August 24
The VC and Quarry Exhibit Hall at Dinosaur NMon do not open until 8 AM, so I drove the park’s main Utah road starting at 7 AM in order to see other sights. At the end of the pavement (does continue as dirt) is Turtle Rock. Made me think of the turtle in the Looney Tunes cartoon with the fast Hare. Closer to the VC is Swelter Shelter. Fremont peoples from around 1000 A.D. left pictographs and petroglyphs on stone cliff faces. This is one of the easier places to see pictographs in my opinion. Petroglyphs are more prevalent in NPS units. All sorts of shapes can be seen, some looking like aliens from a Hollywood movie. Visitors must take a shuttle from the VC to the Quarry Exhibit Hall. That was not the case in 1979 when my parents took my brother and me into the hall… we just parked outside the door. The driver makes a round-trip in 15 minutes. One can take the 1.25-mile Fossil Discovery Trail hike if they wish. The driver said many people like to take the shuttle up to the hall, then walk back down to the VC. The trail has a few exhibits of fossils and allows one to see the change in rock strata colors which is a visual timeline of the Earth. The hall has two levels. You enter on the top, go the length of the hall, then take a walkway down to the lower level. The lower level has some impressive bones in display cases, with history lessons about dinosaurs. The lower level allows you to get much closer to some of the 1,500 bones which have never been removed from the side of the quarry. It seems like the Flintstone’s pet Dino had a bunch of relatives holding a reunion in order to have such density of skeletons in one area. At the end of the walk there is a section where you are allowed to touch a few of these 150 million years old artifacts. Those Egyptians think they have old artifacts in those pyramids, but they have nothing on Dinosaur NMon. The majority of the park lies in Colorado. One day I will venture over there.
US 191 going north was the path to get to Fossil Butte NMon in Wyoming. The entire length, until I-80, had signs and markers telling folks what geological strata they were driving in and what fossils have been discovered in the area. Two state parks and a national recreation area were all involved in the PR. Maybe someday I will take a week or so and go fossil hunting in the region. I did drive over the Flaming Gorge Dam in the NRA. This is one impressive feat of engineering. Fossil Butte is a few miles from Kemmerer. This is where the first store for J.C. Penny was founded. His house, a museum, and the store are still in the city. But back to fossils. The first thing I did at the VC was offer the greeting from the Timpanogos Cave rangers. Then I started reading the exhibits. This area was a freshwater lake around 52 million years ago. The VC’s elevation is 400 feet below what was the surface of the ancient lake. Being a lake, this meant fish, reptiles, birds, and aquatic type plants were abundant. These are the fossils being found today, upwards of 100,000 a year. A nearly complete crocodilian species was on display in a vertical display case in the VC. There is a Quarry Trail and a Nature Trail for visitors to hike. I walked a bit of the Quarry Trail, though knowing there are no fossils to be seen on the path (even at the historic quarry at the end of the trail). I came across a family whose kids were sporting Junior Ranger badges. They had earned them at Dinosaur and were now here, books in hand to begin the work for this park. Maybe they will be the next generation of paleontologists.
Route US 30W, then US 89N, is the quickest means to reach Grand Teton NP from Fossil Butte. Much of the last segment of road follows the Snake River. There were plenty of rafts on the water, navigating through the various rapids. From Alpine to Hoback you can easily find an outfitter who will put on the water. The city of Jackson was packed with humans… and cars. One could hardly navigate through town on the main road. I drove by the National Elk Refuge. Again, no elk to be seen (this is my fourth time at this refuge). Shortly thereafter is the entrance sign for Grand Teton NP. It was getting a workout. Cars kept pulling into the parking lot, disgorging people eager for a photo with the majestic peaks in the background. The time was 5 PM, the sun was basically behind the peaks, and I was not to Signal Mountain Lodge (one of the few places to get a room in the park), so I decided not to pursue any other activity for the day, except to get dinner. Thankfully, this lodge has very good WiFi. Other lodges in our parks could take a lesson, even though one is supposed to get “disconnected” and experience the great outdoors. I plan to do that, just tomorrow at sunrise.