Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and Utah, Fall 2022

Blog Resurrection ...

I haven't updated this Blog in seven years, and we have been to so many NEW places in these past years that it seems prudent to do so now.

We started our 2022-2023 trip in Lewes, Delaware at Cape Henlopen State Park with family. However, since it was really a family vacation, I am not posting any photos here. Cape Henlopen is a lovely park bordered by Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean with beaches, fishing, cycling, etc. Following our week here, we were supposed to visit friends Mike and Julie in the mountains of North Carolina, then visit friends Barbara and Wayne in Central Florida, however Hurricane Ian changed all of that and we decided to make a run for Colorado since it was still only the end of September. We haven't been to Dinosaur National Monument (which sits on the border of Utah and Colorado) since 2012 and have always wanted to return. And so we did ...

	We found excellent boondocking just off of Harper's Corner Road, on Blue Mountain Road with a view of the valley below us and mountains south of us.  It doesn't get much better than this!
Split Mountain Area
	At the Split Mountain boat launch on the Green River.  This is a typical take-out point for rafters.
	The Cub Creek Petroglyphs on the road to the Josie Morris Cabin.
	The Josie Morris Cabin which she built and lived in from 1905-1964 until about age 90! She had a garden, fruit trees and some livestock. She dug her own irrigation trenches in this harsh environment.
Island Park
	The Island Park area is spectacular. The small primitive campground, Rainbow Park, is on the Green River and suitable for tents, car camping, and vans. The road is accessible by most vehicles in good weather. This photo is taken from the Island Park Overlook, just past the campground.
	Another view from the Island Park Overlook. The cottonwoods and aspens are almost in full fall foliage.
	The Green River is popular with rafters. I suspect these rafters put in at the Gates of Lodore in the very north of the park, and will take out at Split Mountain.
	The abandoned Ruple Ranch on the Green River.
Yampa Bench Road and Echo Park
	The Yampa Bench Road provides sweeping views of the Green River and vertical cliffs that tower above it. 4x4 is recommended.
	At the western end of Yampa Bench Road is Echo Park and this feature called Steamboat Rock. There is a primitive campground here at Echo Park for small vans, cars and tents, although 4x4 is necessary to navigate the roads here.
Gates of Lodore and Loop Drive
	Getting to the Gates of Lodore in the northern-most section of the park takes almost 2 hours from the town of Dinosaur, CO, but it is worth it. Here is a group of rafters who had just put in at the Gates of Lodore Campground, which would accommodate RVs up to about 30'.
	Just north of the Gates of Lodore is Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge. Due to the time of year (early October), we didn't see many fowl, but the drive through the park on Wildlife Drive was really nice.
	From the northwest end of Wildlife Drive, we took the Swinging Bridge across the Green River, and followed Crouse Creek Road. The bridge is VERY narrow. Our truck had mere inches to spare on either side. Here I am on Crouse Creek Road.  Google Maps has marked a spot on this road as a Hideout for Butch Cassidy, but we didn't see the cave which is apparently high up on the canyon wall.
	Crouse Creek Road ended at Jones Hole Road, which we drove to the Fish Hatchery. It was getting late in the afternoon, so we hiked just a bit of the trail at the end of parking lot. This, I assume, is Jones Hole Creek. What a beautiful spot.
Fantasy Canyon
	Fantasy Canyon isn't far from Dinosaur National Monument, and just south of the town of Vernal, so we take a day trip there from our campsite. It is a protected area of weathered grey sandstone in the midst of oil and gas drilling.
	The stange shapes created by erosion show many weird faces!
	We roam the area for hours. There are picnic tables and a porta-potty on-site, but no overnight camping allowed.
Flaming Gorge
	In the Fall of 2012, we visited the Flaming Gorge, but were just passing through on a cloudy day, so photos were rather blah. So we take a day trip north to this reservoir on the Green River to see it in its spendor. This is Red Canyon, 1,700 feet deep and 4,000 feet across (518m x 1,200m).
	Cart Creek Bridge on Highway 191.
	The Green River below the Flaming Gorge Dam. There is a boat launch behind where I am standing to take this photo.

