shelter's walls are not quite so ancient. They were made about 1,000 years ago.
Continuing on down the road is this view of the Green River and valley.
Our next stop we are overlooking Split Mountain. The impressive skyline is the rugged ridge of Split Mountain which is named because the Green River has split it in half. The river produced a spectacular canyon and a geological mystery; how and why did the river cut through the center of a mountain instead of taking an easier course around it?
Below us is Split Mountain Campground.
So how exactly did the Green River 'split' Split Mountain? As geologists explain, the ancient Green River sat in a riverbed thousands of feet above where it is today. It flowed high above Split Mountain when that mountain was still buried in dirt. Over time the Green River cut through the soft dirt and eventually struck the rocky erosion-resistant top of Split Mountain. By then, however, the river was held in place by its banks. It could not change course when it hit the top of Split Mountain. It cut through the mountain instead of diverting around it.
We got up close and personal to the Green River.
We followed an Auto Guidebook to 15 stops along the way. Each stop was very scenic and we learned about the area. Our last stop was at Josephine Bassett's cabin. Josie is a local legend, independent in both action and thought she lived life on her own terms. It is here that she chose to settle in 1914. Josie built several cabins on her homestead, the last being the one in the picture below.
Josie provided for herself. She raised and butchered cattle, pigs, chickens, and geese. She canned the harvest from her large vegetable garden. Josie's source of heat came from wood burning in the fireplace. Her water came from the spring. There was no electricity; her light came from an oil lamp. Josie lived a 19th century lifestyle well into the 20th century. Josie Bassett Morris made her home here until 1964.
Split Mountain forms a backdrop to Josie's cabin. Made of Weber Sandstone, it is another ancient desert sand dune formation that is even older than the dinosaurs.
After we left the Dinosaur National Monument it was time to eat so we stopped at Don Pedro's Family Mexican Restaurant in Vernal, UT. It wasn't the best Mexican food we had but it was OK.
It was a long round trip drive to Dinosaur National Monument so we were glad to get back to our camper at Flaming Gorge Campground and relax in front of the TV.
Thursday July 25th was day of rest around the campground. I like to relax and ride my bike around the day before we hit the road to the next campground.
Friday July 26th we dumped the holding tanks, filled the fresh water tank, hitched up the car to the Winnebago and hit the road. We turned left out of the campground heading south on WY Highway 530. In a mile we crossed into Utah and picked up highway 414 and followed that road until we crossed into Wyoming. We headed north on U.S. Highway 189 to U.S. Highway 30 following that to WY Highway 89 which we followed north to U.S. Highway 89. Highway 89 took us all the way to the Star Valley Ranch RV Resort in Thayne, WY.
Along the way we passed the Lander Cut-off.
This is the view we saw from the Lander Cut-off sign.
It was a great trip following "Red" roads instead of the interstate. The scenery is so much better when when you are off the beaten path. It wasn't a long ride, only about 5 hours, but we were glad go get to our new home at the Star Valley Ranch RV Resort.
We got a great campsite with a great view of the mountains. It's good to have full hook-ups again. Our last campsite at Flaming Gorge we only had electric so we had to conserver our fresh water and use the holding tanks sparingly.
Over the past week we toured the Grand Tetons and the surrounding area. So much great scenery but this blog is long enough so I will save the rest for the next blog.
Tom & Bev Livin and Lovin the RV lifestyle.
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