To Bedrock and Back

Friday, June 7, 2013
We were up, loaded all of our stuff in the Rubble-mobile and were out of the campground about 8:30 am.  Stopping along the way to see the sights, we went south on route 191 to Vernal, UT. Vernal was all decorated up with flowers, and they play up the dinosaur theme with statutes throughout the town.

There we turned east on route 40 and stopped at a visitor’s center at Jensen, UT.  At the VC we picked up some information on Dinosaur National Monument and some other handouts on northern Utah.  We turned north on 149 to the Dinosaur National Monument Visitor’s Center where we picked up a couple of stamps for the passport books.

Quarry Exhibit Hall

Once the stamping was as complete as we could get it, we jumped on a shuttle which took us up to the actual excavation site where several complete skeletons and numerous bones were unearthed.  A building has been built over a hillside with literally hundreds of exposed bones on display where they are imbedded in the rock.   The dig in this fossil bed began in 1909 and continued to 1926.   It is a very interesting display.  We were told that the fossils are in place as they were found on the hillside.

Hard to see , but part of the bone pile

They uncovered enough to keep the rock from constantly falling, and to make a good showing, but it is not staged. They said the bones collected there as sort of a logjam pile, washed down stream and collecting there.  It made us all yearn for a good, old fashioned bronto-burger.  

Waiting for the shuttle

The shuttle took us back to the national monument VC and from there we retraced our route to the Jensen VC, which is also a rest area, so we stopped for lunch.

Trivia: I'll just say that the shuttle they use at the monument is interesting in itself. You have to be really long legged or really skinny, or both, to be able to get on or off without a struggle. The opening between the benches is extremely small. On the return trip we grabbed the first bench on the second car because it looked like a larger opening, and it was much easier to get on and off. Remember that if you ever go there!

After lunch we again went east on 40 to the town of Dinosaur, Colorado.  Just past the town is the visitor’s center for the Colorado portion of Dinosaur National Monument.    There were a couple of additional stamps available so we indulged.    There is no fossil bed associated with the portion of the monument in Colorado.  It was named a monument by presidential decree in order to preserve the wilderness area along the Green River between Flaming Gorge and Vernal, UT.  The decree also preserves a portion of the Yampa River as a wilderness area.   The ranger had a good presentation and was a very personable young man.

We then headed back to Vernal and a fuel stop for the Rubble-mobile then back to camp at Mustang Ridge Campground.    Wilma tossed some potatoes and zucchini in the fire pit.   With that and a hotdog we were all satisfied to sit around the fire till it went out.   We are all turned in for the night thinking that Dinosaur National Monument was just like a trip back to Bedrock.   More on the old slab tomorrow.