We are so glad we were able to return to Dinosaur National Monument after 10 years!  We spent two full weeks exploring the park and the area.  Thankfully, we had excellent weather for the duration.  We didn't go back to the Quarry Exhibit Hall this time, although I highly recommend it.  This park does NOT disappoint, and we don't understand why it isn't a national park.

Grand Tetons and Flaming Gorge

As we leave Yellowstone, we drive through the Grand Teton National Park.  The two parks are essentially joined and this is probably the most scenic route south to our next destination.  We decide not to stay in Grand Teton because of forest fire smoke, which is limiting visibility of the views.

Marilyn overlooking the smoke-filled Grand Tetons

We lunch at Cathedral View or Turnout or Cathedral something.  Here is a view of the Teton range including Grand Teton itself at over 13,700 feet.  We can see glaciers on some of these mountains.  But the smoke is causing such a haze, it is difficult to see anything clearly.  At least the drive is easy, through the valley with the Tetons to the west.  There are also many lakes, and we drive alongside Jenny Lake which reflects the mountains as blurs on the rippled water.  I can imagine how beautiful it must be here in the spring before forest fires develop and disturb the clarity of the sky and air.

We continue south down Highway 191 towards Flaming Gorge.  We decide to stop overnight at a wildlife marker overlooking the Big Sandy River (we see no wildlife at the river), but what a lovely view.  The sign posting tells us that 40,000 to 60,000 Pronghorn Antelope migrate through here every year, trekking from the Tetons north of us to Rock Springs, WY just to our south.  We do see many antelope in the lands east and west of the highway.  This is called the "high desert" meaning we are at a high elevation, but the landscape is desert-like with only grasslands and brush.  It's hard to believe wildlife can exist out here, but numerous animals do like the antelope as well as mule deer, and coyotes, and in more desolate areas, mountain lions and bears.  There are also interesting birds like magpies and mountain bluebirds everywhere.

In the morning, I awake to find a dead mouse laying on the living room carpet.  Grady has finally earned his keep.  There must have been a battle with this creature as he has spilled his water.  Neither Brad nor I heard the commotion in the night as we wear earplugs to sleep when we are near a roadway.  At least Grady didn't bring this one to bed with us, but while I get up and find this poor dead creature, Grady is still in bed, under the covers, sleeping after his late-night hunt!

At the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, we find the campground on the east side of the Gorge closed, so we spend a couple of days camped in the adjacent boat launch parking area, beside the gorge.  Here there are trees, picnic tables and firerings.  The landscape here is phenominal with dry, rocky hills rising from the water, dotted with sage brush and the odd small green bush.  There are a pair of Grebes floating in the bay, and Brad disturbs a sleeping coyote on a walk along the "beach".  The silence here is deafening, with only the twitter of birds, the woosh of their wings and the buzzing of a few insects to disturb our thoughts.

Reservoir at Firehole Canyon in the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area

Many boaters come and go as it is the weekend.  We use this time to rest before heading further south to the Flaming Gorge Dam.  This lake is a reservoir, dammed for power in the early 1900s.  We drop the trailer in the parking lot of the Visitors Center at the dam, and drive up the mountains to see Red Canyon and the Sheep Creek Geological Loop, a drive that takes several hours.

Red Canyon is exactly as it name predicts.  From the viewpoints overlooking the lake, the opposite cliffs are bright red, rising about 500 feet from the clear water.  This is a boater's paradise, and we can see many fishermen skimming the surface.  It is very unfortunate that the day is cloudy because this mutes the colours, so we are determined to return in subsequent years.

Red Canyon in the Flaming Gorge NRA, Utah

Aspens turning gold, Flaming Gorge NRA, Utah

The drive along the Sheep Creek Geological Loop takes us through an incredible canyon with yellow and red sandstone towering above us.  The feeling is one of timelessness and we come to realize that we are just a brief blemish on the face of this ever-changing, ancient planet.  We can see that some of the rock cliffs have been pushed into vertical faces, others are at a 45 degree angle to the ground, and others are bent into curves around an imaginery sphere, making us appreciate the forces at work underground.  The effect of the contours and colours is awe-inspiring.  I wish I could draw or write a song, or something artistic that could capture the spirit of this place better than a photo and these brief, inadequate words.

Uplifted rock along the Sheep Creek Geological Loop Road